Hello again, Joyous readers!
It's been so great getting to know you over the past month. Who knew there were so many of us health nuts out there? If you read my Q&A with Joy from a few weeks back, you might remember that I promised I would share my Sweet Potato Veggie Pad Thai recipe (and I like to keep my promises!).
I'll be honest, I've been graced with my fair share of recipe fails. When I first made this recipe a while back, I was truly shocked that it worked out! Mainly because it usually takes me a couple of rounds of trial and error until I've perfected a recipe. One thing that's super important to me when thinking up recipes is that it's 100% whole foods-based (in true Joyous Detox style!).
When we put whole foods from nature into our body, it thanks us for it.
It shows us its gratitude through boosted energy, mental clarity, decreased bloating, improved digestion, glowing skin and of course, better poops!
So while I might be deeply infatuated with Thai food, it doesn't always love me back – but I'm not surprised. Thai food has many healthy aspects becuase it emphasizes fresh colourful vegetables, a variety of herbs and creamy delicious coconut milk, but it loses its gluten-free brownie points due to its highly refined sugar content and tendencies to contain unfermented soy in abundance (which, as we know, is typically genetically modified). I learnt this first hand when I travelled Thailand and Vietnam for three weeks this past October. My love bug and I did a full day cooking class where we learnt how to make everything from pad thai, papaya salad, fresh rolls, green curry, khao soi, thai iced tea and mango sticky rice. The common ingredient amongst them all? Sugar!
Don't get me wrong – I definitely have a "when in Rome" mentality I carry with me through my travels and I made sure to taste all of the flavours the authentic cuisine had to offer. I also came well prepared with a Greens+ powder and digestive enzymes, fully knowing that my body might experience some unpleasant symptoms otherwise. But when I returned home, I knew I wanted to continue embracing those vibrant flavours, but with a healthy boost!
In comes my Sweet Potato Veggie Pad Thai!
While I might typically use rice noodles (which are gluten-free) to whip up a pad thai, I thought maybe I'd give spiralized sweet potato a whirl. That way, I can be sure that every bite is offering a good hit of vitamins, minerals and healthy benefits including the following:
- Vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) - Supports our eye health, immune system, gives us glowing healthy skin and protects us from free radicals
- Vitamin C - Helps to support immunity and aid in coping with stress (Did you know vitamin C is depleted when we're in a state of stress? We wonder why we seem to get sick around stressful, busy times!)
- Potassium - It works hand in hand with our dear friend sodium to maintain normal blood pressure and hydration levels.
- Manganese - Have you ever heard the saying "manganese for the knees"? If you're a fellow holistic nutritionist, this might have saved you on a few tests during your school. I know it did for me! As the saying suggests, manganese helps to form connective tissue. It also helps to increase the level of superoxide dismutase in the body which has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to prevent sprains.
- Fibre - Helps to slow the release of the natural sugars found in sweet potato so it doesn't cause our blood sugar to spike and later lead to a crash. Fibre is also helpful in filling us up and giving us the sensation of being full so we don't overeat.
... And that's just the sweet potato component of this dish!
I also added an array of colourful vegetables including red pepper, cauliflower and heirloom carrots which are packed with phytonutrients and a super yummy almond butter-based pad thai sauce, free of common allergens such as peanut and soy.
I left out a primary protein source, although you could totally top this with an over easy egg, 2 scrambled eggs, 3 tbsp of hemp seeds or a sliced organic chicken breast.
This recipe is paleo, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined-sugar free – and yes, it is still DELICIOUS!
Mains & Sides
Sweet Potato Veggie Pad Thai
Print
Pad Thai Noodles
- 1 large sweet potato, spiralized*
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 small red pepper, julienned
- cilantro, to garnish
- 1-2 tbsp grapeseed oil
Pad Thai Sauce
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 lime, freshly squeezed
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch knob of ginger, minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare sweet potato, carrots, cauliflower and red pepper as stated. Set ingredients aside.
- Pour Pad Thai Sauce ingredients into a medium size bowl or measuring cup and whisk thoroughly. Set aside.
- Preheat a large skillet on medium heat and drizzle grapeseed oil in pan. Once hot, begin to sauté the cauliflower and carrots for 5 minutes, followed by the red pepper for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Using the same pan, toss in the sweet potato noodles (you might want to drizzle it with a bit more grapeseed oil at this point). Toss it in the pan with tongs for 8 minutes until the sweet potato noodles look a bit glossy (but try to avoid overcooking them).
