Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

Wow, yesterday was quite the whirlwind. On Monday night, I flew to Kansas City. On...

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

Wow, yesterday was quite the whirlwind. On Monday night, I flew to Kansas City. On Tuesday night, I flew home.

Those quick trips always tire me out – I think it’s just the fact that your body is going hundreds of miles per hour in the sky twice in 24 hours that your brain and body just become pooped.

If you follow me on Snapchat, you know that I immediately came home, got in my pajamas, ate a quinoa salad and veggie tofu sandwich and passed out.

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

The trip to Kansas City was really fun – I got to play in a corporate test kitchen. I’m planning a fully Inspiralized specials menu to launch early next year at a restaurant near you soon! More details to come, but I’m so excited to be part of such a great opportunity and bring my dishes to the masses!

While I was traveling, I stumbled upon this article by Food52 called “Why I Stopped Hating Zoodles.” It was such a frustrating article to read. I absolutely love(d) Food52 and it was really disappointing to see them being so pretentious about spiralizing.

Spiralizing might not be “cool” in their eyes, but it’s an absolutely life-changingly delicious way to prepare vegetables, whether you like the word “zoodles” or not. I mean, come on, if pizza was called “poozy poo,” we’d still eat it, right?

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

I even posted the article on our Facebook page and was happy to see that everyone agreed with me. What do you think?

Anywho, I hope you love this noodle salad recipe – it’s great for packed lunches, because the longer the noodles sit in the dressing, the softer the beets get and the more they infuse with the flavors.

If you’re looking for a protein punch, grilled chicken would go perfectly here. Otherwise, roasted tofu or some chilled quinoa would be lovely.

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

Also, yay for pomegranate season!! I just bought the comfiest pair of joggers from GAP and a sweater I could sleep in from LOFT. Bring on the colder temps!

Now, I’m off to have a busy day and then I’m teaching a spiralized cooking class in Hoboken, NJ at Hudson Table. I’m excited especially because my wedding photographer will be there to take photos! I’ll be sure to share them all with you when she gets them to me.

If you live in the area, check out the space – it’s gorgeous and the classes are laid back and fun. I’ll be hopefully teaching more courses soon in the area, so always check the Events page for updates – and subscribe to our newsletter!

Happy Hump Day!

Nutrition Talk

During last week’s module at IIN, the discussion was around diet theories. They talked about many different types of diets and the importance of finding a diet that works for you, but not allowing yourself to become restricted by that diet. I related to this thought very much – veganism once worked for me, but I hit a point where it wasn’t anymore and I was trying to force it, which ended up in some unhealthy behaviors and eating patterns.

One thing I found interesting was that the Okinawans (in Japan) live the longest out of everyone in the world. When researches looked into it, they discovered that Okinawans eat fresh fish out of the ocean, primarily vegetables, seaweed and do plenty of vigorous exercise. They also assert that health is not a diet, it’s a way of life – it includes a positive attitude, harmonious relationships, physical activity and meditation and visualization.

In the module, they also mentioned acknowledging stress as a way to fight unhealthy eating and obesity. As someone who struggles with stress eating, I can “get off track” by letting my stress eating take control of a day, a week, even a month. If we can destress or identify our stressors and alleviate them, we can lead a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Actionables:

  • Try meditation (at least once) first thing in the morning
  • Whenever I feel stressed, make a note of it and do something to relieve that stress – take a bath, go for a walk, drink a glass of water, listen to some music, read, or do something else that de-stresses me

What do you think of this week’s Nutrition Talk?

In case you missed a previous ​Nutritional Talk, every week, I’ll be sharing some takeaways from the courses I’m taking at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. If you’d like to start Nutrition School, IIN is offering anyone who signs up through Inspiralized a hefty discount off tuition. To learn more, click here.

Disclaimer: While IIN has offered these courses complimentarily to me, I have not been compensated in any other way and all opinions are always my own.

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Weight Watchers PointsPlus* 7 points

*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers PointsPlus® calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.

Inspiralized

Golden Beet Noodles with Goat Cheese, Pepitas and Pomegranate

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

  • For the salad:
  • 2 large golden beets peeled, Blade D, noodles trimmed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon raw pepitas
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
  • For the dressing:
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a small bowl and whisk together. Season with salt and pepper and adjust to your preferences, if necessary.
  • Place the beet noodles in a large mixing bowl and pour over the dressing. Toss together to combine and then add in the pepitas and half the goat cheese.
  • Transfer the noodles to a serving platter or divide onto two plates and garnish each with remaining goat cheese and pomegranate seeds.
with love, Ali

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comments

  • Hi, I use my Spirializer and your recipes (have your book) all the time. I just bought a sushi maker (Sushezi), and want to use kohlrabi rice instead of regular rice. How can I make it sticky/vinegary and work for making sushi? I am on a low carb diet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001P8J1GU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
  • Just reading the recipe for your golden beet salad on today's blog - looks so delicious can't wait to make it. Question - do you use cooked or raw beets (stupid question I know!). Thanks! PS - I'm a big fan of your blog and awesome recipes!
    • Not a bad question at all - raw! Unless it notes to cook them, they're raw!
  • Ahhh Food52. What about international travel, where you go place and eat things you can't even pronounce? It doesn't change how the food tastes. What about family traditions that are made of up absurd names, still might be delicious food. Clearly just one person's idiosyncrasies. This needed to be one sentence in a recipe post, something like "zoodles, or as I prefer to call them strands of zucchini, because my love of the English languages calls me to define them as such"....
  • Fear, fear of not eating carbs.... That Food 52 Contributor is afraid... If she ever tried any of your incredible recipes and flavor pairings, she would be shouting ZOODLES from the mountain tops... (Really obvious about the carb loss fear if u read her contributions!!) Let her go through life bloated & lethargic...a fitting punishment! Lol
  • Hi there! Would this recipe/dressing work well with red beets too?