I recently discovered Shirataki Noodles and fell in love!  If you haven’t heard of or tried these amazing gluten-free and calorie-free noodles, keep reading and try this recipe!  That’s right pasta lovers, there is such things as a ZERO calorie noodle!

Before you go shopping, here are a couple things to know about Shirataki Noodles:

Shirataki Noodles can be made in two ways:  tofu shirataki and regular shirataki.  Both types contain a yam flour base (making them gluten free) however the tofu shirataki contain 20 calories per 3g serving due to the addition of the protein.  The regular shirataki come in at zero calories since they are almost entirely made of fiber – these are the ones I typically go with. Regardless of which noodle you choose, they are both super healthy and an amazing alternative to regular pasta!  A one cup serving of regular pasta (I am not talking about my preferred quinoa pasta, but the regular, white flour pasta they give you at most restaurants – yuck!) can cost you approximately 221 calories for the noodles alone.  Since these noodles contain more sodium, sugars and carbs, they won’t keep you full for long.  With the Shirataki noodles being made of almost all fiber, they will keep you satisfied for longer without costing the calories.

Just a warning, when you first open the bag of Shirataki Noodles, they can have a strong odor and slimmey texture.   Just give them a thorough rinse in cold running water and pat dry.  Follow the instructions on the bag for cooking.

I have been having fun playing around with different ways to use these noodles in dinners to provide a completely healthy and satisfying meal.  I love Asian inspired food and I love spicy so this dish was the first one I made. Hope you love it too – enjoy!

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

• (4 oz) of Regular Shirataki noodles (be sure to check the package and get the regular Shirataki noodles that are zero calories)
• 1 teaspoon Safflower or Sunflower oil
• (8 oz) organic chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Pinch of pepper
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh cut snap peas or green beans
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh pepper strips (I like to use a variety of colors but just red or green would be fine too)
• 1/2 chopped kale with stems removed
• 1/4 cup frozen edamame
• Cilantro springs for garnishing

For Sauce:

• 1/2 cup light coconut milk (I like the So Delicious Unsweetened one)
• 2 3/4 tablespoons organic low sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons all natural, organic chunky peanut butter
• 2 teaspoon unsulfured organic blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoon lime juice (save wedges for garnishing)

**Just FYI, For most Peanut Curry Sauces, the recipes call for Brown Sugar.  What makes mine healthy is that I use blackstrap molasses as a healthy alternative to brown sugar.  Here are some facts about the health benefits of 1 tablespoon of organic blackstrap molasses:

• Contains more calcium then a glass of milk (approx 115 milligrams; that’s about 10% of your recommended daily allowance!)
• Contains 4.5 mg of Iron which makes it much better, and less fattening, source of iron than red meat. 
• Contains 730 mg of Potassium which is about 20% of your daily recommended allowance.
• Molasses contains an excellent supply of B vitamins
• Great source of natural sugars
• Alkali-forming food, beneficial for maintaining a proper acid-alkali balance in the body.
• Molasses is also rich in phosphoric acid, copper, magnesium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, phosphorous, Pantothenic acid, vitamin E and Insoitol.  Refined sugar contains none of these!

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse Shirataki Noodles well.  Place on paper towel and set aside

2. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat

3. Add cut up chicken, season with pinch pepper, and saute until cooked through stirring occasionally, about   5 minutes.

4. While chicken is cooking, start the peanut curry sauce by whisking together all ingredients for sauce in a medium bowl.

5.  Add vegetables to pan with chicken and continue cooking for approximately 3 more minutes.

6.  After approximately 3 minutes of vegetables cooking, pour sauce into frying pan with chicken and vegetables and stir.

7. Turn heat up to high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

8. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, above 6-8 minutes

9. Serve over a bed of Shirataki Noodles.

Nutritional Information:

Calories Per Serving:  245.5 calories
Carb: 14.6g (24%)
Fat: 8.2g (30%)
Protein: 27.5g (45%)
Fiber: 2