Tag: fibre
I received a few packages of NuPasta a couple of weeks ago and I was very intrigued. I’d never heard of konjac, which is a root vegetable native to East Asia. It’s grown 2,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level, and the root is dried and milled and this results in a fibre called konjac glucomannan (which is the main ingredient in NuPasta). Each serving of high-fibre NuPasta is only 25 calories a serving (which is one-tenth the calories of regular pasta) and it’s gluten-free, so I wondered whether this could be a satisfying replacement for pasta for people looking to slash calories or who follow a gluten-free diet. (Which is not me, but I love a good noodle option, so I tucked the packages into the kitchen cupboard).
It took several tries but I finally found a satisfying, delicious, and simple way to enjoy NuPasta. Here’s what I learned experimenting in the kitchen with NuPasta:
The first time I tried it, I’d just gotten home from a trip so my fridge was bare and I needed a quick dinner, so I ate the NuPasta with some jarred prepared pasta sauce. Bad choice. I’ve never found a jarred pasta sauce that is anything more than mediocre, and the noodles themselves I found to be very neutral in flavour and have an almost bouncy texture. Which is to say they are not al dente whatsover. I ended up with a very soft, very bland bowl of noodles.
Second recipe attempt, I knew I needed more texture to the dish, and I had a fridge full of fresh veggies I’d received at a cooking class. So I thought a pasta primavera would work well. I sautéed the veggies in batches so that they’d retain some crunch, but in the end my dinner again was bland and the Parmesan and creamy sauce wasn’t pleasing with the NuPasta.
By now, I realized the NuPasta is neutral in taste, very soft and reminded me of a thicker, springier rice noodle, so I opted to make a noodle bowl versus thinking of NuPasta as a replacement for conventional pasta. I ended up grating carrots for crunch, added sautéed tofu and a boiled egg for protein, green onions for colour and flavour, sliced jalapeño for spice, and sautéed mushrooms for some earthiness.
The salsa macha I added once the bowl was complete is what takes this noodle bowl to the next level, though. It not only adds a fiery note but the jolt of red salsa bring the bowl alive visually. Salsa macha originates from Veracruz, and is made of chipotle chilies fried with garlic in olive oil (and it is also often combined with other peppers, more oil, nuts and sesame seeds). I received a few bottles of salsa macha from Los Colibris, a fine dining Mexican resto in Toronto, at a dinner event, so I used that, but here is Rick Bayless’s salsa macha recipe (or you can also just use sriracha to kick up the heat of your bowl if you have no salsa macha handy).
This noodle bowl was ready in a snap, was filling, had loads of different textures, and the soft and springy konjac noodles made much more sense to my palate when eaten in a broth.
Here’s a rough recipe of how you can make a comforting spicy vegetarian noodle bowl for yourself:
- Chop or grate your veggies of choice. I usually aim for at least two to three colours and at least one or two veggies should be crunchy. Ones I typically use in noodle bowls: spinach, baby boy choy, carrots, mushrooms, jalapeño, red pepper, bean sprouts, ginger, edamame.
- Sautée any of the veggies that you prefer lightly cooked. I prefer the texture and flavour of sautéed mushrooms compared to raw, for example. Set each veggie aside.
- Sautée cubes of medium-firm tofu. Set aside.
- Boil one egg. I prefer soft-boiled eggs with my noodles but you can go with hard-boiled, too.
- Bring about two cups of broth to a boil in a small pot (I usually use chicken broth but here I used mushroom broth as it was what I had on hand.) Add a dash of soy sauce and fish sauce to the broth.
- Drain one package of NuPasta in a colander and rinse under the tap with water.
- Once broth is boiling, add NuPasta, veggies, egg and tofu to the pot and warm through.
- Pour into a bowl and top with sliced green onions, about a half teaspoon of salsa macha and a drizzle of sesame oil.
Enjoy!
April 19, 2016
We all know how important “being regular” is when it comes to our bathroom habits. Even though it’s not a topic we often talk about (except runners, runners talk all the time about their bathroom habits and port-o-potty trips when it comes to running races and our bathroom needs)
But the truth of the matter is that one in four Canadians suffer from constipation. In the Dulcolax Bowel Health Poll, nearly one-third of Canadians find that constipation interferes with their quality of life, and one in seven people feel their bowel movements are inconsistent and more than one in nine have uncomfortable #2s.
(Interesting tidbit: being “regular” with your BMs is different for everyone. One person’s regular might be four times a day, and another person’s regular might be once a day.).
More than one in four Canadians avoid bathroom situations at the office. Hand up if that’s you! I know I’ve talked to people about awkward office and public washroom situations! Although most of us don’t talk about it (only two in five of us would discuss with our partner and the number is even smaller when it comes to chatting bathroom issues with a friend, parent or co-worker—I guess I have an open bunch of friends, haha!).
