Spicy Shirataki Noodles

Photo by Rachel's Bite, Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 US licensed.  

Have you heard of no-calorie noodles? I had just heard about them when I saw the feature "Oodles of Noodles" in the January/February 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. The noodles featured are Shirataki noodles which do have a few calories per serving, but very minimal. Instead of regular flour, they are made with Asian yam flour. I have see tofu shirataki noodles at Whole Foods and other natural food stores.

This is a quick and easy stir-fry that ends up light and fresh. The noodles do taste like a light noodle! The consistency is pretty much the same, it's just a light bit on the chewy side. As you can imagine, the don't have much taste on their own to having the proper amount of sauce and seasoning is important.

Note: if you want to make these vegan, make sure the noodles you buy are marked as vegan. Some brands add calcium derived from shellfish.

Spicy Shirataki Noodles Serves 4 4 Tbsp. gluten-free, reduced-sodium tamari 2½ Tbsp. lime juice 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar 2 tsp. sriracha sauce 1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil 2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeno chile 3 cloves garlic, minced (1Tbsp.) 1 onion, sliced (1 cup) 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced 2 8-oz. pkg. tofu shirataki fettuccini, prepared according to package directions ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Whisk together tamari, lime juice, brown sugar, and sriracha in bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Add jalapeno and garlic, and cook 1 minute. Add onion and bell peppers, and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add tamari mixture and shirataki, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes, then toss with basil.

Nutritional information provided in magazine:
Per 1½-cup serving: 130 CAL; 5 G PROT; 4 G TOTAL FAT (<1 G SAT FAT); 19 G CARB; 0 MG CHOL; 770 MG SOD; 4 G FIBER; 8 G SUGARS.

Love is all around you... Enjoy!

- Rachel

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Miso Udon Stir-fry with Greens & Beans

Wow! This dish tastes about 10 times better than it looks. With a little Sriracha and salt on top, it's creamy and salty and spicy... perfect!

I bought a few kinds of different kinds of beans the other week just to have on hand. One of those was a bean I hadn't heard of before: azuki beans. So when I was flipping through my new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction, I flagged this recipe as the first one to make because of it's use of this fun new ingredient.

I couldn't find brown rice udon noodles as suggested in the recipe so I bought some brown rice spaghetti. But I had some regular pre-cooked udon packages in my refrigerator so when it came time to put this together I decided to use those.

I realize now that I forgot to add the sesame seeds. Oh well, I do bet they would have been great on this but it was really tasty all the same.

Miso Udon Stir-fry with Greens and Beans Serves 4 1 pound broccoli, stems sliced thinly, tops cut into florets 8 ounces brown rice udon noodles 1 teaspoon olive oil 6 cloves of garlic, minced 1 bunch Swiss chard (about ½ pound), coarse stems removed, chopped roughly 1 cup thinly sliced green onions, plus extra for garnish 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 (16-ounce) can azuki beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup miso 1/2 cup hot water 4 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds Sriracha hot sauce, to serve

Prepare a pot of salted water for cooking the noodles.

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. First saute the broccoli with a bit of nonstick cooking spray and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes. Cover the pan and flip once or twice. The broccoli should be browned in some spots. Add a splash of water at the end, then cover for another minute. The pan should be steaming. Remove broccoli from the pan and set aside.

At this point, the water should be boiling. Use a mug to remove ½ cup of water; you can use that to mix into your miso in a few steps. Then cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain when ready.

Now we'll put everything together. Preheat the large pan again, over medium heat. Saute the garlic in the oil for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the chard, green onion, and salt, and saute for about 5 minutes, until wilted. Add the beans and let heat through.

In the meantime, in a mug or measuring cup, mix together the miso and warm pasta water until relatively smooth.

Add the drained noodles to the pan, along with the miso mixture and broccoli. Saute for about 2 minutes, using a pasta spoon, making sure everythin is nice and coated. Taste for salt. To serve, to with sesame seeds and green onions and keep the Sriracha close at hand.

No Croutons Required March bogging event theme is "aduki beans or mung beans" and it is being hosted by Lisa's Kitchen. View the roundup here.

