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Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals: A Cookbook
The definitive cookbook for using a the kitchen gadget that turns vegetables and fruits into imaginative, low-carb dishes.
On her wildly popular blog, Inspiralized, Ali Maffucci is revolutionizing healthy eating. Whether you’re low-carb, gluten-free, Paleo, or raw, you don’t have to give up the foods you love. Inspiralized shows you how to transform more than 20 vegetables and fruits into delicious meals that look and taste just like your favorite indulgent originals. Zucchini turns into pesto spaghetti; jicama becomes shoestring fries; sweet potatoes lay the foundation for fried rice; plantains transform into “tortillas” for huevos rancheros.
Ali’s recipes for breakfast, snacks, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, casseroles, rices, pastas, and even desserts are easy to follow, hard to mess up, healthful, and completely fresh and flavorful. Best of all, she tells you how to customize them for whatever vegetables you have on hand and whatever your personal goal may be—losing weight, following a healthier lifestyle, or simply making easy meals at home.
Here, too, are tons of technical tips and tricks; nutritional information for each dish and every vegetable you can possibly spiralize; and advice for spiralizing whether you’re feeding just yourself, your family, or even a crowd. So bring on a hearty appetite and a sense of adventure—you’re ready to make the most of this secret weapon for healthy cooking.
On her wildly popular blog, Inspiralized, Ali Maffucci is revolutionizing healthy eating. Whether you’re low-carb, gluten-free, Paleo, or raw, you don’t have to give up the foods you love. Inspiralized shows you how to transform more than 20 vegetables and fruits into delicious meals that look and taste just like your favorite indulgent originals. Zucchini turns into pesto spaghetti; jicama becomes shoestring fries; sweet potatoes lay the foundation for fried rice; plantains transform into “tortillas” for huevos rancheros.
Ali’s recipes for breakfast, snacks, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, casseroles, rices, pastas, and even desserts are easy to follow, hard to mess up, healthful, and completely fresh and flavorful. Best of all, she tells you how to customize them for whatever vegetables you have on hand and whatever your personal goal may be—losing weight, following a healthier lifestyle, or simply making easy meals at home.
Here, too, are tons of technical tips and tricks; nutritional information for each dish and every vegetable you can possibly spiralize; and advice for spiralizing whether you’re feeding just yourself, your family, or even a crowd. So bring on a hearty appetite and a sense of adventure—you’re ready to make the most of this secret weapon for healthy cooking.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2015
404 people are currently reading
1938 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 1, 2015
I could totally relate to Ali’s dilemma about eating too much pasta, being Italian and having family dinners filled with lots of pasta. Ali’s mom developed Type 1 diabetes. She was determined to change the way she ate. When she was in N.Y. eating at a restaurant they served the most amazing zucchini noodle. She brought the restaurant’s cook book and discovered the spiralizer. Ali’s mom invited her over to eat this amazing zucchini noodle. Ali was floored…”what I tasted was the same lovely consistency of al dente pasta. I was captivated!” Her mom saw this as a pasta replacement but Ali saw so much more. She saw a way to be creative with vegetables at every meal. The author says that once you catch onto how versatile veggies can become you’ll look around and say, “Can I spiralize that?” I found her journey interesting and the meals inside this book just as intriguing.
She first talks about the four things that a vegetable needs to have to be a good candidate for spiralizing. Funny there is one major exception to the rules and that is with Eggplant. “Because of its soft flesh and tiny seeds, it won’t work well.” She goes on to list fruit and veggies that work great. She talks about what needs to be done to prep them and then choosing your blade to make the dish work.
She talks about storage of the vegetables in the refrigerator and freezer for planning ahead meals. The author says, “Spiralizing is for all ages, diet lifestyles and cooking skill levels. Even a college student in a dorm can make a big bowl of pasta using a spiralizer and a microwave.”
There are many beautiful color pictures sprinkled throughout this paperback book. The ingredients and simple instructions are easy to read. The ingredients are ones you find in any grocery store. In the top left hand corner she has some helpful information. She has the serving size, Time to Prepare, Time to Cook and the nutritional information for the recipe that includes: Calories, Fa, Carbohydrates, Sodium, Protein, and sugar for the stated portion size.
She rates each recipe for cooking level. !) Very easy 2) Medium 3) Most difficult – many steps required. She also labels the meal as to it being V – Vegan VT – Vegetarian GF – Gluten-Free, P Paleo.
I made the Zucchini noodles and she is right they are amazing, I couldn’t get over the taste. I also made the sweet potato spiralizerized bun. Both were yummy. My whole family loved them.
