Middle Eastern Ground Beef Zoodles with Peanut-Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Greek oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried mint
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Finely chopped fresh mint and parsley, about 3/4 cup each
• Thinly sliced green onions for garnish, optional
• 6 T softened creamy peanut butter
• 2 T Tahini Sauce
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 2 tsp. agave nectar, or other sweetener of your choice
• 1/2 tsp. ground garlic
• 4 tsp. soy sauce, gluten-free if needed
• 2-3 tsp. Sriracha Sauce, to taste, or use another hot sauce of your choice
• 2 medium-large zucchini squash
• 1 T olive oil
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste to season noodles

Directions

1. Combine the garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin, Greek oregano, dried parsley, and dried mint, then crush or blend them with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder until you have an even seasoning blend.
2. Warm the 2 tsp. olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the ground beef, sprinkle it with the seasoning blend, and cook on medium-high, using a turner to crumble the meat as it browns.
3. Once the beef is almost cooked through, move it to one side of the pan. If the pan looks dry, drizzle in a bit more olive oil, then add the finely chopped onions and cook them until they soften and begin to take on color.
4. Mix the onions back into the beef. Pour in the lemon juice and water, let the mixture bubble gently over medium heat for 5 minutes, then lower the heat so it stays warm.
5. Spoon the peanut butter and tahini, if you are using it, into a glass measuring cup. Microwave for about 20-30 seconds, only until the mixture is easier to stir.
6. Whisk in the warm water, lemon juice, your chosen sweetener, ground garlic, soy sauce, and Sriracha Sauce, or another hot sauce, until the peanut-tahini sauce is smooth.
7. Turn the zucchini into noodles with a Spiralizer or whatever zucchini-noodle tool you like. The small or medium noodle setting both work, so choose the texture you prefer.
8. In a large non-stick pan, warm the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the garlic cloves and cook over medium-high heat just until the garlic aroma comes up, less than 1 minute.
9. Remove and throw away the garlic, then add the zucchini noodles to the hot pan.
10. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring here and there, until the noodles are only beginning to soften.
11. Add salt and fresh-ground black pepper to the zucchini noodles to taste.
12. Fold the chopped mint and parsley into the warm beef mixture.
13. Portion the zucchini noodles into four bowls. Spoon one-fourth of the beef mixture over each bowl, then add a generous amount of sauce.
14. Finish with thinly sliced green onions if you want them, and serve immediately.
15. If you are not eating 4 servings at once, cook all the beef, but cook only the zucchini noodles you plan to eat right then. Refrigerate the uncooked zucchini noodles, beef mixture, and sauce in separate containers, then cook the remaining noodles and warm the other components when it is time to put the bowls together.