I'll tell you one of the struggles of having moved out - I miss my kitchen. The lighting somehow was perfect, my counter boards were a lighter colour so everything meshed well together to aid in making my food photographs look good.  Just a heads up that until I find my own place which I dream will have a great kitchen (which might/can take a few months) in the mean time: both you and I will have to make do with the photo presentation and I will try my best to make them visually appealing despite of the lack of lighting in my current kitchen. As long, as you can still get the gist of the recipe I hope you enjoy what I present to you nonetheless.

It's been super duper hot here in Malta - I'm starting to recollect why I left this country in the first place. Every time I used to mention I'm from Malta I got so many different faces from foreigners saying I was crazy to have moved to grey, cold and rainy London,  which even I sometimes found it hard to answer at times as with time I got to gain an appreciation for my Mediterranean rock but somehow, it suddenly all came back why I decided to leave. THIS HEAT IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLE. Sorry I had to get it out. The only plus side to summer and heat waves; is fresh and delicious food that you can make and that becomes so refreshing and revitalising after a long day.

I have been onto zoodles lately, if you follow me on Instagram and check out my stories you'd see that I have made them on multiple occasions exploring with various sauces this past week. This particular dish I made is naturally vegetarian and could easily become vegan if you just opt out of the Parmesan which I added just for an extra touch. This dish gave me the right kind of energy and is surprising how for no carbs they are equally as filling as a normal plate of pasta, minus the bloat and that feeling of being lethargic right after which turns into a big plus!  

I kind of made my own tomato sauce -  the thought of fresh tomatoes, I couldn't miss out on that opportunity. If you prefer you could add a bit of marinara sauce, which originally was going to be my plan but if you can opt for fresh - fresh always wins. 

Zoodles are honestly amazing, it's only now that I suddenly joined the hype - what can I say I never follow a crowd. I was literally craving some good pasta sauce but at the same time didn't feel like a heavy plate as it's so hot outside yet, I didn't want to just pour my sauce all over my salad which is what I sometimes do. This time I wanted to feel like I was tucking into something 'heartier'. I got out my spiraliser which was still in one of my many boxes that came down from the UK and which was still in its original packaging as I had barely used it, (perhaps once or twice prior to this week) and this is where the magic started. I sharpened my  zucchini  and saw it turn to spaghetti like shapes which I can tell you works well not only as a stress reliever but also giving your arms a small workout. 

TIP: Something I've learnt as you get towards the end with a sharpener spiralizer its a bit hard to keep twisting the bottom - poke a fork through your marrow and keep twisting the fork whilst having a better grip to sharpen - it makes the whole process so much easier and makes you waste less! 

Alternatively, most supermarkets provide zoodles, cauli rice etc ready made for you - so it makes the process even quicker than the original recipe. However, keep in mind its probably much more costly and will have to be consumed fast so somehow the fact it takes no effort to prepare it cost you more to make them fresh and make sure all the micro nutrients stay intact. However, I have bought store bought in the past and when you have zero energy I can vow for myself that even preparing a sauce seems like work (don't worry we all get those days) lets just say this beats binging on a takeout and is still looking after your waistline by eating low carb so either way works. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves two or one heaped plate

- x2 zucchini

- x4 medium tomatoes

- x1 bunch of parsley

- x3 cloves of garlic

-x1 tbsp of olive oil

-x5 mushrooms

-x20g of Shredded Parmesan
(Do NOT add if keeping it vegan)

- x1 tsp of soy sauce
(or Tamari  sauce for a gluten free option)

-x1 tsp of tomato paste 

HOW TO:

Start off by adding some garlic with olive oil and bringing it to a heat before adding your mushrooms. Let the mushrooms brown slightly and then start by adding the tomatoes. 

Once the mushrooms have softened, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper for taste. 

Add a tsp of tomato paste to help bring out the tomato sauce, and also to add a little bit more texture. let it all simmer together for the ingredients to come together. 

Add an extra clove of fresh garlic on the top. I am loving fresh garlic lately and it's good for the immune system and giving that extra boost.  

The final touch for your tomato sauce and which would be more of an unexpected one is adding a dash of soy sauce, this helps the sauce come together, this somehow brings out more the taste of the tomatoes. If you couldn't tolerate too much of the tomato acidity you could add also a dash of sugar to sweeten it slightly but quite frankly I don't always. 

If you plan to keep this dish vegan then skip out this step altogether. I added some parmesan to add a little more flavour but you can add some yeast flakes OR some vegan cheese to give off that extra bit of a taste. You could also leave it as is, you can't go wrong with a fresh marinara sauce, garlic and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil. YUM.

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You can add extra parsley on top to varnish, as well as salt and pepper. At this point, meat eaters can add an extra portion of protein with or on the side. If not, you can just eat as is like I did in the below picture. Dig in and Enjoy I guarantee you'll feel full, satisfied and light considering the plate you would have just devoured.