Unknown Ingredient Challenge: Kelp Noodles

One of my favorite places in the world is –> THE GROCERY STORE!!!!!!!!

There are so many interesting ingredients in there, how do you not spend 3 hours inside each time you have to pick up eggs?! (<– Wafiq hates me)

I’m always down to try new foods.

Some ingredients I’ve happily added to my diet that I didn’t previously understand:  Amino Liquids, Dates, lentils, tahini, sesame seed oil, fresh ginger, saffron…

So, last weekend Wafiq & I decided to walk into the grocery store, pick something out that we haven’t seen before, and cook it!    (I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time.)

Our target was to find a main ingredient.

We landed on: KELP NOODLES

There were only 2 packages left, we considered that a good sign & went for it.  Since I didn’t know what Kelp was, much less how to cook it, I checked the back of the package for a recipe and felt confident in my findings.

Kelp Noodle Chicken Stir Fry w/ a MBM Twist

1 Package Kelp Noodles

1/2 C. diced chicken

1/2 C. sliced onion

3 Tbls Coconut Oil

1/2 C. Broccoli

1 Red Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced

4+ Garlic Cloves Minced

2 tsp. Liquid Amino’s

2 tsp.  Sesame Seed Oil

Salt & Pepper

Sesame Seeds (sprinkle on top of finished dish)

Lime wedges

Directions: Saute garlic in coconut oil. Add chicken & veggies. Saute until chicken is cooked.  Then add Kelp Noodles, Amino Liquids & sesame seed oil.  Stir until noodles soften, add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with (tons) of lime juice and sprinkled w/sesame seeds. (YUMMMM!)

Kelp noodles for the win!  This recipe was DELICIOUS!

I was a bit scared at first because the noodles looked like octopus legs or a slimy worm?  (CLEAR?!)  But it wasn’t slimy… and it wasn’t a worm.

Kelp Noodles have a little crunch which made them a fantastic alternative to regular noodles or rice in a stir fry.  They absolutely taste nothing like seaweed, they barely have a taste, and they are not sticky!

Ok, so of course I hit up Google Search (aka: Pinterest) to see what I was eating.

First, Kelp is a sea vegetable. Meaning, it’s seaweed.

{I thought this would freak Wafiq out, but it didn’t.  I think because the meal tasted so good.}

This is what I learned:  ( v i a / v i a )  

•  Mostly used in Korean dishes

• Contains NO fat, cholesterol, protein or sugar & they’re gluten free

• Can arguably be considered RAW, depending on how they’re prepared

• Contains calcium & iron

• Like most seafood, Kelp noodles contains Iodine which helps with thyroid & metabolism function!

For a completely random find I’m overly impressed!  And the best part, you can buy them on Amazon &&& it’s Prime.  Hello Kelp Noodles!  [I was reading a lot of people are having trouble finding them in their local stores, so per usual – Amazon to the rescue.]

++++ they’re super affordable.

Done & Done!

Not only did I love how easy this particular package was to throw into a stir fry + their nutritional bonuses (goodbye carb filled noodles & rice), I’m also excited to incorporate seaweed into my diet for the iodine benefits.  I’ve been reading the benefits of Iodine & many people don’t get enough —

I’m anxious to continue my relationship with Kelp Noodles.

(I’ll do a little update w/some other uses & benefits after we hit 3rd base together.)

YAY! This was such a fun time & I definitely want to do the mystery grocery ingredient again soon.  I feel like it was an activity that mixed up routine, changed the menu, & assisted in learning about a new ingredient + it’s benefits.

TRY THIS!  Spend a hot summer Saturday w/a new ingredient and let me know how it goes!

OR let me know your uncommon ingredients that I can try next time 🙂

I hope you’re all making it through the week!

I’m pretty sleepy this week, I think the workouts & steamy weather has been knocking me down.  But who doesn’t love a good nights rest?!

Can’t complain!

Stay happy!!!

Xx

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