What can you do to get more regular? Well, maybe try to talk to people about it, your doctor, for one, and your best friend, for example. Your regularity or lack thereof could be an indicator of your health so it’s definitely something you should bring up to your doctor, and as for your BFF, maybe he or she’s been in the same situation, and wouldn’t it be comforting to know that? Also, develop habits that’ll promote regularity: get active, keep well hydrated by drinking water and limiting dehydrating bevvies (that’d be those with alcohol or caffeine), and eating a diet rich in fibre. And, lastly, you don’t have to be uncomfortable and just wait it out. For the occasional bout of feeling blocked up, a product, yes, one such as Dulcolax, can be taken when you hit the sack at night, and the next morning, you’ll be able to go in the comfort of your own bathroom (no need to stress about using that office washroom!).
And jot this down in your calender: on June 18th, there’s a Dulcolax-Best Health Twitter chat from 1 to 2 p.m. EST (with one grand prize and five second prizes to be won). To take part, follow @besthealthmag on Twitter, and the hashtag for the chat is #BHownthethrone. I’ll remind you closer to the date. But in the meanwhile, here’s a fun giveaway I’ve got for you!
* GIVEAWAY*
A few weeks ago I was at the Toronto Bridal Show with Dulcolax and talking about #ownthethrone. Well, now I’ve got a fun little prize from them to giveaway. The pretty pink box of the #ownthethrone prize, which is valued at $100, is filled with:
- an #ownthethrone branded T-shirt
- a water-resistant Bluetooth Shower Speaker
- a 24-oz. autoseal Grace Water Bottle
- an Own the Throne Moleskine notebook
- coupons for Dulcolax
There are three ways you can enter (feel free to enter once in each way):
- Email. Email me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and mailing address (the address you’d like the prize to be sent to if you win!). Please put “own the throne” in the email’s subject line.
- Twitter: Follow me on Twitter (@healthswellness) and tweet:
I want to #ownthethrone and #win this #giveaway from @healthswellness. http://bit.ly/1cdfISs
- Facebook: Like the Health and Swellness page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/healthandswellness), then comment on the photo of the #ownthethrone prize about which part of the prize you’re most excited to win.
The giveaway is open to Canadian residents only and closes at 11:59 EST May 14, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random and notified via the method they’ve won. If the winner does not claim their prize within five days of notification, another winner will be randomly drawn. The winner will be announced on this blog on June 11, 2015.
Good luck!
May 7, 2015
2012 was an Italy-heavy year. I visited twice (first Parma, Milan and Florence in the early summer and then Rome in the fall).
I recently spent the day with Italpasta touring their pasta factory located just north of Toronto in Brampton (my second pasta factory tour this year — first one was in June with Barilla in Parma; from now on, just call me the pasta factory tour-er! De Cecco, have you got a factory for me to visit?? Preferably in Italy? Si?). After the factory tour, our party bus then headed back to downtown Toronto for a delicious lunch at Mistura prepared by chef Massimo Capra.
The pasta entrees were all prepared with Italpasta’s new Total Pasta, which is high in fibre. I’m the first to admit that I’m not much of a fan of whole-wheat pastas, but Total Pasta (which has 10 grams of fibre, 7 grams of which come from inulin) really tastes like regular pasta. (And you know how much I love food, so I would never steer you to try something un-delicious!) I’ve included the recipe for my one of my favourite dishes from that lunch below.
Over lunch, Chef Massimo admitted that even he has trouble finding good authentic food in Italy. It was a bit of a relief to hear this; I spend a chunk of my trips stressing about finding the best meals possible. Most recently in Rome, I was disappointed in about half of the meals I ate there despite all the legwork I’d done in advance. Sitting there with a subpar meal in front of me felt like a big ol’ glaring #FAIL.
Massimo offered three tips on how to find great food while in Italy:
Do your research and be smart about what you’re ordering
Get familiar with what dishes the region you’re visiting is known for. “Don’t order pizza in Venice or spaghetti Bolognese in Florence,” he says.
Look for the snail symbol
Out and about and looking for a spot to eat at? Look for the snail logo of the Slow Food organization in the window of the restaurant.
Trust ones that made the cut in Osteria d’Italia
If you have enough time before your trip, order the guide here (I believe it’s only available in Italian, but am not sure). Skip following the Michelin stars, says Massimo, who says that’s more for tourists.
Buon appetito!
RECIPE: Penne Montanara with mushrooms, kale and cherry tomatoes
Serves 4
Prep time 15 min
Cooking time 15 min
- 1 package Total penne
- 3 cups kale, chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms, mixed to your liking
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat a skillet and pour in olive oil; add garlic and onins and cook until translucent. Add the mushroms and cook gently until soft Add the kale and vegetable stock and simmer for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes.
Cook the penne in plenty of salted water until al dente; drain and add to the sauce. Sprinkle with grated parmagiano, toss well and serve.
January 4, 2013
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