January 27th...Miricle Noodles, with low-fat Thai sauce!

Here it is, the Shirataki Miracle noodles!  Guilt free noodles, zero calories, soy free, and gluten free.  I've been hearing about these now for awhile via my Sister-in-law, Lara.  Finally, last weekend I saw them and said, I gotta try these and see what the fuss is all about!

      

When trying something new, I like to know what's in it and where it came from, especially if I've never tried it before...unless it's covered in chocolate,  I eat first, then think about it later!

Above is the Konjac plant, pronounced KOHN-yak; found in Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea.  The top part is known as the "Devil's Tongue" but we won't worry about that.  Our focus is the bulb at the bottom of the picture called the "corms".   It is a large starchy bulb/corm, which is dried and turned into a flour.  This flour is mixed with water and limewater, then formed into noodles called shirataki.  There is no nutritional value in these noodles, they are used more for their texture and not their taste as they are pretty much tasteless.  Let's get this noodle party started!  I'm going to make a low fat Peanut Thai sauce that our very own Boot Camper Christina passed onto me.  I will swap out a couple of items and see if it makes a difference in the taste.

 Here's what you'll need for my version: 1 tbsp Natural Peanut butter, 2 tsp low-sodium Soy sauce, 1 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar, juice from 1 lime, 1 tsp fresh grated Ginger, 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro, 1 garlic clove and 1/2 cup mini tomatoes chopped in half...

 Finely chop up all ingredients except the tomatoes and garlic.  I have a super sensitive stomach and can't handle raw garlic, so I sauteed it with the chicken.  I also warmed up the peanut butter in the microwave for 20 sec. as it came out of the fridge and would be pretty hard to whisk in with all the ingredients. I added the tomatoes just as the veggies were almost done.  Don't over cook them as they give an awesome sweetness to this dish!

 This recipe yielded almost 3 tbsp...probably would get more from the original as I left out the honey...for the entire meal below, I used only 2 tbsp!  The nutritional info basically comes from the natural peanut butter.  100 cal. 8g fat. 3 carbs. 1g sugar. 3g protein.  NOW divide that by three for a 1 tbsp serving and you have 33 cal.2.5g fat. 1 carb. 1 protein!

 

So, just in case I didn't like the noodles, I sauteed chicken, prawns and lots of veggies!  I did some research on how to prepare the Miracle Noodles.  First, open package, toss in strainer and rinse with water thoroughly.  The noodles will smell a bit funky and that's how their suppose to be!  I decided to go with a "dry" frying, meaning, use a non-stick pan, toss noodles in, heat on medium and cook for about 8 mins. til all liquid has evaporated.  One site said that the noodles would dry up mine never did...

So here you have it, tasteless noodles with a tasty low-fat Peanut Thai stir-fry!  I used about 1 1/2 cups chicken, 1 cup shrimp and about 3 cups veggies. OK so here's the real deal via my husband who just got home from work and inhaled his dinner and made a good point...if there is no taste and no nutritional value, why waste your money eating nothing?  Good point, I'd be happy eating my stir-fry on a bed of spinach but that's just how I roll.  Many of you would like the "idea" of having the noodles because they will leave you with a full belly and a guilt free conscious!  The small package cost about $3.50 at Milstream Lifestyles Market, but if you went to China town or an Asian market you can get them under $2. Not sure the Miracle Noodle is the kind of noodles you would use in an Italian dish as the texture is very different, these are good for stir-frys and soup. Give them a try and let me know what you think.

Here is the original light and tangy Peanut satay recipe: 

• 1/8 cup creamy natural peanut butter 
• Juice of one lime
• 2 tbsp cilantro, minced
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

If you like a little heat and sweetness in you food add the red pepper flakes and honey!