Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Low Carb Pasta Alternative: Tofu Shirataki

Chicken is a staple of us in my house, but I like to experiment with alternative, low calorie, low carb, and high protein options. I've slowly been exploring the world of vegetarian dishes, and tofu can be a big part of that way of eating. So a couple weeks ago I made a tofu soup, and then last week I stumbled upon a new product: Tofu Noodles from House Foods. They come in an 8 oz package found in the refrigerator section, and only have 40 calories in the entire package! If you're attempting to consume less carbs, but still want that bowl of pasta, this is a great option.

The noodle package suggested draining and intense rinsing before consuming them. They do have an interesting, slightly fishy smell that might be off putting, but work past it, rinse them, and it will disappear. Then I heated them up for about 30 seconds in the microwave, add whatever sauce you want, I just used butter the first time, and Alfredo the second time, and enjoyed it like pasta. They come in three pasta shapes: spaghetti, fettuccine, and angle hair. I will say the spaghetti is probably the one to start with, as the wider noodle of fettuccine did taste less like pasta and more like tofu, but the spaghetti, I could hardly notice. The noodles are somewhat elastic like pasta, and just slightly more chewy the regular pasta. With all that said, give these a try.

2 comments:

Olinda said...

i tried the fettuccine and it was great. Just rinse until the fishy smell is gone. I put pesto on mine. YUM. It was surprising how it tasted. I have bought it a couple of times. I love the scant 40 calories. If I am really hungry...it's a bonus if I eat more. 1 package is one serving and is usually enough. Reasonably priced too.

Shirataki Noodles said...

Shirataki noodles are quickly becoming the next big trend among health enthusiasts and low calories pertaining to these noodles make them good to eat anytime.