The recipes I look forward to trying are Breakfast: Cinnamon-Walnut Protein muffins, Huevos Rancheros. Snacks and Sides: The Spicy Jicama Strings (looked like fries- can’t wait to try that), Lemon Garlic Broccoli with Bacon, spicy Butternut Squash Nachos. Soups, Stews and Salads: I want to try the Chicken Carrot Noodle soup, Shrimp Daikon Pho, Steak and Pear Kale Salad, Apples with Saved Asparagus, Goranzola and Pecans. Sandwiches, Wraps and More: The Tilapia Tostados with Tomato – Corn Salsa; Apple-Potato Cheese Bun, Tuna Parsnip Portobello Melts: Rice Dishes – (fascinating section I can’t wait to try) Short Ribs with Sweet Potato “Grits”, Sweet Potato Fried Rice, Vegetarian Chana Masala with Kohlrabi Pasta and Noodles: I look forward to eating Bacon Casio e Pepe; Zucchini Linguine with Garlic Clam Sauce and oh, the Desserts look yummy!
I’m excited about incorporating more veggies in my family meals. I know it will be a win win for everyone; especially when they taste good and they are easy to make. I don’t have the fancy machine mentioned in this book. I bought a plastic devise in the grocery store. It only cost $9.99 and I can make almost all the meals in this book. I’m not sure where to purchase the Spiralizer but if I make a few more dishes I love I’m going to find out!
I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl. I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
She first talks about the four things that a vegetable needs to have to be a good candidate for spiralizing. Funny there is one major exception to the rules and that is with Eggplant. “Because of its soft flesh and tiny seeds, it won’t work well.” She goes on to list fruit and veggies that work great. She talks about what needs to be done to prep them and then choosing your blade to make the dish work.
She talks about storage of the vegetables in the refrigerator and freezer for planning ahead meals. The author says, “Spiralizing is for all ages, diet lifestyles and cooking skill levels. Even a college student in a dorm can make a big bowl of pasta using a spiralizer and a microwave.”
There are many beautiful color pictures sprinkled throughout this paperback book. The ingredients and simple instructions are easy to read. The ingredients are ones you find in any grocery store. In the top left hand corner she has some helpful information. She has the serving size, Time to Prepare, Time to Cook and the nutritional information for the recipe that includes: Calories, Fa, Carbohydrates, Sodium, Protein, and sugar for the stated portion size.
She rates each recipe for cooking level. !) Very easy 2) Medium 3) Most difficult – many steps required. She also labels the meal as to it being V – Vegan VT – Vegetarian GF – Gluten-Free, P Paleo.
I made the Zucchini noodles and she is right they are amazing, I couldn’t get over the taste. I also made the sweet potato spiralizerized bun. Both were yummy. My whole family loved them.
The recipes I look forward to trying are Breakfast: Cinnamon-Walnut Protein muffins, Huevos Rancheros. Snacks and Sides: The Spicy Jicama Strings (looked like fries- can’t wait to try that), Lemon Garlic Broccoli with Bacon, spicy Butternut Squash Nachos. Soups, Stews and Salads: I want to try the Chicken Carrot Noodle soup, Shrimp Daikon Pho, Steak and Pear Kale Salad, Apples with Saved Asparagus, Goranzola and Pecans. Sandwiches, Wraps and More: The Tilapia Tostados with Tomato – Corn Salsa; Apple-Potato Cheese Bun, Tuna Parsnip Portobello Melts: Rice Dishes – (fascinating section I can’t wait to try) Short Ribs with Sweet Potato “Grits”, Sweet Potato Fried Rice, Vegetarian Chana Masala with Kohlrabi Pasta and Noodles: I look forward to eating Bacon Casio e Pepe; Zucchini Linguine with Garlic Clam Sauce and oh, the Desserts look yummy!
I’m excited about incorporating more veggies in my family meals. I know it will be a win win for everyone; especially when they taste good and they are easy to make. I don’t have the fancy machine mentioned in this book. I bought a plastic devise in the grocery store. It only cost $9.99 and I can make almost all the meals in this book. I’m not sure where to purchase the Spiralizer but if I make a few more dishes I love I’m going to find out!
I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl. I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.
Nora St Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com
March 7, 2017
I don't typically add cookbooks to my read shelf, but I think I'll start adding the ones I use on a consistent basis. A few years ago, when I was suffering from fairly consistent IBS flare-ups, I changed my diet and started to exercise a bit. I lost around 50lbs in 6 months without having to put too much effort in. The problem for me was trying to keep things exciting. When you're eating healthy, and when you're not, you can get a bit stuck. Same boring chicken breasts, same boring veg; it makes it tough to not fall into old habits.
