Zucchini Spaghetti and Meatballs

About two weeks ago I finally caved and bought a spiral slicer. I have been eying one for a couple of months and although I can easily rationalize spending $3 on coffee five days a week and buying pre-sliced, ridiculously overpriced veggies from the salad bar on lazy nights, I had trouble convincing myself to take the plunge and buy one for myself. My brain can be kind of slow that way sometimes. In fact, it is currently having that same internal fight about breaking down and buying an ice cream maker. But that’s a story for another post. Back to the spiral slicer. So guys, this thing is seriously amazing. In just a couple of minutes you have incredibly low calorie/zero point spaghetti that works great as a pasta replacement, in salads, or just as a prettier side dish. I have been using it as pasta all week either replacing all the pasta with veggies or half depending on the meal. It’s delicious really, really, delicious. In terms of the slicer, there are two options I have heard really good things about. The first is this hand held version from GEFU. It’s under $30, small and easy to store, and works great with most veggies. The only drawback I have read is that it can be tricky to use with harder veggies and potatoes. The second one, that I ended up purchasing, is this one from Benriner that is a table top version. It works really well with all types of veggies potatoes, carrots, squash, etc. However it is about double to price and takes up more room. Either one would work great. You could also use a mandoline with a spiral attachment or a julienne slicer.