In Praise of Zoodles

I love Sweet and Sour Chicken. It doesn't matter if it's in a restaurant or homemade. Linda likes it too, as long as there are plenty of sweet pickle chunks in it. The problem is that it is not necessarily nutritious in that you serve it over rice or noodles, each of which add 100 calories and 20 grams of carbohydrates for our senior citizen serving size.

So, last week we found ourselves with sweet and sour chicken on that evening's menu and some leftover zucchini noodles (zoodles) in the refrigerator. Linda suggested using them instead of rice or noodles. After a long pause and a wrinkled brow, I saw no reason not to give it a whirl.

Now, we use prepared popcorn chicken from Kroger because it's easier to portion and the breading is superior to anything I can make. The nutrition is comparable, as well. Once the sauce and chicken are happy, thick, and hot, stir in the zoodles, about 3 oz each, and let them warm. They'll remain tender crisp. Serve up and enjoy. Zoodles are 11 calories and only 3 grams of carbs per serving. Winner, winner … you know the rest.

Now, I'm not a cheerleader for zucchini by any means, but the zoodles added an additional layer of texture to the dish. If you find yourself with an unloved zucchini, dig out your spiralizer, or any suitable substitute shredder and give them a try as a substitute for either rice or noodles. (I don't recommend meatballs and tomato sauce, however.)