Ali is an insanely creative cook. Her recipes satisfy most of my cravings, and a lot of these meals are better than the unhealthy options in terms of flavour and taste. She never shies away from seasoning or spice *cough*Skinnytaste*cough*, and everything is crazy filling. The recipes in this one aren't quite as good as those in her follow up cookbook, but they give you a great base to build upon.
Ali is an insanely creative cook. Her recipes satisfy most of my cravings, and a lot of these meals are better than the unhealthy options in terms of flavour and taste. She never shies away from seasoning or spice *cough*Skinnytaste*cough*, and everything is crazy filling. The recipes in this one aren't quite as good as those in her follow up cookbook, but they give you a great base to build upon.
April 3, 2015
I am all for keeping a healthy lifestyle, and making easy delicious meals at home. I own a great tool that is a must to accompany this awesome cookbook. I am very excited to have so many new recipes added to my library. Since I grow a large garden every summer loaded with tons of fresh vegetables, I am impressed with the author's research on transforming more than 20 vegetables and fruits to look and taste like our tried and true favorite meals. I was pleasantly surprised to find sections on breakfasts and desserts, too. I especially like the salad and wrap entries. The shrimp meals are fantastic, too. It's truly rewarding to have a plethora of good eating recipes you can count on at your finger tips, whether you're eating solo or serving a crowd. Get the book. You won't be disappointed!
April 8, 2015
Inspiralized by Ali Maffucci is a super fun, super informative, and super friendly resource book for foodies everywhere. I absolutely loved it!
What made this book so incredible, in my opinion, was the fact that it was immediately appealing in the visual sense, it provided such a vast repertoire of food choices, and it gave a treasure trove of information related to health benefits and nutritional value in regard to the specified foods.
The author did a magnificent job of keeping the content relevant and fun. Additionally, I loved her voice and her conversational tone. I felt like I wanted to go on a food adventure with her.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: All
Status: Food, Health and Fitness, Family Fun/Meal Preparation
What made this book so incredible, in my opinion, was the fact that it was immediately appealing in the visual sense, it provided such a vast repertoire of food choices, and it gave a treasure trove of information related to health benefits and nutritional value in regard to the specified foods.
The author did a magnificent job of keeping the content relevant and fun. Additionally, I loved her voice and her conversational tone. I felt like I wanted to go on a food adventure with her.
Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: All
Status: Food, Health and Fitness, Family Fun/Meal Preparation
March 20, 2015
Best book out there for spiralized vegetables
I've purchased several books for my spiralizer but this by far the best. There are so many great recipes and I can't wait to try more. Just in time for fresh vegetables at the Farmers Market. Recommend this to everyone.
I've purchased several books for my spiralizer but this by far the best. There are so many great recipes and I can't wait to try more. Just in time for fresh vegetables at the Farmers Market. Recommend this to everyone.
July 22, 2017
I skimmed through the entire book today but I have yet to cook any of the recipes. I've had trouble finding spiralized vegetable recipes for more than zucchini and cucumber and this cookbook delivers as far as vegetable variety. I'm looking forward to making "buns" and many of the casseroles. I got this book from OverDrive, and I want to buy it for my cookbook collection.
March 27, 2015
This is a really fun cookbook. When I first came across it, I thought every dish would be raw, as most spiralizing recipes are. I bought my spiralizer several years ago to add some new textures to raw dishes and a new way to eat veggies and fruits - something fun and different. I had seen zucchini "noodles" at a holistic expo and was so captivated by how tasty they were, I went and ordered one on Amazon almost as soon as I got home.
Those "noodles" were raw and intended for a raw, vegan audience. This is what I was expecting from Inspiralized. But what I found was so much more. There isn't much that Ali Maffucci won't spiralize - zucchini, butternut squash, potatoes, celery root, cucumbers, kohlrabi, apples, even broccoli stalks (something I just tried last night and it worked great)! The list goes on and she has probably tried just about every different fruit or veggie to spiralize, making the workload easier for all of us. And it's all in her new cookbook.
The book includes a little bit of her story, how to set up your kitchen, detailed instructions on how to spiralize different kinds of fruits and vegetables, options for healthy ingredients, and oodles of noodles. She wanted to keep the recipes as healthy as possible, so she has eliminated milk, butter, sugar and most of the gluten. She specifies which meals are completely gluten-free and the level of difficulty in creating them. Her correlating website, Inspiralized.com, is chock-full of videos, more recipes, instructions, and the infamous spiralizer that she created that's now for sale.
The most fun part of her book is that many of the "noodles" or "rice" dishes are cooked. I hadn't seen this before and when I had tried it in the past, the veggies fell apart. Still delicious, but no longer a noodle. I love that Ali has mastered this part and is sharing it with all of us. And yes, it works. My broccoli stalk noodles came out awesome.
I am definitely inspiralized by her this book and can't wait to try more of the dishes. If you want to add more fun to your meals, as well as health and vitality, this book is definitely worth a try. As it turns out, spiralizing has been commonplace in Asia for quite some time to add beauty, texture, and interest to dishes. I completely agree. It's a lot of fun and the product comes out delicious. After you decide what kind of spiralizer you'd like (which to me is about size and storage - as they are both easy to use and get the job done), get to it and have some fun!
Happy spiralizing!
*This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
To read more, please visit www.divine-by-nature.blogspot.com
Those "noodles" were raw and intended for a raw, vegan audience. This is what I was expecting from Inspiralized. But what I found was so much more. There isn't much that Ali Maffucci won't spiralize - zucchini, butternut squash, potatoes, celery root, cucumbers, kohlrabi, apples, even broccoli stalks (something I just tried last night and it worked great)! The list goes on and she has probably tried just about every different fruit or veggie to spiralize, making the workload easier for all of us. And it's all in her new cookbook.
The book includes a little bit of her story, how to set up your kitchen, detailed instructions on how to spiralize different kinds of fruits and vegetables, options for healthy ingredients, and oodles of noodles. She wanted to keep the recipes as healthy as possible, so she has eliminated milk, butter, sugar and most of the gluten. She specifies which meals are completely gluten-free and the level of difficulty in creating them. Her correlating website, Inspiralized.com, is chock-full of videos, more recipes, instructions, and the infamous spiralizer that she created that's now for sale.
The most fun part of her book is that many of the "noodles" or "rice" dishes are cooked. I hadn't seen this before and when I had tried it in the past, the veggies fell apart. Still delicious, but no longer a noodle. I love that Ali has mastered this part and is sharing it with all of us. And yes, it works. My broccoli stalk noodles came out awesome.
I am definitely inspiralized by her this book and can't wait to try more of the dishes. If you want to add more fun to your meals, as well as health and vitality, this book is definitely worth a try. As it turns out, spiralizing has been commonplace in Asia for quite some time to add beauty, texture, and interest to dishes. I completely agree. It's a lot of fun and the product comes out delicious. After you decide what kind of spiralizer you'd like (which to me is about size and storage - as they are both easy to use and get the job done), get to it and have some fun!
Happy spiralizing!
*This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
To read more, please visit www.divine-by-nature.blogspot.com
February 26, 2015
I am not trying to live a gluten free or paleo diet at all, but I love the fun way to use new vegetables and cut calories in the process that happens when you spiralize vegetables! The veggie rice and pasta recipies from Ali Maffucci's Inspiralized blog have been big hits in my house, and I love the new cookbook as well. It's totally different recipes than the website. I love the nutritional info in each recipe, and the "how to" section for each fruit and vegetable. I do wish that there was a picture for each recipe, but most do have one. So far I have made noodles with potatoes, broccoli stems(really!), butternut squash, parsnips, apple, and jicama. I've also made a "rice" dish with daikon radishes. Hoping to try a lot more out soon! I can think of at least 3 people I think should get this book right away!
May 14, 2015
Ever since the "zucchini noodles" became popular, there have been a huge boom over the healthier versions of pastas, lasagnas, and other yummy foods that might not be so good for our waist. But Ali from Inspiralized revolutionized this trend and made it possible to have all that yumminess and still stay on track of weight loss and maintaining the healthy lifestyle.
Even before the book was released, I was obsessed with her blog. Pinterest, other blog posts, she was everywhere. I was so happy when I found out that she is releasing a full book full of recipes and amazing things that you can do with a simple twist of spiralizer. I just bought a brand new one with lots of fancy additions and so far loving the recipes from the book! I was surprised that there was also a section on desserts but that will definitely satisfy my horrible sweet tooth!
Even before the book was released, I was obsessed with her blog. Pinterest, other blog posts, she was everywhere. I was so happy when I found out that she is releasing a full book full of recipes and amazing things that you can do with a simple twist of spiralizer. I just bought a brand new one with lots of fancy additions and so far loving the recipes from the book! I was surprised that there was also a section on desserts but that will definitely satisfy my horrible sweet tooth!
