the prettiest "pasta"

what is it about summer that turns me all vegetarian?  i have been creating some fresh, raw, and plant-based meals around here...and not a smidge of complaints from anyone in our bacon loving household.

for dinner, i made sautéed heirloom carrot ribbon "fettuccine" with roasted zucchini tossed with caramelized garlic, butter, lemon, and thyme.  it was good stuff folks.  light and fresh and pretty and satisfying.

intrigued?  here's how you can make some of this in your own kitchen:

ingredients {serves 2}

a hearty bunch of carrots, the more colorful the better

3-5 small zucchini

1 lemon

a few cloves of garlic

a few sprigs of thyme

a few nobs of butter

salt and pepper

 

add some butter to a saute pan.  add grated garlic to the pan.  allow the garlic to slowly caramelize.

cut the zucchini into bite-sized pieces.  season with salt and pepper.  saute in the garlic butter until browned.  remove the zucchini from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  return the pan to the heat.  squeeze the lemon into the pan so the acid can help to loosen the yummy brown bits.  gently scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavor.  add in more butter and the thyme leaves.  let the sauce simmer while you prepare the carrots.

peel the carrots to remove the outer layer. 

then, use your peeler to slowly pull the carrot into ribbons.  add the carrots to the pan with sauce and saute until the ribbons softened to al dente.

to serve, place the ribbons in a bowl and top with zucchini and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano.  bon appetit!