Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp

This month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker asked the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choice using the two given ingredients of sweet potatoes and honey.  I’m going to bet that the recipe hop below will be filled with delicious and tempting sweet potato recipes that will be perfect for this time of year, with all the flavors of the holiday.  I on the other hand am not feeling the holidays, feel like they’re racing towards me and I’m just not ready for them.  So I decided to go in a completely different direction with sweet potatoes and honey but still keeping with the theme.    

Have you ever tried sweet potato glass noodles?  They are wonderfully chewy, delicious and have no sweet potato flavor at all.  So if you’re not a sweet potato lover but looking for a delicious noodle, which is by the way gluten-free, I’d suggest that you give these a try.  I easily find them at my local Asian/International market but they can also be found online here.  As the noodles are gluten-free and since Maisie loves shrimp, I decided to flavor this dish for her.  The shrimp with the honey and lime are a wonderful mix of sweet and sour and the garlic adds another wonderful layer of flavor.  Had I made this dish for Eammon and I, I probably would have added a bit of crushed red pepper flakes as we always enjoy a hot little kick to our food but made as I did for Maisie, this dish was delicious and perfect.  I’ll be making this dish again and I’ll also be using the sweet potato glass noodles again as we really enjoyed them.

Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp  

• 8 oz. Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
• 12 oz. raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined & tail removed
• 3 TBS. olive oil, divided
• 2 TBS. sugar free honey, or regular honey
• zest from one medium lime
• juice of one medium lime
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• crushed red pepper flakes, optional & to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions.  While the noodles are cooking mix the shrimp, 1 TBS. of the olive oil, honey, lime zest & juice, garlic, salt & optional crushed red pepper flakes, together in a bowl.  About five minutes before the noodles finish cooking, heat a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over high heat.  Add the remaining 2 TBS. of olive oil and heat until hot.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the marinade and add the shrimp to the hot pan, reserve the marinade.  Quickly cook the shrimp, turning when necessary, until they are cooked through and opaque.  Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan to a plate.  Add the marinade to the now empty pan, bring to a boil and reduce by half. 

Drain the pasta and add to a serving bowl.  Pour the cooked and reduced marinade over the noodles and top with the shrimp. 

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies