We love using courgette in our meals, for a huge range of reasons. The most obvious is due to their health benefits. As a vegetable, courgette comes packed with a whole host of vitamins and minerals. In particular, it is stacked with potassium (which is important as it helps bring a reduction in blood pressure and heart rates by countering pressure effects of sodium), Vitamin C (Vitamin C is water-soluble meaning you need multiple sources of it throughout the day) & B-vitamins (responsible for a wide range of individual benefits!). Add in the fact thereâs just 17 calories per 100g and youâre more or less eating a multi-vitamin.
However, the main reason we love working courgette into our meals is due to its versatility. Here are five ways you can fit courgette into your meals â and give yourself a major health boost!
1. COURGETTI
Clean Cut Meals Courgetti
Spiralised courgette has recently been termed âcourgettiâ, and is a fantastic alternative to using real pasta & tagliatelle. Pasta is incredibly dense in carbohydrates and thus in calories, so if youâre looking to cut these out or reduce them, courgetti offers a great option. Youâd need over 2kg of courgette to equal 100g of uncooked pasta, so feel free to double up your portion. The texture is similar to that of spaghetti & therefore leaves you with that satisfied feeling you get from enjoying pasta dishes!
2. COURGETTE FRITTERS
Clean Cut Meals Fritters
Again, a take on a traditionally calorie-dense food, but with the integration of courgette into the fritter, youâre left with only a fraction of the calories, provided you use a low-calorie spray rather than frying them in oil. If youâre on a diet that limits carbohydrates, save yourself room for some extra carbs in a different meal by utilising courgette here!
3. ZOATS
Clean Cut Mealsâ Zoats
So just as everyone became accustomed to the addition of âProatsâ as a valid breakfast option, a similar Instagram craze has risen, known as âZoatsâ! So courgette is also known as zucchini thanks to all our fine American friends who simply must do things differently. And Zoats is a blend of oats & zucchini, or as we know it, courgette! Adding courgette to your morning oats will help thicken your first meal, and thus help you consume less calories but feel just as full. We rarely eat vegetables in the morning so this is a great way to slip them in. And for all those not in the know â the taste barely changes, your oats just feel a lot thicker!
4. BAKED COURGETTE
Clean Cut Baked Courgette
Thereâs no denying that everybody loves a good side of garlic bread or bruschetta. However, having a look at the calorie count of each will certainly put you off, or at least cause you to reconsider. The bread holds the oil or butter & thus the amount of fat in each is genuinely astounding. Therefore â you need to try a different method. Baking a courgette & halving them lengthways will allow you to recreate that incredible garlic bread feeling, without the guilt of consuming your entire dayâs worth of fats in one side!
5. COURGETTE FRIES
Clean Cut Courgette Fries
Finally â if youâre struggling to maintain your sanity on a diet avoiding chips â why not fool your mind & tastebuds by creating courgette fries? Use the traditional method for making home cooked chips, except use a low-calorie spray, and youâll end up with some delicious, carb-free chips perfect for any meal.