Leo loves food. Not any old grub, mind you. He loves a feast. And make sure it looks as good as it tastes because the eyes want to feast as well. 

They are not terribly fussy and willing to experiment, but the more extravagant, colorful, and imaginative the better. There are some fabulous websites out there that have taken ‘food art’ to a new level. I am not going to even pretend to compete. But take a look for yourselves. Just enter ‘food art’ into the image search engine of your choice and I promise you, you will be amazed by what people come up with (especially during the lockdown, it seems). It’s fabulous, I humbly admit, it is beyond me.

Truth be known, at this time of the year, I am finding it quite a challenge to think of food at all, (except for ice-cream, perhaps?) let alone prepare it. The thought of having to turn on the cooker on (the oven is taboo during the summer) sends me into meltdown mode. Even grilling isn’t really an option when the mercury hits 35°C. So, it took me a while to come up with a recipe.

This Leo dish is light and summery and uses up some of the excess tomatoes and zucchinis. It is colorful and quick and easy to make. Perfect for this time of the year!

Stir-Fried Zesty Zoodles

4 zucchini, spiralized

1 red onion, sliced

5 mushrooms sliced

5 tbs sesame oil

5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

2 inches of  ginger, thinly sliced

Red chilies (or bell pepper if you don’t like it so hot) to taste

20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Thai Basil,

Prep all the vegetables in advance.

In a wok or large pan heat the oil and add the garlic, ginger, and chili.

When the garlic turns golden, add mushrooms and red onion. Sautee until they get soft then add the halved cherry tomatoes. Stir fry briefly (1-2 minutes), just to soften them, but don’t let them disintegrate.

Remove the vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Return the empty pan to the heat, add a little bit more oil, if need be, and add the zoodles. Once the oil is hot. Stir fry quickly, at a high temperature, for 2-3 Minutes. You’ll want them just soft, so don’t overcook them. Then add in the veggies again and quickly stir everything together.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with Thai basil and serve immediately.