Spaghetti & beet balls

Serves 4

Here’s another good one for the kids, because they love getting in on the action and rolling those vegie balls. If you’re serving it to little ones, you can leave out the chilli.

8 large zucchini (courgettes), peeled and spiralised (see Tip), or shaved into fettuccini strips

3 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

Beet balls

1 small beetroot (beet), peeled and diced

90 g (3¼ oz/1 cup) sliced shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped using a food processor

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped, then finely chopped using a food processor

100 g (3½ oz/¾ cup) finely diced celery

220 g (7¾ oz/1½ cups) activated sunflower seeds, finely ground using a food processor

3 tablespoons linseed (flaxseed) meal

4 tablespoons tamari

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Marinara sauce

75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in filtered alkaline water for 1 hour, then drained

3 garlic cloves, peeled

600 g (1 lb 5 oz/3 cups) chopped, seeded tomatoes

1½ tablespoons fresh oregano

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons coconut nectar

pinch of Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

• Toss all the beet balls ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well combined. Roll into uniform-sized balls.
• Place on mesh dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 40°C (105°F) for 4 hours, or until crispy on the outside, but moist and juicy on the inside. The beet balls will darken as you dehydrate them, and this is completely normal. (If you don’t have a dehydrator, place the beet balls on baking trays and leave in the oven on its lowest setting, with the door slightly ajar, for 1 hour.)
• Once the beet balls are done, pop them into a mixing bowl. Place all the marinara sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, then pour over the beet balls.
• Divide the zucchini pasta among four serving bowls, then top with the beet balls and marinara sauce. Finish with the parsley and serve.