Raw Spaghetti, or Italian Zucchini Salad?

Yes, it has been a while since I was here. Life has been a bit wishy washy in our house for a while. So much unresolved lately, which I find hard to handle some times. I have been in some kind of a rut and I am working at exiting that place. So I come to this blog place, and focus on two of my favorite things: food and photography.

This was dinner tonight.

It is my version of Raw Spaghetti. But if you are not into raw food, you could call it an Italian Zucchini Salad and no one would bat an eye. Funny how people connect to the same dish.  If I call it Raw Spaghetti I know some would turn their nose up, but call it an Italian Zucchini Salad and all of a sudden it is an acceptable dish. Go figure!  It was delicious and an absolute do over! It has lots of versatility. Tonight I did not have fresh herbs, but come summer when they are plentiful and it is tomato season, this will be even more amazing.

I should also mention I have a new camera. The love of my life gifted me with this for my birthday, and gave it to me a month early. I have been considering taking the leap to a more sophisticated camera for quite a few years, and now that I have it, I can't wait to master it. I must admit it is going to take some getting use to, but I am up to the challenge. It took all the food pictures in this blog. Isn't it a beauty!

So combination of new camera, a new recipe, and the need to blog, here I am! 

Now back to this delicious dish! It is one of those easy throw together things that just seem to happen in my kitchen sometimes. My Mom is always saying, "Now write that down so you can make it again!" It is one of those recipes that both my raw friends, and my friends that like salad will enjoy.

Here's what you need:

Tools: a knife, cutting board, spiralizer and a vegetable peeler. Ingredients: zucchini, red onion, tomatoes  cucumber, marinated mushrooms, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt, red pepper flakes and olive oil.

It's as easy to make as 1 2 3!

First marinade some sliced mushrooms in some tamari or braggs. This will soften them and give them a cooked texture.

Next peel and spiralize the zucchini. If you don't have a spiralizer, you can make "noodles' using your vegetable peeler.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel a cucumber and make long strips, "noodles," and add to the zucchini.

Next add chopped onion and tomatoes.

Add some spices. I used basil, oregano, onion granules, garlic salt, pepper, Himalayan salt, and crushed red pepper.

Add a splash of olive oil and give it a good stir.

Put it on a plate and top it off with a few marinated mushrooms, and there you have it, raw spaghetti, unless you are inclined to call it Italian Zucchini Salad!!! Either way, it was a great dinner and a fun way to start using my new camera. Here it is again. I know you want to taste it!! And it smells so fresh!

Speaking of camera, this was one of the very first pictures I took using the zoom lens  Yes, in addition to the camera, he even got me a second lens! I just love his smile! And him too!

Here's a couple more pictures that I took. I love how the camera caught the water in the fountain. The birds love to come to this spot to take a drink or a bath! I'll be taking their pictures soon too.

Well, that's all for now. My photos, food and I will be back soon.

Now go make some Raw Spaghetti!