Houlihan’s, an American restaurant and bar franchise, is elevating traditional “side of the plate” vegetables to the star of the show by rolling out the limited time only Inspiralized menu featuring culinary innovations made from spiralized veggies. To integrate this creative cooking approach into the casual dining industry, Houlihan’s has partnered with Ali Maffucci, rising food star and founder of Inspiralized.com.

Maffucci first made a name for herself in the food blogging community by creating uniquely healthy dishes that transform vegetables into noodles and other craveable forms. Beyond cultivating a popular blog, Maffucci is renowned for her New York Times® best-selling cookbook, Inspiralized, and her signature product, the Inspiralizer. The dishes Maffucci is best known for are lower in carbs and sugar, so they fit seamlessly into a healthy eating regimen.

In collaboration with Houlihan’s Test Kitchen Chef, Nick Janner, the pair created three signature dishes that will be available on a limited time only Inspiralized menu available at all Houlihan’s locations starting February 2.

“In partnering with Ali Maffucci, we’ll introduce millions of people to this creative way of cooking and eating veggie-forward dishes that are surprisingly delicious. It’s unlike anything you’ll find in casual dining restaurants,” said Jen Gulvik, SVP Marketing and Creative Director for Houlihan’s Restaurants, Inc. “Consumers are looking for ways to reduce sugar and carbs in their diets, and the U.S. Government just announced dietary guidelines for reducing sugar intake. We’re hearing that sugar is the new fat. With Houlihan’s Inspiralized menu, pasta is replaced with vegetable ‘noodles’ for reduced carbs and sugar.”

The limited-time only Inspiralized menu at Houlihan’s will offer the following dishes:

• Thai Noodle Salad: Sriracha Thai peanut sauce tossed with spiralized fresh zucchini ‘noodles,’ mango, red peppers, snow peas, tri-colored quinoa, basil, mint and almonds with the option to add grilled chicken or grilled salmon.
• Sweet Potato, Corn & Bacon Mexicali Flatbread: Spiralized sweet potatoes and zucchini, sweet corn, bacon, Greek yogurt white sauce, pickled jalapeños, blend of cheeses and avocado salsa.
• Butternut Squash and Sausage Lasagna: Spiralized butternut squash ‘noodles,’ herbed ricotta, Italian sausage, sautéed organic kale-spinach-chard blend, marinara and mozzarella, served with a pesto zucchini ‘noodle’ side salad.