Want dinner in a hurry?

Want noodles, but don't want to have to clean a metal pot after eating?

Need more veggies in your diet?

Are you sick of portion control, having to limit the amount of pasta you eat because you fear that carbs are going to make you balloon out to Violet-Beauregardian levels?

Well then this is the Instructable for you! With about 5 minutes combined prep and cook time, 4 common kitchen items, and 1 solitary ingredient, you can make a delicious and unequivocally healthy past alternative!

For this you will need the following:

1 microwave
1 microwave safe bowl
1 paper towel
1 julienne peeler (or a mandolin slicer with a julienne blade... or a knife and a lot of patience)
1 or more vegetable of choice

As for the vegetable of choice, you can use almost any relatively firm (when raw) veggie. I've tried it with carrots, butternut squash, and zucchini, and it all works, but each veggie will give you a different flavour. I find that zucchini is a nice and ambiguously flavoured vegetable, and so I end up using it most often.

Step 1: Raw Noodling

Wash and dry your zucchini (or whatever), and proceed to peel with your julienne peeler. I hold mine by hand to ensure that I get the most out of my vegetable, but I've seen others peel a bit on one side, and then place the now flat end on a cutting board so that they can near-spastically julienne the other side, now that they haven't got to worry as much about potentially julienning themselves (not fun).

Step 2: Cooking and Draining

Cover your microwave safe bowl, now full of stringy zucchini (or whatever) goodness, with your paper towel and place into microwave. My microwave is actually older than I am, so I have to put it in for about 2:50, but you folks out there with your fancy/newer microwaves will probably have to nuke 'em for less time. Over cooking isn't that big a deal, though... As long as you don't get crazy, the zucchini is just being steamed by its own water content, so burning shouldn't be an issue.

When the time is up, remove the bowl from the microwave carefully, unlike me, who neglect protective gloves or kitchen towels when handling stupidly hot kitchenware. Using either gravity, or the added insurance of a fork or a strainer or something, drain the water from the bottom of the bowl.

Step 3: Nomnomnom-ing

Your zucchini (or WHATEVER!) "pasta" is now ready to eat! Just add your favourite pasta sauce, or butter/oive oil and cheese, pesto sauce. Quick and easy, healthy, and delicious! Vegan! Raw-ish! Low carb! Minimal dishes! Et cetera!

Bon Appetit!