This nutrient-packed twist on traditional pasta, from Lauren Lovatt’s book Mind Food, is the perfect post-workout fuel. 

There’s a reason pasta is thought of as a go-to post-race meal: our bodies are desperate for a hefty serving of carbs after a big exercise session. And while we all love a big bowl of penne, this sweet potato spaghetti is a great option for getting those necessary post-workout nutrients in the simplest way.

Diving into a bowl of the root veg will help top up your carbohydrate levels and beat fatigue, as well as being packed with cell-repairing vitamins C and A and minerals like manganese and potassium that support tired muscles. The walnut ‘chorizo’ topping can also help post-training inflammation thanks to the polyphenol found in nuts, and the salty miso is a delicious way to boost electrolytes lost through sweating. That beats the jar sauce and dried pasta you had planned, doesn’t it? 

Sweet potato pasta and walnut chorizo recipe

Serves: 2

Total time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, washed, dried and spiralized or peeled into long, thin ribbons

1 tbsp plant-based butter

1 garlic clove, crushed

For the walnut ‘chorizo’

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp fennel seeds

200g walnuts, soaked for at least 1 hour and rinsed

100g carrots (about 1 medium), peeled and chopped

100g sun-dried tomatoes in oil (or soaked if dried)

50g black olives, pitted

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp brown miso

2 tbsp rosemary oil

2 tbsp smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (180°C/Gas 4). Line a small baking tray with baking paper.

To make the walnut ‘chorizo’, toast the cumin and fennel seeds in a small frying pan over a low heat for one minute until they are lightly toasted. 

Place the walnuts in a food processor or blender with the toasted spices and the rest of the ingredients and process into a crumb-like consistency, so there are no large pieces remaining.

Spread the walnut mixture onto the lined tray, about 1cm thick and fairly tightly packed – if the mixture is too spread out it will dry out too quickly. Bake for 30 minutes until it looks gooey and darker in colour.

For the sweet potato pasta, fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to the boil with a pinch of salt. 

Add the sweet potato ribbons and cook for one minute until slightly soft, then drain the water.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat with the butter and add the crushed garlic for 20 seconds, followed by the sweet potato pasta. Cook until coated in butter and hot but not too soft.

Turn the heat off the pasta and add a few tablespoons of the walnut ‘chorizo’. Twirl the sweet potato pasta onto your plate. Enjoy with some plant-based parmesan if liked and extra ‘chorizo’.

Recipe courtesy of Lauren Lovatt, from her book Mind Food. Images by Sara Kiyo Popowa. 

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