OK, I am doing great on the low-carb thing. Still have not cheated at all. Of course, it's only been a little over 2 weeks. You people know me... I got fat for a reason. It's not that the fat chased me down and attacked me, inserting itself under my skin in a horrible process. I put it there all by myself. With lots of help from my friends... Mr. Bakery and Mrs. Pasta. Oh, we had good times, but they were not the friends that I thought they were... they turned on me!!!
So, I know that I am not going to last forever on grilled chicken and iceberg lettuce. I'm going to have to give myself an occasional treat. But, if I can find a way to fee myself the things I love without them being bad for me, all the better. Then, I do not have to ration them, and treat them as if they were radioactive.
So, I cruised a ton of websites and read a lot of reviews. So... I decided to start my search with a few relatively easy items. The first? Pasta.
Or to be more accurate... "pasta substitute". That's what the bag actually says. The most highly recommended low carbohydrate (2g of carbs per serving versus 14-40 for most) noodle substitute is "Tofu Shiritake" noodles. They are about $2.99 for a pack (which contains 2 servings) on the internet, but they are available for $1.89 locally at the Asian Grocery inside the Stock Pot on Hanover Street in JC. They're refrigerated. I got the "fettucine" package. Every review I read stated emphatically that if you did not rinse, boil, drain and dry, you would really regret it. The package actually tells you to rinse for at least a minute, then "parboil" for 2-3 minutes then drain and dry to "decrease the authentic aroma." That is packaging speak for killing the oddly fishy smell of the product.
So, cooked and drained and dried, I put a little veggie-rich pasta sauce on them. I took a deep breath and I tried them.
Not bad.
Second bite had a lot less sauce on it. Not as good. That's when I realized that the noodles themselves do not really have much of a taste at all. Much like birthday cake (in my opinion), it's not there to be eaten. It's there to give the main ingredient something to ride on (icing in the birthday cake analogy, but the pasta sauce in this study). Basically, it's just there to give you something to munch on as you taste your sauce of choice.
Consistency wise, they will take a little getting used to, as well. They are, as my mother would say, "squiggly". Which means a little chewy, a little squeaky on the teeth. Sorta rubbery.
So, does it hold your pasta sauce? Yes. Was it a noodle substitute? No. It tastes nor feels nothing like actual noodles. Is it hideous? No. It'll do in a pinch, but truly, I'd rather just have a tiny little serving of whole wheat noodles than have a big serving of these things. So, right now... the search continues and I will not be buying a case of these rubbery noodle subs.
So, tomorrow, I will be trying a rice noodle that I found at the Asian Market. It has no carbs at all. It also looks a little like hot glue strings. We shall see...
Wish me luck.
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