Japchae (with soba noodles)

"Got Kimchi?" was the headline a this article on Korean cooking in the September, 2010 issue of Women's Health magazine. And pictured on the first page was Japchae. Described as a word that means "mixture of vegetables", my mouth watered with all the yummy veggies and noodles piled together.

Always looking to cook new kinds of foods using new ingredients, I couldn't wait to give this one a try. I had to visit the Asian market to get the hot pepper paste and enoki mushrooms, but I was able to find all the other ingredients at my local grocery store. In fact, you don't really need the enoki mushrooms, but they are fun. I'm not sure they add much flavor, but they do make this dish look super fancy.

Go ahead and make this one evening and save leftovers for lunch the next day. The flavors combine more and it even tastes great cold!

I did a little research and discovered that this dish is usually made with cellophane noodles but I like that this version is made with soba noodles because they are healthy for you and one of my favorite noodles.

Japache Serves 4 2 Tbsp sesame seeds 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar 2 tsp hot pepper paste (kochujang) 1 Tbsp sesame oil ½ lb soba noodles 2 tsp vegetable oil ½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 5 oz baby spinach 3 oz enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed

In a dry skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove from skillet and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, hot pepper paste, and sesame oil; set aside. Prepare noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. Add yellow onion and carrot; cook for 4 minutes. Add garlic, green onion, red pepper, spinach, 1 teaspoon sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in noodles and sauce; heat for 2 minutes. Serve topped with enoki mushrooms and toasted sesame seeds.

Nutritional information per serving as provided in magazine:
332 cal, 9 g fat (1g sat), 57 g carbs, 889 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 12 g protein

Creamy Lemon Shrimp

Tofu noodles! They might sound gross but they are light and yummy... perfect to eat cold. Who knew? And of course they were the reason I wanted to try this recipe because I love playing with new ingredients. I really like the taste of them, and they are super healthy, so I want to find more ways of using them.

The thing is, I tore this recipe out of some magazine months ago and I have no idea which one it was. So sorry I can't identify it here.

Creamy Lemon Shrimp
Serves 4

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium lemons
1 pound cooked shrimp (any size)
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups arugula
1 bag (8 ounces) tofu noodles, rinsed and drained (found in the Asian section of grocery store)

Place yogurt, sour cream, chives, tarragon, garlic, mustard, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Zest lemons over bowl. Juice 1 lemon into bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add shrimp, broccoli, arugula and noodles. Toss to coat and serve with remaining lemon, cut into wedges, if desired.

Brothy Chinese Noodles

Brothy. Chinese. Noodles. Three yummy words - especially when they are all together. I think this recipe was highlighted as of the "must make" recipes in the January / February 2010 issue of Eating Well magazine, so of course I complied.

I wasn't clear, and am still not clear, about what "dried Chinese noodles" really are. After going back and forth between a few different options, I picked up something called Pancit Canton (wheat noodles) which are some yellow Filipino noodles that came in a 16 oz. package and used half of it. It came out great so it's quite convenient that I have this other half already because I plan to make this again soon.

The spicy sesame oil was a bit hard to find as well. I ended up getting a tiny bottle at Whole Foods that cost about $10. But that's okay because it's a really nice flavor and I'm sure I'll use a splash with other things that I want to add a little heat too. And because of this oil this dish does come out a bit on the spicy side, which I love but might be a little hot for those adverse to spicy food.

Brothy Chinese Noodles Serves 6 2 tablespoons hot sesame oil (see Note), divided 1 pound 93%-lean ground turkey 1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 3/4 cup water 3 cups thinly sliced bok choy 8 ounces dried Chinese noodles (see Note) 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 small cucumber, sliced into matchsticks, for garnish

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ground turkey, all but 2 tablespoons of the scallions, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring and breaking up the turkey, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Add broth, water, bok choy, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Return the turkey mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Serve garnished with the reserved 2 tablespoons scallions and cucumber (if using).

Shrimp and Noodle Salad with Ginger Dressing

My favorite thing about this recipe for Shrimp and Noodle Salad with Ginger Dressing is that is uses pre-cooked shrimp. There a SO MANY times I have leftover shrimp OR I buy the wrong bag of frozen shrimp and accidentally pick up pre-cooked... in addition to that, this recipe also uses other "pre-made" items like packaged coleslaw mix and store bought teriyaki sauce which makes it super easy.

