Some would say the way to a women’s heart is diamonds, but for me  a way to my heart is food!  Ever since I can remember I always had a passion for food. I would like to say this passion came to fruition with the help of my Father who cared about nutrition and the quality of food that was on our plates.  It also didn’t help growing up in an Italian Family where every gathering evolved around massive amounts of delicious food where saying your full was not an option.  I remember coming home from school turning on the tv and watching Rachel Ray on the Food Network for hours whipping up one of her famous pasta dishes when I should have been doing homework. I would be so inspired that I would go into the kitchen and recreate what I just saw but with my own flare. I figured by sharing it with my father it would get me out of doing homework but that was never the case.

 

Since being here in Costa Rica I have been craving my childhood favorites of pasta.  Being surrounded by the Central American Cuisine and Culture has inspired me to get creative in the kitchen. I wanted to create a satisfying yet nourishing meal using 100% raw vegan ingredients.  Following a 100% raw vegan lifestyle has its challenges. I have never been a raw vegan and this has forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and get my creative juices flowing far more then I could imagine. The thought of coming up with a recipe that involved no cooking what so ever was dreadful and  seemed so far out of my imagination. But with my cravings kicking in and the thought of my mouth salivating just thinking of them, I knew I had to create a dish that was going to satisfy the Italian in me.  I pondered on this idea for quite some time. Trying to figure out What I could possibly use to mimic pasta noodles. I could of used the generic zucchini noodle but I wanted something more dense and carb like. With a glance around the kitchen a raw sweet potato caught my eye and became the star of this epic noodle bowl. Sweet potatoes are known for being high in essential vitamins and minerals. But what blows my mind is how they are naturally sweet tasting and satisfy that sweet tooth with out the sugar crash,compared to grandmas spaghetti that leads to sugar cravings all over again.

 

While the differences between my grandmas traditional Italian pasta and my sweet potato noodle bowl may seem massive, the biggest difference is in how each makes you feel. Grandma’s spaghetti left me feeling  full to bursting, the sweet potato bowl left me bursting with energy.

 

Sweet Potato Noodle

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 sweet potato
  • 1 bunch kale leaves, roughly torn
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced and topped with  pink Himalayan salt
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tomato , diced
  • 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 1/2 lime, cut into wedges to garnish if desired
  • Cilantro, chopped , for garnish if desired

 

Dressing:

  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tbsp raw coconut vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp chili powder
  • 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/8 cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt
  • Pinch ground pepper
  • water to thin, if desired

 

Instructions:

  1. Using a spiralizer, spiralize sweet potato into noodles and place in a bowl.
  2. Thinly slice the onion and top with pink Himalayan salt and set aside.
  3. Chop pepper, tomato, kale and cabbage and toss in bowl with sweet potato.
  4. For the dressing, Place all ingredients in vitamix or blender and blend until smooth.
  5.  Top with dressing,  chopped avocado, a lime wedge, and chopped cilantro if desired.
  6. Devour immediately 🙂

 

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