Shirataki Ees So Yami

Guys - I have a secret. But I didn't even know it was a secret until I was on the phone with my mom last night. And she said that this may be a secret to the world.

There are these things called Shirataki noodles. They are found next to the tofu in most supermarkets. They are refrigerated, and in a bag. 

Most importantly they have 40 calories and 6 carbs per BAG. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?

I am so freakin' serious.

I have been eating these suckers like it's my job. 

You can do them italian pasta style, or asian noodle style.

They are vegan and gluten free, if you are into any of those things.

I could keep going, but let's be honest, it's food and it's embarassing to have more than like 5 or 6 phrases in a row dedicated to food excitement.

But this is my blog, so I guess I will just keep going because I am indeed, THAT excited.

What do you do with them, you ask? Great question!

I have been basically covering them in tomatoes and then adding any veggies from the garden (zucchini, broccoli, peppers, etc...). Adding some olives and onions kicks it up to a puttanesca type sauce. Or you could do some fresh pesto and parm on top. You could even go for cabbage, carrots, shallots, green onion, some soy sauce and go all asian up on this stuff. Seriously. With 40 calories and 6 carbs, you still have a heck of a lot of wiggle room for this meal.

The recipe below is the very first one I talked about... garden veggie italian "pasta." This dish is delicious, nutritious  and it's a one pot meal! And you just can't beat that.

Enjoy!

First, you have to prep the noodles. Do not be alarmed. They smell a little bit like that bad mushroom smell or fish when you take them out of the bag. Appetizing, eh? I cut the top of the bag, drain the liquid, and then fill the bag back up with water to rinse the noodles. I do this a few times in a row. Even after that, they will still hold onto a faint odor, but once they are cooked, that smell will be BYE BYE GONE GONE.

Next, you can take 1 or 2 of these puppies out of the package. I abwsolutely love this brand of Tofurky. They are perfectly spiced, and I mix them into a lot of italian dishes (vegetarian lasagna, omelettes, etc...)

Slice these puppies up, and throw them in a pot. Like so...

Then, chop all of your veggies of choice, and even some fresh basil if you have it lying around.

Next, throw the veggies into the same pot with some EVOO. Season with salt and pepper. If you are gong to do a tomato based dish, make sure that you put all of the juice from the tomato into the pot as well. In this dish, I  used about 2 tomatoes, 1/2 small zucchini, some jalapeno, and fresh basil.

Throw the noodles in (make sure that they are able to cook until they are a bit like a rice noodle texture. They should completely loose the staaaaaaaaaank as you cook them.

Voila! You have yourself a DELICIOUS and NUTRITIOUS meal, using all of that surplus from your August harvest. Super satisfying, and SUPER filling! Oh yes, and did I mention that these noodles have only 40 calories and 6 carbs a bag? Um... That is technically two servings... but knock yourself out, kids.

TTFN,