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Spinach Almond Curry

When I started graduate school I began experimenting with different types of Indian style curries. This one has become a favorite among my friends and former colleagues.

Generally I make this to serve with the rice style shirataki or with some low carb bread substitute in place of naan. This time I just felt like I wanted something baked and not to worry about the bread and I'm saving my last remaining Miracle Noodle rice shapes for a sweet rice pudding recipe! As usual feel free to sub in any vegetables you might have on hand! This recipe takes a little bit of work but it is so worth the extra effort.

3 cups eggplant the long thin Chinese type
1 medium head cauliflower
1 cup onions white roughly chopped
25 almonds
6 cups spinach
2 servings Miracle Noodles Shirataki 8 oz bag, I used the fettucine shaped
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
2 cloves garlic
8 oz canned potatoes, drained of liquids and diced
1 serving Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
2 servings chicken breast tenderloin, I use the Kirkwood ones from Aldi
1 bell pepper
1 small yellow summer squash

1/4 jalapeno

1/4C fresh cilantro
2-6Tbs curry powder

1tsp chili powder

1tsp powdered ginger

1/2tsp cumin

garlic powder

red pepper flakes

kosher salt

vegetable oil spray

Instructions:

The day before thaw chicken and cut into bite sized pieceds, mix 1/2 of the yogurt and a 1/4 of each of the spices including salt. Stir to combine and marinate the chicken over night. Additionally the day before I slice the eggplant into small rounds, coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray and salt the eggplant, break the cauliflower up into bite sized pieces coat with curry powder, ginger, garlic powder and salt. Roast the eggplant and cauliflower for about 15-25 min in a 450 degree oven, until tender. Remove from stove/oven and set aside you can store them in the fridge until the next day.

Preheat your oven 350 and prepare a 9 x 13 in pan with cooking spray, set aside.

First of all drain and rinse your shirataki noodles, use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller pieces if desired. Next grind the almonds, garlic, 1/4 onions, remaining yogurt, jalapeno and spinach in a food processor (I use a Magic Bullet), using broth, up to a 1/2C, as needed to creat a rather thick sauce. Sautee remaining onions in a sauce pan coated with cooking oil spray. Add in chopped green pepper and yellow squash and sautee until tender. Add cauliflower, eggplant, potatoes and then the spinach almond sauce and noodles. Bring to a gentle simmer and add salt and other seasonings to taste. I don't really measure my seasonings, but I like very bold flavors and as long as you keep the sauce gently simmering you can adjust the seasonings to your likeing.

While the sauce is simmering drain the chicken. Coat a skillet with non-stick spray and cook over medium high heat until no longer pink inside. Combine all ingredients, except cilantro, and spread evenly into the prepared casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 min until golden and bubbly. Let it cool for 5-10 min, garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 very generous servings that clock in at 5 Weight Watcher points.

Shrimpy Pasta

For this recipe I used lots of veggies, shrimp, a tomato based sauce, and fettucine type noodles. I used frozen shrimp, but thawed them and peeled them before I used them or entered the stats into the Weight Watchers recipe builder. This recipe was for 3 large servings.

Ingredients:

9oz peeled raw shrimp
2 packages fettucine shirataki noodles
1tsp olive oil
1/4C onions diced
1 1/2C crushed tomatoes with garlic
3/4C canned tomatoes with garlic and basil
4 oz canned tomato sauce
1 small zucchini sliced
1 3/4 green bell peppers
2C broccoli florets
1C sliced mushrooms
1tsp crushed red pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic or garlic salt
dried basil
salt
pepper
1T splenda
3T parmesan cheese
1/4tsp cayenne pepper

As I mentioned in the previous post I prepped the noodles by rinsing them. Then I prepared the sauce and added the noodles to them and stored them overnight in the fridge. This sauce is very simple and can be tailored to your specific taste.

