It’s a Miracle!

Paleo Thai Zucchini & Noodle Salad

Well, not really, but these Shiratake Noodles are quite a novelty. I read about them last year, but at that stage you could only get them in Australia via mail order. Recently I found them at the health food shop and thought I would see what the fuss is about.

What the fuss is: is that these noodles have zero calories, no carbs, a few essential amino acids & minerals and laden with insoluble fibre. They are made from Konjac Glucomanna from the root of the Konjac plant.  Glucomannan is high in soluble fibre which is essential for cleaning the digestive system.  Glucomannan can absorb up to 200 times its weight in water. A perfect weight loss tool.

They come in a packet, packed in water and you need to drain them and rinse them well. Some say they have a smell about them, but nothing that I could detect and are quite translucent and slippery. A little goes a long way as they are very filling and I used them to pad out my favorite Thai salad which worked really well. Give them a try and see what you think – very soon I am going to show you how to MAKE them!!

Simple Thai Salad

400g zucchini, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

100g shiratake noodles

1 red chilli, deseeded & sliced

1 tab crushed nuts ( I used pecans)

1 tab fried shallots

Dressing

50g coconut vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

60g fish sauce

40g sweetener (Xylitol, Natvia or rapadura sugar)

Juice of 1 lime

1 red chillies, chopped

40g boiling water

½ teas salt

1 clove garlic

 

Dissolve the sweetener in the boiling water and add the remaining dressing ingredients. Taste for balance; salty, sweet, sour.

Combine the salad ingredients and mix through enough dressing to wet. Garnish with the nuts & onions.

I can eat this whole batch in one sitting – it is so addictive and yummy. I sometimes add some sauted chicken mince or a few chopped boiled eggs for protein. You can also experiment with adding different veges, sometimes I add some julienne capsicum or red onion, you decide….