Yes, I am aware it is summer and a typical summer recipe, this is not. Amongst the cold salads, popsicles, ice cream and grilled stuff – I had a craving for something a bit more hearty and comforting over the weekend. I guess because of the sage, in my mind, this dish belongs more on a fall menu than summer menu – but I just couldn’t ignore this desire for something other than another cold salad.

Although I am all about eating seasonal and celebrating the freshest local flavors, I am also all about eating intuitively. If your body wants something more hearty than a cold salad, if you are sick of the grilled veggies, or you find yourself wanting something more suited for the cool crisp weather of fall than the hot sweaty summer days – I say go for it. This obviously, like everything should be taken with a grain of salt. If your body is telling you it wants a whole cheese pizza, with a side of Doritos and a 2 liter of Coke, I am not actually suggesting you listen to that voice! You should probably kick that nasty jerk voice right out of your head space!

Life to me is about balance and amidst the light, fresh summery recipes, at least once or twice a month I find myself craving soup, though I may be sweating while I am eating it, I go for it. This weekend I found myself wanting something more comforting, something creamy and for whatever reason, it had to include sage. While at the store I saw the biggest, most beautiful white fleshed sweet potatoes – actual sweet potatoes, not yams! (Read more here about the different varieties of sweet potatoes and the difference between yams and all that confusion here in the US) I knew immediately that they’d be perfect for spiralizing, so I grabbed some fresh sage and the idea for this dish was born.

The beauty of this dish is that it is super simple to pull together and it would be great as a side dish or as a main with a veggie on the side, no matter what time of year it is. We had some bacon on hand from a local farm that I cooked up breakfast, so I roughly chopped one piece of the leftover bacon and sprinkled it between the two servings. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you could certainly replace this with coconut bacon or another meat-free option or just leave it off. Alternatively, you could also add even more bacon, if that’s your thing! No judgement!

This sauce is creamy, thick and comforting, yet still light. The sweet potato noodles compliment the sage so wonderfully and they have the perfect bite and I love the smokey salty taste from the small amount of bacon, finishing it all off.

Have you had any not-so-summery cravings lately?

 

[print_this]Sweet Potato Noodles with Sage “Cream” Sauce (Gluten-free and Dairy-free with Vegan Option)
serves 2-4

• 2 large organic sweet potatoes, cut into noodles with spiralizer
• 1 cup raw organic cashews soaked at least 2 hours, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, roughly chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For Topping:

• 1-2 pieces crispy pasture-raised bacon, crumbled or coconut bacon, optional
• 1-2 sage leaves, roughly chopped

Spiralize the sweet potatoes into noodles and set aside. Meanwhile, add the soaked raw cashews, water, garlic, salt and lemon to your high speed blender. Process until smooth and creamy.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat, add the onion and cook 3-5 minutes until softened, then add the sage. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the spiralized sweet potato noodles and the cashew cream sauce to the pan and toss around to evenly coat all the noodles. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.

Drop the heat to low medium and cover the pan. Allow the noodles to steam for 8-10 minutes (or longer) until you reach your desired tenderness, stirring every few minutes so the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. I like my sweet potato noodles to have a little bite to them. Mushy noodles won’t be very good and they will fall apart. Add sea salt and black pepper, to taste.

Spoon into two bowls, serve topping with bacon (or coconut bacon), if you’d like and fresh sage. Enjoy! [/print_this]

 

NOTES:

to make vegan/vegetarian opt for coconut bacon instead of regular bacon

If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler to create fettuccine style noodles or if you have a mandoline slicer you can cut julienne style noodles

 

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