To make the sauce I measured the crushed tomatoes, canned tomatoes, sauce, and diced onions into a large sauce pan. To this you can add whatever spices you like. I like my sauce kind of sweet and spicey so I added a Tbsp of splenda in addition to garlic powder, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, cayenne and dried basil. Once the sauce comes to a boil, carefully add the noodles to the pot and bring back to a boil. Simmer covered for about 5-10 minutes and then a few minutes more until the sauce thickens slightly.

If you want to prepare the sauce and the rest of the meal in the same day you can cook the veggies while the sauce is simmering. To cook the veggies pour 1 tsp olive oil into a large sautee pan over medium high heat. Add all of the vegetables and sautee until done to your liking. I like mine a bit on the crisp side so anywhere from 10-20 min. Stir them frequently and add salt and pepper if you like. Once the vegetables are done add them to the sauce along with 2T of the parmesan cheese.

To cook the shrimp thaw and peel them, this can be done the day before, just before cooking add garlic salt, red pepper flakes and cayenne if desired. Coat a clean pan with olive oil flavored cooking spray and bring to medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about 3-5 minutes stirring constantly until the shrimp are pink and curl up.

I then spooned out 1/3 of the sauce, noodle, veggie mix onto my plate, added the shrimp and garnished with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.

Because I make three to four servings at a time, just for myself, I cooked the shrimp just before eating. Cooked shrimp do not usually reheat well so I cook them fresh each day.

The recipe comes out to 4 Weight Watchers points for a giant serving!

Preparing Shirataki

I want to teach you how to prepare and use these noodles to their full advantage. There are some unique properties to shirataki noodles that can make them a little tricky to deal with.

They come in a weird water filled bag to start with. Depending on the brand you purchase they may or may not require refridgeration. For this reason I tend to purchase the noodles that don't require it. The House Foods Tofu Shiraki definitely need to refridgerated. The Miracle Noodles and the ones I purchased from the Asian Grocer do not.

The first step is to drain and discard the liquid. Just cut the bag and pour the noodles into a strainer over the sink. Rinse well with running water for 1-2 minutes using your hands to separate and get them really rinsed. If using a longer spaghetti or fettucine type noodle it is best to cut them into smaller pieces using kitchen scissors. Next you should decide what kind of dish you are making. If there is a broth or sauce that will be simmered for a while you can add the noodles directly to the broth or sauce and let them simmer with it. If you are doing another preparation without much of a sauce or one that you dont really simmer all that long I would do the pan frying method.

For this method you simply coat a non-stick pan with butter or olive oil spray and turn the stove on to medium-high heat. Pour the noodles into the pan and cook until no longer wet at all. You want them to be completely dry! You can season the noodles while you are cooking them, with salt or soy sauce or whatever spices go with the dish you are making. I often make them this way when I do an asian stir fry type dish. Once the noodles are dry and even starting to brown a bit you can turn off the heat and leave them in the pan until you are ready to add them to your dish.

These noodles work extremely well in baked dishes and alsmost always taste better the next day-which is why I often make my sauces the night before and add the noodles so they have a chance to soak up all the flavor overnight.

Just Starting Smitten with Shirataki

Hi,

I'm Andrea and I do bio-medical research at Northwestern University in Chicago. While Science is my career, food and cooking are my passions. I have currently become smitten to the point of obsession with Shirataki noodles. They are a japanese noodle derived from the Konjac root. They are an amazing carb free noodle replacement. You can use these noodles in all types of recipes that you would use regular pasta or even rice in.

You can find all of the finer details about the origins of these noodles on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodleshe Konjac root. I want to use this blog to share ideas on how to deliciously enjoy the health benefits of shirataki noodles. These noodles consist almost entirely of fiber. Depending on the brand and variety that you purchase there may be some calories but it is mostly water soluble dietary fiber. This is something that weight watcher members will know reduces points values of your food and keeps you feeling full longer.

I will address one uncomfortable aspect with you. If your diet is not high in fiber before the first time you try these it is best to only have them as a side dish or a small quantity. Otherwise you could suffer from some uncomfortable digestion issues. Once you start enjoying them on a regular basis this wont be an concern.

I want to start by posting a recipe I just made with shrimp and vegetables. It was very tasty and for Weight Watchers it is only 4pts.