- Once cooked, add the sweet potato noodles to a bowl with the other vegetables and pour Pad Thai Sauce all over it. Mix with tongs to ensure the sauce covers every part of it.
- Plate, garnish with cilantro and serve!
Notes
Makes 2-3 servings.
*If you don't have a spiralizer you can use a veggie peeler.
I'm so excited to hear what you guys think of this one!
Be sure to let me know if you try it in the comments below and what unique spins you put on it.
It definitely looks AMAZING!!! Trying this tonight :).
ReplyHey Véronique! Thanks so much! :) So excited to hear how you end up liking it! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!! The best vegan dish I made... EVER!!! I added kale, hemp heart, chick peas, tempeh and sunflower seeds! Yuuummyyy!!!
Hi!! Excited to try this!!! If i dont have almond butter can i use peanut butter? Thanks
ReplyHey Jessica! Yay! You can definitely use peanut butter! Let me know how you like it :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Made this last night, and it was sooo good! That sauce was amazing. We added pastured turkey, which had been marinated in turmeric and garlic. This will be going into our rotation, and will be making that sauce for lots of uses too!
ReplyHey Genevieve! Yay!! I'm so happy to hear you loved it! This is totally one of my favourites too –love that you added your own personal touch to it too :) Thanks for sharing! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Can't wait to try this! For a nut free version, could I use Tahini?
ReplyHey Tanya! I'm sure that would work fine. You could probably omit it too if you had to. The tamari and ginger flavours would still give it that thai flavour Try it without tahini first and if it needs more of a nutty flavour, add about 1-2 tbsp. If you give it a whirl, let me know how it works out :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hi Rachel! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but am looking forward to whipping up something along these lines soon. An odd request: can you please share where you bought that striped top? It's a keeper! I'm always looking for good basics like that to pair with jeans, especially as we head into spring. Overall, actually, I'd love Joyous HQ to dip more into that lifestyle kind of content – Joy is wonderfully well-dressed and I always appreciate when she shares outfit tips/recent purchases on Instagram.
ReplyHey Terra! Awesome! Let me know if/when you do try it :) It's definitely one of my faves! Not an odd request at all! But want to hear the hilarious part? It was $10 from Mark's Work Wearhouse! Haha! I don't typically shop there but you'd be surprised what kind of nice basics you can find there! I love your idea of sharing more lifestyle kind of content! I'll definitely share that with the Joy and the team and we'll see what we can do :) Thanks for the suggestion! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. I added cashews for some protein and crunch as well as chopped spinach. Will definitely make again soon.
ReplyHey Jacqueline! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it. Good call on the cashews and spinach too - way to make it your own :) You could also add hemp seeds, scrambled egg or chicken to it for extra protein! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hi Rachel, Made this for lunch today and my 22-month old daughter couldn't stop eating it! The sauce is really delicious! Thanks for posting it!
ReplyHey Angie! Oh my goodness, that makes me so HAPPY! Love when a recipe goes over well with the whole fam :) Thanks so much for sharing that! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
This recipe looks delicious! I've been wanting to buy a spiralizer...which one would you recommend? Thanks.
ReplyHey Wendy! I have the Vegetti at home (nothing fancy!) but I used the Inspiralized spiralizer that Joy has in the studio kitchen when I made this recently and it worked great! Paderno also has a nice one. I would say by-pass the hand held spiralizers as they tend to be a hefty arm workout and won't work for sweet potatoes if they're too big. Look for one that mounts onto your kitchen counter top that you can lock in and then just easily turn the handle :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hey Rach! This looks amazing! I am going to try it this weekend subbing peanut butter since I have an almond allergy. One question- I don't have a spiralizer but you mention using a veggie peeler instead is ok. Would this just make thicker/wider noodles? Are all of the cooking instructions the same? Thanks!
ReplyHey Bon! So sorry for missing this earlier. I think we chatted and you ended up making it already, didn't you? Yes, you can definitely use a veggie peeler which would make it more like fettuccine and less like spaghetti (still equally delicious regardless!) You might just have to saute it for a shorter amount of time. Hope you enjoy it :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
I made this tonight. So delicious. I added raw cashew nuts when I was stir frying everything. I also used coconut aminos in place of the tamari. The dressing is so delicious I could drink it. Going to try hemp seeds and scrambled egg next time. I am not a vegan so I might try some Chicken or shrimp. Thanks for sharing the deliciousness. I have the new cookbook too in addition to the first one. Love them both!
