Pasta! Delicious and… Nutritious?

Tofu Shirataki Noodles- Fettuccine Style

 I love pasta!  Absolutely love it!  I love the wonderful simplicity and the fact that, regardless of how easy it is to make, it can taste amazing.  There are so many different types of pasta and about a million different ways to cook it.  It can be prepared with tomato sauce, Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, or with just a touch of olive oil. It can act as the main dish or it can function as the side dish.  I am ashamed to say that, in college, there was a short stint when I literally ate pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Not only is it delicious, but it’s cheap.

With all of its greatness, it does have one serious downfall.  It just has so many calories and carbs.  If you are trying to lose weight, pasta is a serious no-no.  Sometimes it seems like, when you’re trying to be healthy, everything tasty is a serious no-no.  However, that’s just not the case.  Although pasta is really delicious, there are some great alternatives. 

My favorite pasta replacement is Tofu Shirataki noodles.  I was first introduced to these by Hungry Girl who often shares a few of her own recipes about this unusual pasta stand-in.  The tofu infused noodles are made from blending tofu and a root called Konnyaku, which is a member of the Yam family.  As compared to the 210 calories and 40g of carbs per serving, the Tofu Shirataki Noodles only have 20 calories and 3g of carbs per serving.  Nope, that’s not a type-o.  I’ll say it one more time so you know I’m serious: Tofu Shirataki Noodles only have 20 calories and 3g of carbs per serving.  It is important to remember that these do not taste exactly like the traditional pasta that we know and love, but they are a nice stand-in.

Tofu Shirataki Noodles can be found in Whole Foods ($1.99 per bag) and various retailers across the country.  They are a little unusual in their packaging because they come in a bag filled with liquid and can be found in the refrigerated section of your local retailer, similar to how tofu is packaged and presented.  The noodles come in a few different shapes and sizes, from macaroni to fettuccine.  In preparing, make sure to read the directions carefully.  The key is to get them as dry as possible.  I prepare them first by drying them with paper towels and then placing the noodles in the microwave for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.  Once heated, prepare them as you would any of your other favorite pasta dishes.      

Once you give Tofu Shirataki Noodles a try, your separation from pasta maybe a little easier to manage.  So test out some of your favorite recipes using these noodles, and let me know what you think!

Vegan Soul Food… Is That Allowed?

 

Mac'n Food Truck

 

On the second Saturday of each month, a small section of Miami hosts an Art Walk.  The Wynwood Art Walk is held in Wynwood, just north of Downtown Miami, home to over 60 art galleries, complexes and collections.  It’s an amazing site.  Buildings, plastered with graffiti, litter the streets; hundreds of people, all ages and races, crowd the roads to take a peak in the minds of the newest artists; the galleries and complexes open their doors for this moment, to let the community see what their art is all about.  However, as amazing as this scene is, and it truly is amazing, that’s not what this story is about.  What was my goal of attendance on this humid summer night?  My focus was centered on that grassy knoll at the corner of NW 23^rd St and NW 2^nd Ave. 

A travelling vessel of food roaming from one place to another; entertaining large followings of people who anxiously await a much anticipated freshly cooked meal… out of the back of a truck.  Who would have imagined that it would become socially acceptable, even trendy, to buy food out of a truck?  Regardless of how it happened, the newest sensation is here and it’s getting bigger.

 

I was aware of the hype centered on the presence of the food trucks, but regardless of how “amazing” this newfound expression of food was, why would I care?  For me it’s just another rolling holiday of goodness that I won’t participate in.  Chicken, Beef and Pork- it’s in everything.  But then I heard those magical words… “Mac’n Food Truck”.  That hidden vegan gem nestled in the back of the grounds.  Surrounded by all of the meaty temptations but outshining those carnivores in all of its glory!  Yes- MAC’N TRUCK!  And to top it off, it’s soul food.  My grandmother’s greatest dishes transformed… for me.  As a devout vegan I too may now indulge in life’s most delicious food, soul food.  Mac ‘n “Cheese”, fried pickles, BBQ Pulled “Pork” Sandwich, and that’s just what I ate that evening.  The prices are extremely reasonable as well.  So a vegan food truck that is DELICIOUS and cheap- it doesn’t get any better than this.  Just so you don’t miss out, take a look at the Mac’n Food Truck site to find out where they are right now.

