Monday, March 31, 2014

Skinny Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles

Shirataki Peanut Noodles with Tru-Nut
















As summer approaches, most of us begin to realize that the bulky clothes we've been hiding under are inevitably headed for storage.  Consequently we also begin to think about how we can lighten up our meals in preparation for this annual shedding of our winter wardrobes.  And it is with this realization that I bring you a low calorie, low carb, gluten free Sesame Peanut Noodle recipe that almost seems too good to be true.   

Typically noodle dishes are at the bottom of my list when I'm thinking about eating light.  And if you couple those calorie dense noodles with a high calorie peanut sauce, you'd better just forget about it.  Right?

Wrong! 

These Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles are just 300 calories for the whole plate including the garnishes.  So how did I do it?  I started with very low calorie Shirataki tofu noodles to save a ton of calories.  And for the sauce I replaced the high calorie peanut butter with Tru-Nut which is a powdered peanut butter. If you haven’t heard of powdered peanut butter you’re not alone.  I hadn't either until the company contacted me to see if I’d like to sample their product.  I never refuse free food.  Plus, usually when the company contacts you to sample their goods, they're usually pretty confident in the quality of their product. 

A few days later I received both the original flavor and a chocolate peanut butter variety.

So what is powdered peanut butter?  Basically, as I understand it, the Tru-nut company figured out a way to press the oil and fat from the peanut butter while turning the remaining solids into a flour-like powder that can easily be reconstituted with water.  The process takes out the fat but leaves behind the protein and peanut flavor.  In this recipe I used 2 tablespoons which clocked in at 45 calories versus the 190 calories that regular peanut butter would have cost me.  And it was good.  Another benefit was how easily it mixed into the sauce versus how difficult it can be to blend the regular stuff into other liquids.

I can’t wait to see what kind of recipe I can come up with for their chocolate variety.  I may use it in a cupcakes or flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies.  Whatever it ends up in, you guys will be the first to know.

I’m not sure where Tru-Nut is available in the marketplace.  I wonder if they sell it at my local Whole Foods or Trader Joes.  I’ll keep my eye’s peeled.  In the meantime, after checking Amazon I found both the Chocolate Tru-Nut and the OriginalFlavor that was used in this delicious noodle recipe.

Skinny Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min

Ingredients
  • 2 packages Shirataki tofu noodles (fettuccine)
  • 2 tbsp powdered peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp warm water
  • 1 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos (or other GF soy sauce)
  • 2 tsp sriracha sauce
  • 1 tsp honey
  • ½ tbsp. sesame oil
  • ½ tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 2 thinly sliced green onions
  • ½ oz chopped peanuts


Video Tutorial





Instructions
  1. Stir together all of the sauce ingredients except for the chopped peanuts and ½ the green onions.
  2. Prepare the shirataki tofu noodles according to the package instructions.
  3. Toss the well-drained noodles in the sauce, place on a serving plate, top with the remaining green onions, chopped peanuts and crushed red pepper flakes or sambal sauce if you want it extra spicy.  

And if you don’t believe that this whole plate of noodles is just 300 calories here’s the list of ingredients again with their calorie counts.

The Calorie Count: 
2 packages Shirataki tofu noodles  …. 80
2 tbsp powdered peanut butter……… 45
1 tbsp warm water…………….……....…0
1 tbsp Bragg liquid aminos………..…....0
2 tsp sriracha sauce.................………..10
1 tsp honey ……………………..……….25
½ tbsp. sesame oil……………….……..60
½ tbsp. cider vinegar ……………………0
1 minced garlic clove ………………….. 5
2 thinly sliced green onions…………….10
½ oz chopped peanuts ………………..65

Total calories…………………………. 300


To visit the Tru-Nut site click HERE.  

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