I am all about the age of the veggie noodle. It’s pretty much the most inventive product on the market these days. It’s been said that the whole functionality of noodles themselves is to act as the vehicle for a delicious sauce, so replacing the adored noodle with a VEGETABLE noodle is obviously pure sneaky genius.
Okay, enough about the pastas. Today I’m sharing a salad recipe to put those awesome sweet potato noodles to good use. I sautéed my noodles in olive oil with red pepper slices and corn, then added minced garlic and some spinach so I can grow up to be big and strong, like Popeye.
PS. Did you know February is American Heart Month? Aside from spinach, red, orange and yellow veggies are packed with heart healthy nutrients too! Think, red peppers and sweet potatoes.
Back to sautéing your veggies… unfortunately, corn is not in season right now (that isn’t until late summer!). I managed to snag some frozen organic corn from Sprouts! I love that they have great prices on seasonal produce, plus an awesome frozen section when I’m craving something out of season too!
Frozen vegetables are harvested and frozen at their peak, when the nutrient content is highest. I tend to lean towards them more often than canned alternatives when I’m in a pinch, but frozen, canned or fresh corn can be used in this recipe!
Anywho, after you’ve tossed all your veggies, it’s time to sauté some pumpkin seeds. I used one of my favorite spices- paprika- plus a splash of cumin! The perfect spicy sweet crunch to top my salad.
The chipotle dressing is an easy mix of fresh garlic, olive oil, honey, orange and lemon juice. I minced my garlic, making for an easy whisk and pour onto my salad for tossing. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and you’re ready to roll!
Because this isn’t a leafy green based salad, you can actually dress the whole batch and still keep leftovers without them going soggy. Your sweet potato noodles will soak in all the flavors, making for some delicious leftovers.
CHIPOTLE SWEET POTATO NOODLE SALAD
Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
SALAD:
1 package sweet potato noodles (about two sweet potatoes)
1/2 c corn
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c spinach, roughly chopped
1 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil (half to be used for noodles, half for pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
DRESSING:
1/3 c olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
- Sauté sweet potato noodles in 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat for 5 minutes in large skillet.
- Add peppers and corn to skillet, toss and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and spinach to skillet and let cook for 1 minute, until greens wilt and garlic is fragrant.
- In a separate, smaller skillet, sauté pumpkin seeds in 1/2 tbsp olive oil, paprika and cumin. Continuously toss to coat seeds and cook over medium heat for two minutes.
- Transfer noodle salad to a large bowl. Top with pumpkin seeds and set aside. In a small ramekin, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk.
- Pour dressing over noodle salad and toss to combine.
- Transfer to individual bowl and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
This post is sponsored by Sprouts. All opinions are my own. To view my full disclosure policy, click here.
