In case you've got zucchini coming out your ears.

Oh, I remember the days of having a garden.

Okay, I only had a garden twice in my life. Once at Bob-O-Link when Dave, Amy and I planted everything under the sun and then let the earth eat our harvest because it was too hot and too much of a blood sacrifice to spend any time in that mosquito village. And once when I lived with Shannon and I came home from waiting tables one day to find a giant patch of dirt in the back yard that she had decided to use to feed Sudan.

Even though I don't have much personal gardening experience, I do know that the one thing that is always in abundance for gardeners is zucchini. Tomatoes are easy to get rid of if for no other reason than there are probably thousands of mes out there just waiting to get your overruns. But zucchini is a different animal, and if you get four zucchinis what exactly are you supposed to do with them when zucchini bread only calls for one?

Well, here's one idea that my mom surprised me with when she was out here visiting earlier this month. We had to buy our zucchini since the only dirt I have access to is the 8" x 30" window box handing from the stair railing outside, but I bet my two readers living in places with yards and neighbors will appreciate this super easy, super yummy, and super healthy recipe the next time your co-worker is all, here, take this fucking zucchini.

Zucchini “Noodles” with Sesame-Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
3 small zucchini (sometimes I go crazy and use 4!)
1/2 red bell pepper, shredded or julienned (sometimes I go nuts and use THE WHOLE PEPPER!)
Edamame, baked tofu, chickpeans (optional, and I opt not to because I am lazy.)
1 tablespoon peanut butter (I don't measure from here on out. I just consider these ratio suggestions. Also, I use crunchy peanut butter.)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon water
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free tamari, or coconut aminos (bonus: this can also be gluten free)
1 to 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (there's can never be too much garlic.)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sriracha or other chile sauce or red pepper to taste (Liz nicknamed this stuff Thai Ketchup and I put it on so much stuff. Including eggs. Mmm.)
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (this can be a million dollars in the oil section, but in the chinese food section you can get a little container of it for like $4. just keep it in the fridge.)
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or the whole inch of it that you have in the freezer... another genius trick my mom taught me. peel the ginger, cut it into 1" piece, wrap each piece in plastic wrap, throw them all in a freezer bag, ginger at the ready. also it grates SO EASY when it's frozen.)

Instructions
Wash the zucchini well and trim off their ends. Use a spiralizer or a mandolin (they sell these at Bed, Bath & Beyond) to turn the zucchini into “noodles.” Line a large serving bowl with paper towels or a clean tea towel. Place the zucchini noodles in the bowl along with the red bell pepper. (I used the spiralizer thing on the red pepper too and it mostly worked. When I got down to the nubs, I just chopped them really tiny and threw them in the bowl.)

In a small bowl, whisk the peanut butter with 1/2 tablespoon of water and all remaining ingredients. If the mixture is hard to combine, add up to another 1/2 tablespoon of water, but be careful not to make the sauce too runny.

Remove the towels from under the zucchini noodles. Add the sauce and stir well to coat the noodles completely (can I just tell you tongs are magical for noodle coating... another mom trick). Serve right away.

(Leftovers can be refrigerated, but water from the zucchini may seep into the sauce, making it pool in the bottom of the bowl; stir well before serving.)