Pasta alternatives: voodles!
February 9, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments
Noodles.
Long and luxurious, simmering in my soup like a Rapunzel ramen, I’ve always loved them. But I couldn’t help but notice (especially during those college years binges) how quickly a cup of the stuff could fatten me up – without actually filling me up. Then, even after I went vegan, it was a problem. Yes, even us shrub munchers’ waistlines can expand if we loiter around the shelf foods too long (specifically McDougall and his deviant vegan noodles). And maybe that’s because those pastas are usually simple carbs that’re high in calories. Which means a filling enough portion’ll make you porky if you do it on the regular. Thus, typically I don’t do it on the reg. But what I have done in the past couple’ve years is find some excellent noodle shoe ins for my soups and miscellaneous dishes. And I found them when I met… the spiralizer.
What is it?
A magical contraption that operates like that fun faux spaghetti maker toy we all loved as a kid.
Except, instead of play-clay, you pop a zucchini tip in there, and whittle away until you’ve got…
Voodles.
Veggie noodles.
(Protip: with a lil finesse and practice, you can get yours longer and sexier than the pathetic shreds above.)
The benefit? While the fun shape remains the same, you get a plethora of health benefits you wouldn’t get with your regular pasta, making these voodles like voodoo magic. Since we’re using veggies, you’re getting the high fiber and water content (which helps you feel fuller and more satiated). Also, since it’s a complex carb (unlike the simple alternative), your body takes longer to break down those sugars. With their lower glycemic load, this translates to less sugar release-age at a steady rate. This’s a good thing – compared to the bipolar style energy rise and dive you get with the simple carbs. And you don’t have to limit yourself. If the cucumber’s vegetable-y cousin strikes you as a bit “blah”, there’s a host of other produce you can string-ify.
(There are at least five things here I haven’t even eaten in their non cord form.)
Then, there’s the kid allure, if you’re a desperate mom trying to sneak nutrients into your spawn Trojan Horse style. Get your progeny to play with the spiralizer (which reminds them of the beloved toy at the top of this article), and it’s sure to delight them into dining. Especially since your veggie options will even match Play-Doh’s rainbow shades (if you listen to the experts on edibles who suggest a colorful selection):
Greta Breskin, a registered dietitian based in North Carolina, says it’s important to pick vegetables that pack a strong nutrition punch. “I recommend using a variety of bright-colored vegetables like beets, carrots and purple potatoes to increase the variety of phytonutrients on your plate,” says Breskin.
And the prep time’s negligible, compared to pasta:
(Can we just take a moment to go over those carb ‘n calorie stats again, too?)
What’s more, you don’t even necessarily have to buy one of these machines (though they are pretty affordable) to enjoy turnip twine or radish strands. Whether you don’t wanna invest just yet (or don’t wanna take those extra three minutes ’cause you commuted home late and will dine at midnight), you can always let someone else do it for you. I recall the first time I wandered over to the veggie section of Wegman’s and found these badboys prepped and ready to go for me. A glorious chorus of angels sounded from above. Golden rays bathed the tray of tastiness. It seemed to good to be true. Like the Bad Seed stealing the medal she didn’t earn, I snatched the package up, and absconded to my lair with it. Once there, I drowned these heavenly shreds in a flavorful stew which I thusly enjoyed immensely. This time, as a nice, heaping, filling serving that didn’t leave me hungry – or wondering why something so wonderful has to make my rump so plump. So, if your favorite just-add-water comfort foods are inducing a scale escalation, then this is clearly the dietary tweak you need.
Use your noodle and switch to voodles.