Beet Noodles (Boodles?) w/ Apples, Pistachios & Feta

I truly need to lose a solid 5 lbs., which I rarely say, but it's true.

My luck had to run out sometime.

52 is lovely, but that dreaded word "peri-menopause" is showing up.
I can't go on eating late night pizzas and cake everyday......it's a wonder I have gotten away with it for this long!

Sorry to depress you....TMI.

I am trying to eat salads like this for lunch, instead of that beautiful sandwich that I crave daily.....and if I can ferme la bouche after 8 pm, that would really help me.

I received a spiralizer for Christmas from my friend Rosemary......so decided to put it to use.

I spiralized some red beets (makes a big mess....the red stain gets everywhere, as to be expected w/ raw beets).

Now what?
I have this big bowl of pretty curly red beet noodles....let's call them BOODLES.

I sauteed the boodles in a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet for 5 minutes only, so they stayed nice and crispy.

Made a simple dressing and used what I had in the fridge, including this overripe avocado.

THIS WAS DELICIOUS.

The beets kind of pickled in the vinaigrette, and stayed nice and crunchy. A Granny Smith apple was the perfect pairing.

Here's how:

2 cups of spiralized beet noodles (use red or yellow beets, not chioggia)
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced into matchsticks (it will stain once added with the beets)
handful of chopped scallions
handful of toasted pistachios
some feta for the top

Dressing:
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt & black pepper

Saute the boodles in a nonstick skillet for 5 minutes only in some olive oil.
Season with a pinch of sea salt & pepper.

Whisk up the dressing and pour over the sauteed boodles (beet noodles) in a large bowl.
The longer the beets marinate, the better they taste....almost pickled.

Just before serving, add in the chopped nuts, scallions and feta cheese.

A slice of avocado is nice too.

I also made a RAW beet salad w/ the spiralized beets, and as long as you marinate them in an acid (like lemon juice or vinaigrette) for 30 minutes in the fridge, they are ready to use in salads.

Delicious and healthy.

:)