I know it is December, and this recipe was taken from the May, 2008 issue of Food and Wine Magazine, but this noodle salad is so yummy that you can eat it anytime during the year. It's served room temperature, which is "cold" to some people so I can imagine it being nice during the summer. That and the original article I found it in was for "picnic salads" so known as a good dish to prepare ahead of time and travel well. However, we had it for a light dinner (in December) and enjoyed it thoroughly. I even have leftovers for work tomorrow.

The only downside to this recipe is that slicing shrimp "lengthwise" isn't as easy as you would think.

Shrimp and Noodle Salad with Ginger Dressing 4 to 6 servings 7 ounces dried udon noodles or fettuccine (fettuccine broken in half) 12 ounces shredded coleslaw mix 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced 1 cup cilantro leaves 3/4 pound cooked medium shrimp, halved lengthwise 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Salt Lime wedges, for serving

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water. pat dry and transfer to a large bowl. Add the coleslaw mix, scallions, cilantro and shrimp.

In a blender, combine the teriyaki sauce with the ginger and chile-garlic sauce and puree until smooth. With the machine on, slowly add the vegetable oil in a thin stream and puree until the dressing is emulsified. Season lightly with salt. Add the dressing to the bowl with the udon n oodles and toss well. Serve the noodle salad with lime wedges on the side.

Grilled Salmon with Cellophane Noodles

My first attempt and cooking fish on the grill didn't turn out so well. The recipe is great and the fish ended up tasting very flavorful, but I didn't realize how flaky the fish would become and it fell apart on the grill. Note to self: do not put fish directly on the grates, use something in between which will be easier to pick up the fish from.

Besides the fact that my fish came off the grill in large chunks, this dinner is great for a weeknight. You get all the flavor and presentation as if you have been preparing a complicated meal, but it all comes together in less than a half an hour.

The noodles on their own are pretty boring. But they add a wonderful texture and it changes up the honey-soy salmon that you may have tasted before.

Honey-Soy Lacquered Salmon with Cilantro Noodles Serves 4 3 packages (2 ounces each) bean thread noodles 4 center-cut salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each), skin on and scaled, pin bones removed Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher or sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling 5 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium-high.

In a large bowl, soak the noodles in hot water to cover until softened, about 20 minutes.

Generously brush the salmon fillets on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. To make the glaze, in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the honey, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon honey, the sesame oil, and the lemon juice mixing well.

Drain the noodles will in a colander, shaking the colander a few times to make sure all the water is removed. pat the noodles dry with paper towels. Toss the noodles with the dressing, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Set aside.

Oil the grill grate. Use tongs to arrange the salmon fillets, flesh side down, directly over the medium-hot fire. Grill the salmon until grill marks are etched across the fillets, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets, skin side down, and brush the salmon flesh generously with the glaze. cover the grill and continue grilling the salmon until it is almost opaque throughout but still very moist when tested with a knife, or an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 125 to 130 degrees, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

Divide the noodles among dinner plates. Using a wide spatula, place a salmon fillet in the center of each plate, on top of the noodles. Serve immediately.

Thai-Style Beef with Noodles

I haven't made anything from Gourmet Magazine in quite a while so I was determined to find something to make. I decided to try out the Thai-Style Beef with Noodles featured in the February, 2008 issue.

This recipe turned out really amazing! The beef seemed to be a bit plain to me - the marinade didn't really soak in any flavor. But the broth was really impressive. It tasted like real authentic Thai food that I would get in a restaurant. I love when my recipes turn out as flavorful as this.

For me it was fun because I got to use the Le Creuset stove-top grill I bought myself for a Christmas present. While the beef cooked up well on the stove-top grill pan, the vegetables were what I was really amazed with. The grill marks really got in there and they actually tasted like they were grilled outside! The grilled peppers and green onions added a really great taste to this noodle dish.

Three of us ate this for dinner and we all gave it thumbs up. If I make this again though I think I may want to marinate the beef overnight or figure out a stronger marinade to use. I'd keep the broth and the rest of the recipe exactly the same though.

