Shrimp Zoodles with V/GF Walnut Alfredo Sauce

GUYS. I’m so excited about this recipe, I can’t even handle it. I’m honestly really surprised about how in love I am with a lunch/dinner recipe.

Let me back up. Usually I spend all of my time toying with dessert recipes because I’m obsessed with desserts, and I feel like the creative possibilities are endless. I loooove to healthify my favorite sweet treats, and it’s SO satisfying when it comes out right. My main meals of the day aren’t usually very exciting in my opinion because I tend to stick to the same types of meals week after week. I love ’em, so I never really bother switching anything up.

Last week, my sister asked me where she could find my healthy dinner recipes. I was like, ummm… I don’t really do dinner recipes? I’m too preoccupied with dessert! But that got me thinking, and I realized that it would probably be helpful if I start posting about some of the things I like to eat for actual meals. Just to give people who aren’t quite sure how to get started with healthy eating some basic ideas. Even if it seems super simple to me because I’m so used to making it, doesn’t mean it’s an obvious dish to somebody else.

So I told her I’d post a healthy dinner recipe, and my brain immediately went to ZOODLES. I’m obsessed with zoodles. All you need is a spiralizer and some zucchini, and BAM! You’ve got yourself a healthified pasta. Zoodles are a GF girl’s dream. I love them because they take hardly any time to prep, and having a pasta-like dish just makes me feel fancy.

Anyways, I wanted to spice things up for this post and deviate from my everyday zoodle routine. Instead of going for my regular red sauce, I decided to create a creamy dreamy fabulous ALFREDO! My go-to red sauce is super easy and quick (and I can totally do another post on it if you want), but I have it all the time. I’m getting kind of bored with it.

GF/Vegan alfredo is kind of hard to come by. And when I have had it before, it ends up being too heavy and not sitting well with my stomach. When you get zoodles at restaurants, they usually top ’em with a marinara or a pesto sauce, which is delicious, but overdone. SO LET’S SWITCH IT UP, and get a lil’ fancy. (It’s still super easy, I swear.)

I cannot explain to you how obsessed I am with this alfredo sauce. It’s so creamy and delicious without feeling “heavy” (you know what I mean?), and you would literally never guess it’s dairy-free. HA! After I ate my zoodles I ended up just dipping some other veggies I had in the sauce at the bottom of my bowl to see what it tasted like…It was epic. Then I licked my bowl clean. (I’m not kidding.)

I paired this dish with shrimp, basil, and mushrooms, but you could easily sub out any of those for whatever you want! If you don’t like shrimp, chicken would also taste phenomenal. If you don’t do animal products, then top it off with some more walnuts or even some cashews! If you don’t like mushrooms, broccoli is another veggie that would be amazing in this dish.

This meal is super quick (like, under ten minutes), very simple, and SO DELICIOUS. I’m in loooove.

Sidenote: If you want this to taste extra cheesy, add in a little nutritional yeast. I didn’t add it in because I didn’t think it needed it. Also, nutritional yeast is kind of an obscure ingredient for most people so I didn’t want to overcomplicate anything!

Shrimp Zoodles with V/GF Walnut Alfredo Sauce

Serves: 1 (With some extra sauce…lucky you!)

Ingredients: 

Veggies/Protein

• 2-3 zucchinis, depending on size
• 1 yellow squash
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• Wild caught shrimp (I used 6 Jumbo shrimp, but have as many/as few as you want!)
• 1-2 tbsp coconut oil

Walnut Alfredo Sauce (GF/Vegan)

• 1.5 cups cauliflower
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts (You can also sub with another nut if you don’t have walnuts. Pecans and cashews are great, too!)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• dash of pepper
• 1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1/3 cup filtered water
• Extra water to thin, if desired

Instructions:

1. If you have time, soak your walnuts in a cup of filtered water for 1-2 hours, and then drain. This is not completely necessary, but it will make the blending process easier.
2. Spiralize your zucchinis and squash, and then press a paper towel on top to soak out the excess moisture. (Use the “Thick” end of the spiralizer.) Let the zoodles sit with the paper towel on top while you make the sauce and the rest of the veggies.
3. Steam your cauliflower.
4. Set your skillet to medium heat and add in the coconut oil. Toss in your shrimp and mushrooms. Leave on the skillet for 3-4 minutes, then flip everything. Leave them on for another 3-4 minutes, or until they’re cooked to your liking.
5. Add your soaked walnuts, coconut milk, and water into a blender/Nutribullet/food processor and blend until you reach a creamy consistency. Add in your salt, pepper, and steamed cauliflower. Then blend again until everything is thick and creamy! The sauce will already be warm from the steamed cauliflower.
6. 
   When your shrimp and mushrooms are almost done, toss your zoodles into the skillet. Throw in a bit of sea salt and extra basil (if desired), mix it all up, and leave on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Zoodles need hardly any cooking, so keep an eye on them!
7. After the zoodles have been cooked for 2-3 minutes, toss everything in your skillet into a bowl. Top it off with as much of your Alfredo sauce as you want, mix it all together, and enjoy!

If you guys try this out, be sure to let me know how it goes! And tag me if you take a picture! How do you like to dress YOUR zoodles? I’m always looking for new ideas!