ReplyHey Vickie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Love that you put your own little spin on it as well :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
The sauce is incredible and has become our go to recipe when we are craving these flavors.
ReplyHey Kelly! Thanks so much - I'm so happy to hear you're enjoying it :) It's definitely one of my favourites. So versatile too, if you wanted to use it in a stir fry as well or over a thai salad! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
You bet I tried this! Last year I gained weight because I got a bit obsessed with making my own spicy penaut butter pad thai, but I hadn't thought to sub the noodles for sweet potato. Rach your recipe is BETTER than the one I was addicted to. ;) So great, eating it now.
ReplyShayla! You're a star! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. It's so nice when we can indulge in the foods we know and love but reap all of the benefits of whole foods at the same time. Thanks so much for hopping on here and sharing! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
I'm making this tonight, can't wait!
ReplyI have made this Pad Thai and it is delicious! Anyone who has tasted it asks for the recipe. It is quick in preparation and cooking. Delicious.
ReplyHey Nicole, That's awesome! I'm so happy to hear that and thank you for sharing :) Makes me happy to hear so many people are enjoying it and spreading the recipe goodness to others! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
This Pad Thai is absolutely delicious!!!! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with us :) I too have passed the recipe on to others who loved it!
ReplyHey Sandy! So glad you are enjoying it! It's one of my favourite recipes :) Keep on spreading the sweet potato pad thai love! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
This is my favorite veggie meal recipe ever!! So so delicious! Thank you Rachel for sharing! Cant get enough!
ReplyHey Mel! Aw, that makes me SO happy to hear that! I love recipe wins and even more so when others enjoy them :) Thanks for sharing! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Rachel, this is truly the yummiest dish! I make it in my cooking classes, serve it at events, and it gets raving reviews every time!! Thanks so much for sharing it! Oh, I even made a video!
ReplyHey Karen! That's SO amazing! I'm so happy to hear that. I love when healthy food wins people's hearts over :) I would love to see the video if you have it! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Your post is very nice thanks for sharing this post..
ReplySo glad you enjoyed it :) Let us know if you end up trying it! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Where have you, and this recipe been all my life? I made it tonight and gobbled it up. The whole family enjoyed it. I will definitely be making it part of my regular rotation. I had a little trouble with the sweet potatoes because I don’t have a spiralizer. I used a peeler but then overcooked them and they fell apart quiet a bit because they were too soft to withstand the tongs. Next time I might haul out my mandolin which has an attachment that will julienne. Thanks!!
ReplyJulienne with your mandolin would definitely work. Sorry to hear they were a bit overcooked but glad everyone enjoyed it so much!
Ooooh...I like this! I love sweet potatoes. This looks so good I can probably eat the whole serving to myself! Saving the recipe to make this week. :) The sauce looks so good too.
ReplyOh it's sooooo good!
I just made this but had to substitute the sweet potato noodles out for rice noodles due to time, but I really like it. The sauce is nice, not too salty, I think I can use this sauce on top of a salad too.
ReplySounds wonderful!
Hi Rachel, I'm going to try this recipe again and would like to add egg like you mentioned. At which point in the steps would you add the egg? Thanks!
ReplyHey Lisa! Yes, so I would make like an omelet-style egg and then once the sweet potato pad thai is all done, I would just cut the egg into strips and layer it on top of the noodles :) - Rachel
I make this probably once a week - my family loves this dish! I always add noodles and double the sauce because we are a family of 6 - so delicious - thank you for this recipe ❤
ReplySo glad to hear you're enjoying this recipe!! We love it so much too I included it in my new cookbook!! https://www.joyouscookbook.com/
this is one of my favourite recipes ever! also a family favourite that they always request!! making it again this weekend
ReplyAwesome! Glad to hear it's a winner!
This has been one of my favorite healthy meals for a few years now. My husband loves it too. I am very grateful for recipes like this one that allow us to eat delicious and satisfying meals minus the guilt. I love it because it is absolutely delicious. That it contributes to good health is a bonus!
ReplyGlad you love it Terri! Thanks for the comment :)
The sweet potato pad thai was really delicious! Even my husband liked it and we are not vegetarian! I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Replyglad to hear your hubby was a fan too - big win!