Fear not loyal readers.  South Florida vegans should not be the only people to be so lucky as to have an awesome food truck right in our own backyard.  These vegan food trucks are popping up in more cities around the country.  Take a look at this article by Mobile Cuisine Magazine for a list of vegan and vegetarian food trucks around the country.  If you don’t see your favorite travelling tank of tastiness, send me an email and let me know which trucks you like to dish on.

 

Exotic Bites

 For vegans, going out to eat can be a bit of a chore.  You have to pick a place that your friends or family like, obviously it has to have delicious food (or why would you even go), and you have to make sure that the restaurant has vegan options (I often have to clarify the difference between vegan and vegetarian).  Luckily, I have found a way around this.  Although I have learned to take more of a liking to salad, I don’t want to have to eat it at every meal.  I like options.  I want to look at the menu and ponder a little over what I want to eat.  I want to be wooed by the dish, and enticed to come back and try the dish I didn’t pick this time.  I want to look forward, even yearn, for the day when I go back to eat at this restaurant.

 

Mediterranean cuisine has been a type of dining that I can rely on for just those reasons.  As described by cuisinenet.com, “The Mediterranean can be divided into three culinary regions: North African (especially Morocco), eastern Mediterranean (Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey), and southern European (Italy, France, Spain). Wine and herbs are central to Southern European cuisine, while spices intricately and boldly flavor North African foods.”  Vegetables noticeably play a pivotal role in Mediterranean cooking and diners will often find their favorite vegetables starring in most dishes.  This makes the food favorable for a vegan diet.

This past weekend I had the wonderful luck of finding a hidden treasure in the heart of Hollywood, FL,   Exotic Bites.  An absolutely DELICIOUS restaurant and Hookah bar located on Harrison Street in Young Circle.  The newly relocated restaurant hosts belly dancing shows, it’s open late, they cater, they deliver… it just doesn’t get any better than that!  The food is fantastic!  I had the pleasure of trying the Falafel Entrée and the Mixed Veggie Grill.  So… good!  The Falafel Entrée comes with four large falafel patties and a choice of several sides including the house salad, pita bread, exotic sauces, couscous, rice pilaf or lemon potatoes.  The Veggie Grill is a mix of onions, tomatoes, and eggplant marinated in a light sauce.  Some other vegan options are the Hummus, the Tabouleh Salad or the Babaganoush.   Definitely make sure to stop by and try some of the other items on the menu.  You’re sure to enjoy!

The Urkel In All of Us

At my last job, people in my department started a cheese club.  They ordered, something like, five pounds of all of these different types of cheeses from a website.  I joked around with them and made fun of it, calling them the Urkels (after the famed Steve Urkel of Family Matters who had an untiring love for cheese), but secretly…  I was jealous.  I wanted to be a member of the cheese club, I wanted to be an Urkel.  To be awarded the privilege of indulging in the delicious, and often underrated, afternoon snack of cheese and crackers.  Something about the simplicity and pureness of that little square of smooth cheddar with the crunchiness of the saltines brings me home.  It reminds me of afternoons spent with my mom talking about my day after school.  

Before I became a vegan I was obsessed with cheese.  I loved all kinds of cheese and I put it on everything.  I searched high and low to fill that void in my life.  I scoured the healthy aisles of many different supermarkets with such intensity trying to find that one special soy cheese to help me, to fill that void.  For months I had no success until one day, my prayers were answered.

A friend of mine took me to this awesome restaurant in Fort Lauderdale (more details to come about this very special place I call my second home).  To my delight I found that they serve a “Very Vegan” pizza.  I had my doubts, at this point I had no faith in soy cheese, but I tried it.  It… Tastes… Amazing!  I finally found it, the soy cheese to fill the void, to complete me.

Ladies and gentleman, I would like to introduce you to… “Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheese”.  It’s so good and the closest product I have found to tasting and melting like dairy.  Follow Your Heart has several other flavors including Cheddar and Mozzarella.  You can find this product in various health food markets and Whole Foods Chain stores around the country.  You can also order all of the Follow Your Heart Products online.  So have a I’m eager to hear what you think!