Fat Noodles with Crab, Buttered Artichokes, and Mint

I found a recipe that is not "the ultimate" in Tyler's Ultimate. The Fat Noodles with Crab, Buttered Artichokes, and Mint. The name is promising but I found it to be a little be bland. It was good, but not great and not ultimate. I usually like really strong flavors with my pasta. I could see this being a nice pasta to be served as part of a buffet because I can see alot of people liking it and it also tastes okay at room temperature. But when I spend the money to cook with crab I really want to taste it and I didn't get that with this recipe.

The one problem I had was I could not find pappardelle at my grocery store. So I went with fettuccine which were the widest noodles that I could find.

Fat Noodles with Crab, Buttered Artichokes, and Mint (serves 4) Ingredients: Kosher salt 1 pound pappardelle 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter) 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 can (about 16 ounces) artichokes, drained, rinsed and halved Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 pint (8 ounces) lump crabmeat Freshly ground black pepper Handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pappardelle, stir to separate, and cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and dump the pasta into a serving bowl. (You'll need to use 1 cup of the pasta cooking water for the sauce.)

While the pasta is cooking, combine the butter and olive oil in a medium skillet and put it over medium heat. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, add it to the skillet, and reduce the whole thing for 5 minutes to thicken. Then add the artichoke halves, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, crabmeat, and salt and pepper and toss to warm everything through. Add that to the bowl with the cooked drained pasta. Add the mint and Parmigiano and season with salt and lots of black pepper. Toss and serve with extra Parmigiano.

Duck Steaks with Roasted Peaches and Cold Sesame Noodles

Okay, I'll fess up. I've never really watched Tyler's Ultimate on Food Network. I've had it on in the background, but I never really watched him. All I know about Tyler Florence is that he is super-cute. And I HATE the How to Boil Water show that he does but that might be because of his dingy co-host. But I realized that I have never given him a chance when I watched his Chefography a few weeks ago. So I decided to order his latest book Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time.

Now, I find it a bit presumptuous to call something "THE ULTIMATE". It's okay to be a specialist is something. For example, I'd be okay if he had "Tyler's Ultimate Fried Chicken" or something like that. But a whole book for of ULTIMATE recipes? I was very hesitant. But flipping through the recipes I quickly realized that he has quite a few really, really good meals. The first one I decided to try was his Duck Steaks with Roasted Peaches and Cold Sesame Noodles. This is partly because I have made really good sesame noodles before (soba noodles with a spicy peanut sauce) and I knew I could compare his to the one I already knew I liked. The second is because I am trying to cook with things I have not worked with before and duck was on that list. And how can anyone not want to try roasted peaches?

It took me a little over an hour to prepare this entire meal and I don't think that is bad at all considering how elegant it is. I couldn't find any peaches at the grocery store so I bought a jar of natural peach slices which I think have been boiled or something. I just laid them on the baking sheet and roasted them anyways. Peaches roasted in olive oil with salt sprinkled on . . . yum! The peanut sauce for the soba noodles is really amazing. I love the complex flavors. It is nice and creamy with a bit of heat from the peppers but it is still smooth and has a great consistency to go over the noodles. And as for the duck, I got really lucky. It ended up just perfect!

Duck Steaks with Roasted Peaches (serves 4) Ingredients: 2 ripe peaches, halved and pitted Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Extra-virgin olive oil 2 duck breasts (about 1 1/4 pound total) Toasted sesame oil Cold Sesame Noodles (recipe follows) Watercress, for garnish Lime wedges, for garnish

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the peaches all over with salt and pepper. Put them cut sides up on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Throw them in the oven and roast until the peaches are very tender when you stick a knife in them, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the duck breasts on a cutting board skin side up and score all over in a tiny crosshatch pattern so that as much of the fat as possible will render and the skin will crisp. Season all over with salt and pepper and drizzle with sesame oil. Film the bottom of a large saute pan with olive oil and put the pan over medium heat. Add the breasts, skin side down, and cook slowly for about 10 minutes, until the fat is rendered and the skin is browned and crispy. Occasionally dump the fat out into a bowl. Turn the breasts and cook on the other side for 1 or 2 more minutes for medium-rare. Take the breasts out of the pan and put them on a platter to rest.