July 4, 2016
I spotted this at my local library and was drawn to the cover because I am trying to embrace "zoodles" more and have one of the smaller "As Seen on TV" veggie spiralizers. I read this with Ms. Maffucci's website open so I could use Pinterest to pin recipes I wanted to try. Would I invest in a larger spiralizer to make more of her recipes? I'm not entirely sure. However, I was able to grab a few new ideas for light, fresh, and healthy summer meals.
August 16, 2016
I bought this book after finding a lot of great recipes on Inspiralized website.
Unfortunately this book disappoints with a limited amount of pictures.
When I get a cookbook I want to see how a particular dish will look.
Beautiful pictures are a must for me where it comes to cookbooks, but this book has only a small amount of pictures.
Unfortunately this book disappoints with a limited amount of pictures.
When I get a cookbook I want to see how a particular dish will look.
Beautiful pictures are a must for me where it comes to cookbooks, but this book has only a small amount of pictures.
July 23, 2015
Interesting ideas ,of course you need the spiral cutter to execute the recipes but they are readily available at a wide range of prices and efficiency. The recipes are inventive and are great for the vegan and gluten-free people. Tasty for all other people too.
August 26, 2017
I loved the book. I re-imagined and re-invented my kitchen. lol. I love eathing healthier and the decorations I'm making with the spiralizer are "jaw-dropping" hahah. I think it is a great recipe book.
June 26, 2016
Lots of interesting recipes I'm looking forward to trying.
January 17, 2020
One of my goals for 2020 is to eat healthier and add more diversity to my diet. I predict I’ll be reading lots of cookbooks this year for ideas. That being said, I found this one intriguing. I’m always looking for ways to use more veggies in my cooking and I’ve owned a spiralizer for years and have never really used it. I’ve tried a few of the tips in this book and they’ve worked wonderfully. I’ve only tried a couple of the recipes but the ones I made were delicious! I look forward to trying more.
October 18, 2017
Have been using this all week. It helps to have the OXO table spiralizer or the attachments on your food processor. The broccoli/bacon/garlic side dish was a winner with my grilled salmon. Also, served the kale/pear/fontina salad. Tonight is the Bacon Cacio de Pepe. All the recipes are simple to prepare and many can be prepped ahead of time for quick assembly before serving. Can't wait to try the stuffed poblano peppers...........
April 30, 2018
After recently buying a Spiralizer to help me eat more vegetables and less pasta and starch, I bought this book of recipes to guide me. I read it cover to cover, and can’t wait to start subbing zucchini noodles (“Zoodles”) and plantain rice for less healthy options. Most of the recipes have readily available ingredients and sound delicious.
October 31, 2018
This cookbook features recipes made with a spiralizer, as well as lots of good advice about how to make the most of your spiralizer appliance. Almost all the recipes I've tried from this cookbook have been big winners. I will definitely be checking out Maffucci's other cookbooks and have already used recipes from her blog several times as well.
December 30, 2017
The recipes look amazing. They are classified as vegan,vegetarian,gluten free and paleo. All of the dishes strive to be truly healthy. You will not find any butter, milk, cream, sugar, mayonnaise, cream cheese or white bread in any of the recipes.
December 17, 2021
Interesting change from a traditional cookbook. Because the recipes were so unique I would have liked more photos. It definitely encouraged me to create more menus with spiralized food items. Loved the healthy focus, tips, information.
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December 31, 2021I was disappointed to find only a few recipes in this book that appealed to me. Vegetarian dishes were especially scant, even though the author says she was vegetarian for many years. I haven’t cooked any of the recipes yet so will hold off on rating.
November 27, 2025
I finally slogged through this one, and I wasn’t impressed. I was looking for new and interesting recipes, but this book was more preachy than I liked and less original than I had hoped.
Not recommended
Not recommended
March 11, 2017
need a spiralizer, but can see how replacing pasta noodles with veges would be fun and tasty
July 15, 2017
Boek met veel recepten voor groentjes die je met de spiraalsnijder tot slierten of rijst maakt. Hier wil ik er best wel veel van uittesten.
May 30, 2018
Was looking forward to vegan/vegetarian meals recipe .. this was none of those things. The book focused more on some kitchen gadget - Inspiralizer .
October 11, 2018
Love this cookbook! Simple recipes for those just spiralizing for the first time. I really like that she gives multiple options of what to spiralize for each recipe.
December 11, 2018
Changed my life! Seriously!
July 22, 2021
Great recipes for using my spiralizer.
August 8, 2023
Recipes are often bland. Unfortunately in this cook book, health comes at the cost of flavour.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews