easy weeknight meal: sweet potatoes with cheesy pistachio dust (vegan, gluten free)

As a food blogger, it can be tempting for me to post oodles of complicated, fancy recipes that have a big wow factor. Because those are the things that get a lot of splash and attention.

But, that’s not reality.

As a mom of four and business owner two times over, I don’t have time most days for complicated and fancy. I’m guessing you don’t either.

Which is why I’m sharing more of a meal idea than a “recipe” with you today. It’s an easy weeknight meal that is uncomplicated, but tasty. Simple, but satisfying. Light on ingredients but packed with the nutrients your body needs to fuel itself for all the things you do.

That’s the beauty of an easy weeknight meal, isn’t it?

First we start with a sweet potato. Packed with vitamins, fiber, potassium, sweet potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods. I like to prepare them either by baking them whole or cutting them in half and placing cut side down on a baking sheet to get a be-you-ti-ful carmelization, like you see with the sweet potatoes in the picture above.

Next comes a side of salad. Here’s where you can find the dressing and basic to a chop salad that frequently makes an appearance on our table. It’s one the kids like, especially since I let them customize their toppings. Just ignore the picture…clearly, I’ve been working on my photography skills.

To amp up the protein and keep this meal from being ho-hum, I whipped up and added some cheesy pistachio dust (dairy free, of course) to both the potato and the salad. You’ll find the recipe for that below.

If you’re pressed for time during the week, you can prep much of this meal ahead of time over the weekend by pre-baking the sweet potatoes and mixing up the pistachio dust and salad dressing. I don’t recommend prepping the veggies ahead (unless you’re having them the next day) since they start to lose some of their nutrients after being cut. Instead, chop them up while you’re warming the sweet potatoes (I always do this in the oven, as I ixnayed the microwave for food years ago).

So there you have it! An easy weeknight meal that can be partially prepped ahead of time or simple enough to come together even in a pinch.

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vegan nut Parmesan

A trio of nut Parmesans to get your cheese fix even without the dairy.

Course: Topping

Author: Andrea Anderson

Ingredients

Pecan Parmesan

• 1 c. pecans, toasted
• 4 tsp. nutritional yeast
• 3 tsp. avocado or olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt

Cashew Parmesan

• 1 cup cashews
• 8 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp avocado or olive oil

Pistachio Parmesan

• 1 c shelled pistachios
• 9 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp avocado or olive oil

Instructions

1. For each Parmesan (separately)...add the ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse or mix until the nuts are finely chopped. Do not over mix or the nuts will begin to release their oils and stick together.
   

Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.

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• Click here for my favorite food processor for the cheesy pistachio dust