Creamy Spinach and Sweet Potato Noodles with Cashew Sauce

Ingredients ~

• 1 cup cashews
• ¾ cup water (more for soaking)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 4 large sweet potatoes, spiralized
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, chives, or other herbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for drizzling

Method ~

Cover the cashews with water in a bowl and soak for 2 hours or so. (Do not soak overnight)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sweet potatoes; toss in the pan for 6-7 minutes with tongs until tender-crisp. Remove from heat and toss in the spinach – it should wilt pretty quickly.

This recipe makes more than enough sauce – enough for at least 6 or 8 servings, if not more. It’s extremely versatile.

The biggest thing that affects how many servings you’ll get in this recipe is the size of the sweet potatoes. Keep in mind that they will cook down a bit and one large sweet potato can be sometimes twice as big as a small sweet potato. Just use common sense in terms of serving size and sauce-to-noodles ratios! Also, this recipe is sort of a comforting, neutral starting point for those of us who need tons of flavor in everything – so add whatever herbs or flavors you want to the sauce if you want to give it more of a punch. You can add chipotles or Sriracha, bacon, roasted garlic, caramelized onion… the list could go on.

Add half of the herbs and half of the sauce to the pan and toss to combine. Add water if the mixture is too sticky. Season generously with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and top with the remaining fresh herbs.

Drain and rinse thoroughly. Place in a food processor or blender and add the ¾ cup water, salt, and garlic. Puree until very smooth.

Serves: 4-6

Cook’s Notes from www.pinchofyum.com ~