AIP Zucchini Pappardelle with Mushrooms
This simple recipe takes its flavor cues from a well-choreographed balance of garlic, lemon, shallot, sea salt, and just a touch of dill. The silky, ribbon-like zoodles adorned with richly caramelized mushrooms and brightened up with a kick of lemon are a hit. In warmer months you could serve this with grilled flatiron steak, salmon, or chicken. In winter, it’s nice alongside roast chicken, venison tenderloin, or any other pan-seared or roasted protein.
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What Is AIP?
This dish has become a repeat performer on our dinner rotation and seems to go over well with any crowd. I came up with the recipe in our garage. Yep, our garage. We were renovating our kitchen and for four months we cooked and ate and more or less lived in our garage. Because, apparently, I like a challenge (ha!), I took my first crack at the Autoimmune Protocol Diet (AIP) right in the middle of our kitchen renovation.
AIP, or as I like to call it, THE MOTHER OF ALL ELIMINATION DIETS is one of the more restrictive healing diets. No grains, no dairy, no eggs, no beans, no nuts, no seeds (including spices), no nightshades, no artificial ingredients, and no sugar. And in my case, NO kitchen.
Truly, I don’t recommend going AIP while your kitchen is under construction. Anyone who’s tried AIP can tell you that it requires a LOT of cooking! My reason for taking on this poorly-timed foray into AIP was that I was in the middle of a six-month healing reset for a gut infection.
I don’t mean to knock AIP whatsoever because, even though it wasn’t easy, it was 100% worth it. Temporarily going AIP helped me get over some major healing hurdles. I’m still reaping the benefits of those efforts, and now that I know how, I occasionally go back to elimination-phase AIP when I feel like I’ve begun to backslide. It helps, and it's so much easier now that I have a real kitchen to cook in : )
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Thyroid-healthy Highlights:
- A 1/2 cup serving of cooked zucchini provides 20 % DV of Vitamin A.
- Zucchini is a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin, Phosphorus, and Vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese. So many nutrients for the very low cost of 14 calories per half-cup serving!
- Just 1 cremini mushroom provides 7% DV of selenium, a nutrient important for the production and regulation of thyroid hormones.
- Garlic has many powerful healing properties, which can aid or alleviate some of the symptoms of thyroid disease, such as inflammation, cardiovascular issues, decreased immunity, and increased infection. It can also support the liver in its detoxification efforts.
- Lemons are a very good source of vitamin C, with one ounce providing 36% DV. A study recently shared in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism stated, “In patients with hypothyroidism and gastrointestinal pathology, vitamin C improves the abnormalities in serum free T4, T3, and TSH concentrations.”
Happy cooking, happy thriving, and enjoy the recipe (below)!
P.S. Need more thyroid-friendly recipe inspiration? I’ve got you covered. My Thyroid-friendly Everyday eCookbook features over 50 quick and easy, thyroid-friendly recipes your whole family will love. To take a peek at what’s inside, CLICK HERE.
More Thyroid-Healthy Sides:
- Olive Oil Mashed Cauliflower and Sweet Potatoes
- Steamed Artichokes with Garlic, Lemon & Fennel Aioli
- Herb Roasted (or Grilled) Asparagus
- Pumpkin Sage Macaroni and 'Cheese' with Crispy Shallot Topping
- Green Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Garlic & Almonds
- Crispy Sweet Potato Rounds
- Sesame Carrots with Kasha (Toasted Buckwheat)
- Mashed Winter Squash, Three Ways