Cold Sesame Noodles (serves 4) Ingredients: Kosher salt 1/2 pound dried buckwheat (soba) noodles 9 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1-inch piece of fresh ginger 2 garlic cloves 1 fresh red Thai chile or 1 jalapeno chile, minced, seeds and all 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 6 tablespoons hot water 1 tablespoon chile sauce or 1 teaspoon sambal 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Instructions:
Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook until barely tender and still firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to cool. Drain the noodles really well, transfer to a wide serving bowl, and toss immediately with 3 tablespoons of the sesame oil.

Peel the ginger and garlic cloves and smack with the back of a knife. In a saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the sesame oil over medium-low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chile. Cook, stirring for a minute until the vegetables are soft and fragrant. Dump that into a blender along with the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, hot water, chile sauce, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil; puree and refrigerate until cold.

Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and scallions.

Chilled Tomato Somen

Lucky me, I got to work from home today! I made myself a nice fresh lunch. Chilled Tomato Somen from Japanese Light is a hybrid of Japanese and Italian cuisine. The tomato topping is like an Italian bruschetta with the addition of soy sauce. The somen noodles are Japanese and have the perfect consistency for a chilled salad. The author, Kimiko Barber, mentions that this dish was inspired during a stay in an Umbrian farmhouse while visiting Italy.

I used a box of imported Italian chopped tomatoes. It would have been better if I used fresh vine-ripe tomatoes as suggested in this recipe. But it still came out okay because these tomatoes still kind of had their chopped shape. I just hate the whole process of peeling tomatoes!

Chilled Tomato Somen (Serves 2) 1 pound very ripe vine-ripened tomatoes 1 garlic clove, peeled and grated 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 7 ounces dried somen noodles plenty of freshly ground black pepper fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, cut into strips

Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water and immediately plunge them into ice water. Peel, halve and discard the seeds. Chop them coarsely and mix with the grated garlic, salt, soy sauce, and olive oil. Refrigerate the tomato sauce while you cook the somen noodles.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the noodles. Stir to ensure that the noodles stay separate. Add a glass of cold water when the water is about to boil over. Return to a boil, drain and rinse under cold running water. In a large mixing bowl toss the noodles with the tomato sauce. Divide the noodles between two serving plates, season with pepper, garnish with the fresh herbs and serve.

Indian Noodles (the cheating way)

Some nights I just can't make dinner. I either don't feel like it or don't have time. Or am just busy wanting to do other things like tonight when I was busy waiting for my Vosges Exotic Ice Creams to soften up so I could try them. So I made one of my favorite throw-togethers.

I discovered the combination quite by accident one day at work. I brought regular old spaghetti with some type of tomato sauce I had made the night before as leftovers for my lunch. But the sauce had kind of disintegrated somehow and had no taste. One of the gals I was working with had whipped up some amazing potato curry the night before which she was heating up for her rice. She offered me some so I dumped it on top of my bland pasta. I was looking for some spice but I got so much more. The heat of the curry and the texture of the noodles introduced me to a new meal! And the soft Indian potatoes were so tasty in there as well. I never in a million years would have thought to mix potatoes in with my pasta. Two starches!

That began me on my quest for curry. I really would like to make curry but I have not mastered that yet. Maybe because I have some over-complicated Indian cookbooks, but I am still intimidated by the curry. Not the spice, the recipe. But lucky for me the American grocery stores now carry several ready made curry-like sauces. All you have to do is heat and serve.


Tonight I used lentils in cream sauce. The cream added some thickness that sometimes gets thinned out when combining ready-made curry with noodles. For the pasta, I used the other half of the elbow macaroni box leftover from when I made "Healthy" Four Cheese Macaroni last week. I usually make this with angel hair because i like the lightness of the noodle, but the elbows worked well too. They kept the lightness because the noodle itself is small and yet its shape allows some of the sauce to stick to it.

To make it, all you have to do is heat up the lentils in the microwave for two minutes and mix together! The only hard part to the recipe is to make sure you don't have too much pasta and not enough sauce. So instead of mixing the sauce into the pasta, I mix the pasta into the sauce a few ladels at a time. Then I give the leftover pasta to the dogs.


note* one cup of pasta plus one serving of the lentils in tomato cream sauce is 7 Weight Watchers points.