This summer squash is very low in calories—33 calories for a medium zucchini.

There are many wonderful ways to serve zucchini:

 
Two of our favorite recipes are below. To make them, treat yourself to the new Microplane Spiral Cutter, a tool that quickly and effortlessly transforms zucchini—as well as carrots, cucumbers, radishes and other vegetables—into elegant spiral cuts and ribbons.

[1] Food fun with the new Microplane Spiral Cutter (photo © Microplane).

Resembling an old-school manual pencil sharpener in both style and function, the Spiral Cutter has two razor-sharp (surgical steel!) slicing barrels to accommodate different vegetables—the small barrel for long, slim vegetables such as carrots, the large barrel for cucumbers, summer squash and other, broader vegetables.

It debuts this month in Black and Green for a suggested retail of $14.95. Learn more at Microplane.com.

Then, you’ll be set to whip up this delicious salad:
 
 
RECIPE #1: SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE # 1: THAI-STYLE ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD (BASED ON SOM TUM, THAI GREEN PAPAYA SALAD)

We love green papaya salad, som tum. We can easily eat two appetizer portions at our local Thai restaurant.

Our favorite guest blogger, Hannah Kaminsky, agrees. “Served chilled, the tender yet crisp strands of unripe papaya are cooling, yet still popping with bursts of heat from abundant flecks of chili peppers. Brightly acidic, tangy, and slightly salty, with just a touch of sweetness to take the edge off, every component must be in perfect balance to achieve a successful, harmonious dish.

“Of course, the key ingredient, green papaya, isn’t typically available in hometown grocery stores, which is why I took a page from the ever-popular zucchini noodles. They don’t stay crisp as long as papaya, so be sure to leave them undressed until the minute you’re ready to serve.

If you can find green papaya, great. If not, substitute zucchini noodles. Or how about making both?

“The dish comes together very quickly, so prep all of your vegetables first, and you’ll zip right through the rest of the preparation.”

Ingredients For 2-4 Servings

1. MAKE the dressing. Whisk together the lime juice, coconut sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and garlic. It will seem like a lot of liquid, but don’t worry: That’s exactly what you want. This isn’t like a traditional salad dressing; it should soak into the noodles a bit, and you will have a bit of a pool at the bottom when it’s in proper proportion.

2. PLACE the green beans, zucchini ribbons, and tomatoes in a medium bowl. Pour the dressing on top and toss to coat. Add the chili, a bit at a time, until it’s spicy enough for your personal taste. Give it one more good toss to mix everything around and evenly distribute the ingredients before transferring everything to a serving dish.

3. TOP with a generous handful of sliced chives and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
 
 
SPIRAL ZUCCHINI RECIPE #2: ZUCCHINI “SPAGHETTI”

You will love this dish, part of our repertoire since we began to fashion our own “cuisine minceur*” in high school. It does a great job emulating spaghetti, for very few calories and carbs.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOK zucchini briefly, to al dente. (We steamed them in the microwave for 30 seconds).

2. PLATE with sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and any other ingredients.

________________

*Cuisine minceur is a style of cooking created by French chef Michel Guérard. Guérard recreated lighter versions of traditional nouvelle cuisine dishes. Nouvelle cuisine, “new cuisine,” is an approach to cooking and food presentation in French cuisine. In contrast to cuisine classique, an older form of haute cuisine, nouvelle cuisine is characterized by lighter, more delicate dishes and an increased emphasis on presentation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the food critic Henri Gault, who invented the phrase, and his colleagues André Gayot and Christian Millau, in a new restaurant guide, the Gault-Millau, or Le Nouveau Guide. Here’s more about it.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Hummus is the second-fastest growing category in the grocery aisles with the on-the-go segment experiencing the most growth. Sales of hummus “snack sets” have seen major increases, up more than 70% since last year.

So it’s no surprise that Tribe Hummus, a leading brand, has entered the category with Tribe Humus & Pita Chips, a single-serve package that is launching now.

Tribe sent us samples, and we’re here to report the good news…and the less good news.

 
The Scoop: Good

 
*Tribe To Go Sweet Roasted Red Pepper totals 200 calories and Tribe To Go Classic has 230 calories.

 
A Welcome Addition To Snack Choices

Tribe’s To Go pack has a suggested retail price of $1.99-$2.99. It currently can be found at retailers and grocery stores such as Stop and Shop, Albertsons and Jewel, with plans of to expand to movie theaters, gas stations, airports and convenience stores by year-end.

And that’s what we think is the best news: We’d love to find it at these latter venues, where it would most certainly be our snack of choice among the empty calories and tasteless fresh fruit.

Can we also recommend newsstands, refrigerated vending machines and the snack concessions in office buildings? We’ll be there with cash in hand.

Learn more about Tribe at TribeHummus.com.

Looking for something sweet, cool, and virtually non-caloric?

You can buy sugar-free or no sugar added ice pops from Edy’s or Popsicle. Or, you can make your own from your favorite diet soft drink.

It couldn’t be easier. Prep time is five minutes plus freezing time.

RECIPE: DIET ICE POPS

Ingredients

 
Preparation For 6 Ice Pops

1. POUR 20 ounces of beverage into a large pitcher.

2. POUR the mixture into the pop molds; freeze for 3 hours or until completely frozen.

 
On a related note, you can also make flavored ice cubes by freezing your favorite diet beverage in an ice cube tray. Toss them into your drink instead of regular ice, and the melting cubes won’t dilute the flavor.