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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!
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Comments

Anonymous said…
I've got to try this!
September 19, 2013 at 9:14 AM
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!
September 19, 2013 at 11:16 AM
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 :)
September 20, 2013 at 9:22 AM
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