Non-noodle noodles are all the rage and while I’ve dabbled in the zucchini business myself, I’m just not into it. It’s not the same and it’s not really better. That said, I wanted to give these sweet potato noodles a try because my babes are only just now finalllllly coming around on potatoes and I thought something noodle-like might sell them even more. Side note: what kids don’t like potatoes? Oh mine. The same kids who beg for roasted chickpeas, nutritional yeast, and seaweed snacks.
This turned into a soup of sorts, merely because I had so much broth from the slow cooked chicken that I decided why not?
I added some tamari, miso, and rice vinegar to the broth once I had shredded the meat, then I added the sweet potato noodles (bought already nooodle-d from TJs) and finally wilted the kale.
It was ok but the texture of the sweet potatoes is a tricky thing to manage – too done and they are mushy, too al dente and they are bland. Pass. I like the flavor of sweet potatoes too much to eat them this way. The kids ate them, but it wasn’t anything ground breaking. They are definitely coming around on potatoes though, both sweet and white, so that’s cool.
You know how some people hide veggies in their food to trick their kids into eating it? Yeah, this is what I do with Kyle. He likes shrimp, but the rest of us are meh on it so I make it and combine it with a zucchini dish so we are all happy. I give him most of my shrimp and I take all his zucchini (and the kids eat both). Sneaky.
I’ve bought both Annie Chun and Thai Kitchen’s pad thai/stir fry rice noodles based on what is on sale at the time (they aren’t as cheap as you’d think rice noodles would be by the way). No real difference, I just submerge them in hot water so they are semi-cooked before adding them to the skillet. If you don’t run a spoon or something through them while they are in the hot water they have a tendency to clump…does alone have a trick to prevent this?
Every time I make spaghetti noodles for the fam I think it’s going to be a huge hit (because they always beg of noodles for some reason) and then they get super frustrated because they can’t eat them very well. It was cute the first time but now it’s just annoying because it means I have to help each of them with every single bite or nothing happens.
I made this up and didn’t write anything down. Per usual. Kinda a bummer since it was good. I started with a miso broth that I got at TJs forever ago. I think they have since been d/c-ed but I couldn’t use it for so long since P was allergic to soy. And then I forgot about it. But I finally used it.
I started the soup off by sautéing a bunch of veggies in oil.
Then I added the broth.
First time using these noodles by Lotus Foods. I kept seeing their stuff on Thrive Market and so I chose one of the numerous kinds that piqued my interest. The only ingredients are black rice flour, brown rice flour, and white rice flour. All organic. And similar to the pad thai rice noodles, I just submerged them in hot water to soften them before adding them to the soup.
I’m not a ramen connoisseur so it would be silly for me to try to compare these to the more traditional wheat ramen noodles, but I can tell they are different. Not bad, not good, just different.
The packet I bought contains 4 individual ramen cakes. I used 3 and it was perfect for the four of us. I have one left over that I will hopefully not forget about for another decade. Could be good for an easy lunch option. Just add broth! And tofu!
I cheated and used premarinated tofu this time, but usually I make my own. The kids like it raw so I don’t really have to do much. Their favorite lunch proteins are roasted chickpeas and tofu cubes. Sometimes they request tamari for the latter.
I almost deleted this post because I started it and uploaded the photos for it back in December and had no clue if I’d even recall enough about the meals to write anything, but it seems I have. And now that I think about it, I’m making a spaghetti squash dinner tonight. More noodles! AND it is National GLUTEN FREE day today! So there are a bunch of GF noodles options for a post theme I didn’t even intend to write!
ONE MORE THING! (Holy moly with the exclamation points, Elise) For the next 3 days Thrive Market is offering FREE SHIPPING on any orders – doesn’t even matter how much you spend – using the code TMLSFS110D at checkout. Use my link to get another 15% too. I just placed an order earlier today for lotion and kids soap. Thanks to Thrive I’m obsessed with the EO brand. This soap is all my kids use now because most hippie brands aren’t tears free which is super annoying. This one is and it smells heavenly. I usually wait to order until I have enough for free shipping anyway (which is 49$) but they run promotions so frequently that I am always so tempted to order at other times…I don’t think I’ve ever gotten an extra % OFF or a free product. Legit company. TRY IT!
