Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Sauce – Recipe Review

It is no secret that I like to cook, like a lot.  It is a bit of an obsession really.  So it follows that I tend to get bored with meals quickly as repeatedly cooking them is no fun for me.  This means I am constantly on the lookout for new techniques, recipes, or even just a twist on flavor combinations in dishes I already make.  Additionally, as someone who cannot have wheat or dairy I keep one eye open for ideas that don’t involve crazy ingredients to substitute for either of those two things.  The last thing I want to do is become food dependent on some specialty item I can only get by ordering from Timbuktu.

The use of whole sweet potatoes as a “noodle” in this dish is really what caught my eye.  I already have the spiralizer so all the equipment was in my kitchen already!  Not to mention, about 90% of the time there are sweet potatoes or red yams in my kitchen (the other 10% is usually the end of the week when I have eaten them all).

See here for the full recipe: http://pinchofyum.com/creamy-spinach-sweet-potato-noodles-with-cashew-sauce

I made this dish twice, once using the spiralizer and once julienne cutting the sweet potatoes.  I like the texture of the spiralized noodles better to be honest!  They were much thinner than my slices, cooked faster, and didn’t seem to dry out as much.  Plus the cashew cream distributed more evenly over the noodles, which is an important factor.

Onto the cashew cream! I only mostly followed the recipe.  I soaked the cashews for an hour in hot water, doubled the garlic, and added ¼ cup more water.  Think of the recipe as more of a guideline than actual rule.  Let me say this first, this is not an alfredo replacement by any stretch of the imagination.  What it is is a creamy tangy sauce.  End of story.  So keep that in mind when you are making this, lest you be disappointed.

Overall, this recipe gets two spoons way up.  I did add diced, baked chicken to round out my meal and it was completely satisfying.  The flavors are fairly subtle, balanced, and savory without being overly heavy.  The dish left me full, didn’t make me energy crash, and didn’t leave me jonesing for junk food before bed time.  This recipe is now in the “must make regularly (at least till I get sick of it)” queue.

Love and wholesome goodies,

Betty