Skip to main content

Veggie and Black Bean Pasta Stir Fry (V/GF)

Last night, I was excited to try this new kind of "pasta" I found at Whole Foods (by the way, for a really funny retelling of a Whole Foods shopping experience, I highly encourage you to read this Huff Post blog post by Kelly MacLean). I was looking for a more traditional-style gluten-free pasta, if that makes sense, but I happened instead upon this Explore Asian Organic Black Bean Spaghetti:


It's gluten-free, loaded with protein (25g per serving), and, I mean, it's black pasta, which I think is pretty cool. I was a little concerned about how it would cook, because other types of gluten-free pastas I've tried have tended to fall apart or stick together. But it actually cooked perfectly, and quicker than wheat or other grain pasta. 

I cooked a bunch of stir fry vegetables, some of which were pre-packaged, and some of which I added in (carrots, celery, white onion), and I also added in frozen shelled edamame. I seasoned everything with olive oil, Bragg's Liquid Aminos (a soy derivative), cayenne, garlic salt (I was out of garlic; otherwise I wouldn't have added more sodium), and sesame seeds. Once the stir fry mix was cooked, I boiled the "pasta" and then added it to the stir-fry pan (I'm probably supposed to cook the pasta in with the vegetables for a legitimate stir fry, but I'm not sure how to do that--yet). It came out like this:


I thought it was pretty darn delicious, and I think Tim did, too. The black bean spaghetti definitely has a distinct taste, and I don't think I'd go out of my way to eat it by itself, but mixed in here and seasoned, it was quite good. Texture wise, it was very similar to semolina pasta--perhaps a bit less dense.

I just noticed while writing this post that the Explore Asian brand also makes an Organic Mung Bean Fettuccine. I hope Tim's as excited as I am!

Comments

Unknown said…
I've got to try this!
B.o.B. said…
Interesting. We're thinking Nick may have a gluten allergy so I've got some gluten free pasta to test out. I may need your input on brands and what not. I'd go to Whole Foods and totally buy all the crappiest items they had available. Lol!
Lee Davidson said…
Beth--I've tried quinoa pasta before, and it eventually turned out well, but I think I had to re-cook it because it wasn't as cooked as I thought it was, and the water turned all yellow and like sudsy, so I got concerned and took it off the heat. But I think the package warned about that; I just hadn't read it beforehand. So, maybe just read the instructions and you'll be fine :)

People Liked to Read...

Surgery Chronicles: 12 Weeks and Progress

I'm now more than 12 weeks recovered from my second (and final!) foot surgery, and life is starting to feel a little more normal. When I l ast wrote an update , seven weeks ago (still blaming Irma for all of my delays), I had just gotten off of crutches but would wear my boot for two more weeks. I've been out of the boot and walking in shoes for just over five weeks. The constant discomfort I've felt in my foot from swelling is finally starting to wane. I work in the office now, I do my own groceries, and I even attended a work conference recently, which meant lots of walking at airports and the conference hotel, frequent standing, and few opportunities to elevate and ice. I was very concerned about how my feet, particularly the left one, would endure. And while it wasn't comfortable, I made it through, no worse for the wear in the end. I joined a new gym/community center recently, with a new and beautiful outdoor pool, and I'm so happy that I'm able to use

Play of Summer

Even though it is still technically spring time, the summer college semester begins in one week, the weather is consistently sunny and mid-80s, and baseball season is in full bloom. I embrace this time of year as a time to extend my outside activities beyond my nightly walks, to bike rides, benefit runs, beach days, and a newfound interest in softball. Yesterday Joe and I began the day with a 7:25am 5K run to benefit the Child Abuse Council . One of Tampa's largest and most regular 5Ks, the Gunn Allen Financial May Classic brought out over 1,500 of Tampa's athletes and do-gooders. Since it was a last-minute decision for us to register, we did not have a a chance to train, but we had both been keeping a somewhat regular exercise schedule in the weeks leading up to the run. Our goal was to finish, preferably to finish running. And we did. 36 minutes of concrete pounding, rhythmic breathing, and humanistic awareness, and we had completed our first 5K together, having run th

Surgery Chronicles: First Steps

This past week I took my first steps in a real shoe with my new foot. As with any first steps, I felt it worthy of recording: I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but my surprise, it felt perfectly fine—no pain. There were a few tears, though. I got rather emotional after so many weeks of anticipation, of protecting and worrying about my foot and wondering if I'd be able to use it again, even though I knew rationally that I would. It's very different to experience the act than to imagine it. Now it was real. Of course, I'd been walking in a boot for a few weeks, but it's just not the same. The boot intentionally keeps your foot from flexing and bending, so it's being cradled and coddled, which means you get used to walking without really using your foot. So in my first attempts at walking, I still wasn't really using my foot because that's what I'd gotten used to. Once I started walking around more, I realized I also wasn't stepping evenly