Sweet and Savory Sweet Potato “Noodles” with Pistachios

I’m constantly looking for healthy side dish ideas, and this one is my new favorite. Each week, I take time to make a meal plan based on my health and fitness goals. More and more often, I have been moving away from consuming grains and toward filling my plate with whole plant-based foods. I do this for a variety of reasons (including lowering high glycemic foods, my mood, weight loss and maintenance, and digestion). For some time, I have been choosing sweet potatoes, yams, root vegetables, and regular potatoes over processed grains. However, I LOVE grains!! I just love the texture and taste.

I was looking for something that felt just as filling and delicious as grains, but with more nutritional benefit. Mashed or baked sweet potatoes weren’t cutting it for me. Then I remembered the spiralizer I bought over a year ago. I had completely forgotten about it. I used the spiralizer to make sweet potato “noodles” and it worked! I’ve finally found a whole plant-based food alternative that I love just as much as grains. This variation of sweet potato “noodles” is savory and sweet, and even a bit spicy (if you choose to add cayenne). I love the texture of the sweet potato with the pistachios. This side dish is also a huge hit with my husband, so I know we’ll be eating these sweet and savory sweet potato noodles many times in the next few months. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do.

Looking for additional healthy side dish ideas? Check out my recipes for Shaved Fennel and Blood Orange Salad or Green Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Salad.

SERVINGS  [4]

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon ghee (or unsalted butter)

*2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and spiralized

Pinch cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch cayenne (optional)

**1 tablespoon coconut aminos

20 pistachios, crushed

DIRECTIONS

Heat the coconut oil and ghee over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Once melted, add the spiralized sweet potatoes to the pan. Stir to coat the “noodles” in oil/butter. Cover and allow to steam for approximately 2 minutes. Remove the lid and stir.

Season with cinnamon, salt, pepper, cayenne (optional), and coconut aminos. Stir well and allow to cook, covered, for approximately 2 more minutes, or until the noodles are tender but slightly crunchy.

Top with crushed pistachios and enjoy!

*This is the spiralizer I use

**Coconut aminos is a sauce made from coconut sap. Characterized by a dark, rich, salt, and sweet flavor. Often used as a replacement for light soy sauce or tamari, and commonly used in paleo diets.