Disclosure: Â I was given free samples of Mann’s Culinary Cuts Sweet Potato Ribbons and Butternut Squash Zig Zags. Â I was not additionally compensated for my time. Â All opinions are my own.
Hey there, Mamas!  Ready for another #RecipeWednesday post?  This one has a bit of a back-story.  About a week ago, I attended a sponsored blogger event (my first!) at Kitchen Conservatory.  Sponsors were Mann Packing and Serena of  Teaspoon Communications.  The St. Louis area is the first in the country to check out Culinary Cuts – pre-cut, no preservative, ready-to-cook veggies!  How many of my Mamas out there would love to serve their families more yummy healthy veggies, but feel too short on time?  These might be an answer to your convenience prayers!
Throughout the night, we made many different foods (appetizers, entrees, and even desserts) with the innovative products.
We were also gifted with copies of the Vegetarian Flavor Bible. Â
I was super pumped to come up with my own creative recipe using the guidance of the VFB, but, alas, time got away from me and the (preservative-free) veggies were closing in on their Use By date. Â So, when I came home (late) from work on Tuesday and needed to get dinner ready in a flash (because no one wants a hangry toddler tantrum), I decided to use one of the recipes provided for us from that night.
I had some half & half burning a hole in my fridge (and it was Fat Tuesday, after all – check out more on dietary fats here), so I decided to go for the Sweet Potato Ribbons Alfredo, essentially subbing the traditional pasta for sweet potatoes. Â The whole thing took about 10 minutes from start to finish and used things I already had in my fridge. Â Bonus – L LOVED it! Â That’s like a triple- or quadruple-win, at least. Â Plus, I got to use up some extra spinach (my own twist).
Why didn’t I mind using half & half in this dish? Â The fat in the half & half helps to absorb the vitamin A in the sweet potato (that’s what gives it the orange hue, like carrots) and the vitamin K in the spinach. Â (More on fat-soluble vitamins in this article. Â Spinach is a good source of folate – check out why that’s so important for my to-be Mamas here.)
So tasty, healthy, different, gluten-free, vegetarian (could have even been a great meal for Ash Wednesday and I’m sure I’ll be making it again throughout Lent), and, most importantly, toddler approved! Â (I did tear some of the longer strands into more bite-sized pieces for her, but I think she would have been OK either way. Â The longer you cook them, the softer they get.)
So, at long last, here is the recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 ounces) Mann's Culinary Cuts Sweet Potato Ribbons
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cream, half & half, or evaporated milk
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)
- [I also added 2 handfuls of chopped spinach, not included with their recipe]
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add Culinary Cuts Sweet Potato Ribbons and cook 4-5 minutes until tender, stirring frequently. [This is where I threw in the spinach.]
- Turn heat down to medium; add cream and cook 1-2 minutes until Ribbons absorb some of the liquid.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese, reserving some for garnish. Top with rosemary if desired. Serve with extra cheese.
We made this recipe again last night. Time got away from me and I ended up cooking longer than planned and the half-and-half turned into this rich caramely sauce. So good! (:
I made this today and it was fabulous! I used roasted kale snack packs as I was out of fresh spinach or kale and it was a good substitute!