the miracle noodle
Confession: There are Google ads in our subscriber emails.
I really don’t care for Google ads. Personally, I find them quite a distraction, especially when they’re placed in prominent areas that scream “I’m just here to make money!! I don’t really care about my readers or my content!” One of my pet peeves is when I visit a new site and I’m so blasted with advertisements that I can’t focus on what they have to say. This goes for all ads, however Google ads seem to be the biggest offenders so they’re getting singled out (sorry, Google! I hope we can still be friends).
I do realize that most of the time when someone starts a website, one of the goals is to make some cash, at least some extra spending money or to recoup what’s already been invested. I get it. I get it so much that I always make a point to click on an ad or two, just to be a nice fellow blogger. And that’s also why I broke down and put them in my subscriber emails…hence my confession. I feel fairly justified doing this since I’ve really tried to keep TWN as ad-free as possible, which is why there’s only ever been one ad on the site, and a fairly classy one, if I do say so myself. It’s my belief – and I really hope I’m right about this – that my readers will forgive me for putting a few in subscriber emails. Ugh…I hope I can forgive myself!
The only ads I allow Google to put in these emails are picture ads, no text ads. A picture just looks nicer and is less off-putting, don’t you think? Anyhoo…as a result of this (since there are a lot less photo ads for them to choose from, I assume), they always place me with the same ad, over and over and over…The Miracle Noodle. I know this because I personally subscribe to my own emails for the purpose of seeing them as my readers see them, so I can make sure everything is running smoothly. The first time I saw the ad for “Miracle Noodles”, I was intrigued and clicked on it. It took me to a very nice website with a lot of information on their noodles. Here’s a blurb:
Why Is The Miracle Noodle So Healthy?
The answer to this questions lies in understanding the role of fiber in our diets. Our noodle is made mainly of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber acts to slow digestion. By doing this, it allows for the slower absorption of glucose and is the reason behind its beneficial effects in diabetes.
The soluble fiber found in the Miracle Noodle slows digestion and prolongs the sensation of fullness and is an essential part of any weight loss program. You also absorb more nutrients in the foods you eat with The Miracle Noodle due to the slowing of digestion.
I was interested enough to drop them an email asking if they’d be willing to send me a sample of their noodles for review. They responded by delivering a package of angel hair to my doorstep one sunny afternoon…nice!! And so, off I went to try the Miracle Noodle.
The first thing I noticed was that the noodles are packaged in water. Hmmm… I picked up the paper that came with them which cautioned me not to be alarmed if the noodles smell…fishy. Or rather, if the water they’re packaged in smells fishy. Okay, I can handle that, especially since they assured me the noodles do not taste that way. Okay, good. Moving on to the “cooking” directions…rinse under very warm water for five minutes, toss with pasta sauce and serve. Wow. Really? Rinse, toss and serve? Okay, still with you, Miracle Noodles…
I decided to nix an actual sauce and just toss the pasta with some roasted tomatoes, garlic and basil, one of my favorite ways to enjoy pasta. In this case, however, this was a huge mistake. Not realizing that one of the reasons these noodles are miracles is that they absorb the flavor of the pasta sauce you pair it with! No sauce means no flavor absorption, which means pretty bland tasting noodles.
Despite this mishap, Alan cleaned his plate. I, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well…I did a great job with the tomatoes, but the flavorless noodles just couldn’t sell me. I was disappointed because I really wanted to give these a fair shake, especially since I’m not one to seek out gluten free, soy free, calorie free, fat free, or any other kind of free…unless it’s the money kind of free, of course!
Bottom line? These noodles are worth a try, especially if you’re looking for foods that are gluten free. The high fiber content alone makes them a healthy addition to a meal, and the preparation can’t get much easier. I think they’d be great in a pasta salad, especially one with a thick, spicy sauce! Check them out for yourself here.
Edit: After comments from readers who clearly know a lot about this type of noodle, I just have to try them again! I found an asian market not too far that hopefully sells them. Does anyone have a great asian soup or pad thai recipe? Drop me a line at kristy@thewickednoodle.com – thanks!!
And just in case you’re interested, here’s the recipe for the roasted tomato pasta! It’s sooo easy and yummy!
roasted tomato and garlic pasta
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, give or take
- A couple of pints of grape tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled
- 1 1/2 lbs pasta
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 4 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put some foil on a cookie sheet; place tomatoes on foil and drizzle with olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut 1/2 inch off top of garlic bulb and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Wrap in foil and place on cooking sheet with the tomatoes. Bake about an hour, until garlic is soft and tomatoes have begun to shrivel.
Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Squeeze garlic into remaining olive oil and mash until smooth. Add garlic, tomatoes and basil to pasta and toss, then top with cheese. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Need more noodle? Check out these posts:
If you find the noodles to be tasteless, you can try them as a noodle soup. The shirataki noodles usually absorb some of the soup base, giving flavor to them. You can get these in most asian supermarkets, though they aren’t normally labeled “Miracle Noodles” but simply shirataki noodles. Also, they now have ones with tofu added. They made them to look like spaghetti, angel hair and fettucine. It’s made by House tofu brand and I’ve seen them at grocery stores in the tofu aisle. I think these ones go better with pasta sauces.
They’d be perfect in soup, I wish I’d thought of that! Thanks for all the great info!
I agree … picture ads are more appealing ; )
I just tried some shirataki tofu noodles not too long ago and I’m not sure I liked them :s The texture to me was too rubbery. Perhaps I need I different recipe than what I used.
I personally love shirataki noodles with donburi :) Thanks for the recipe! I think I’ll give it a try :D
That tomato recipe looks delish. As for the noodle, they kind of resemble rice noodles used in many asian dishes. Maybe you can try them in a pad thai recipe or as already mentioned in soup.
With all these great suggestions, I’m definitely going to give these noodles another go. It’s made me realize that I rarely create asian dishes at home – could be a new challenge for myself. ;-) Thanks!
These noodles are a bit of an acquired taste. I was born and grew up in Asia, so I’ve been exposed to shirataki and became used to it long before the stuff hit the market in the US (growing up, I don’t remember shirataki being touted as miracle noodles, though; we just thought of it as, well, food :). What I’m still not used to, though, is the smell of the liquid the noodles swim in … blech. You just have to rinse the noodles really well, wrap them in a tea towel and squeeze out as much water as possible so that your sauce won’t be diluted.
But I agree with the other commenter — shirataki tastes best in brothy dishes.
Love your site! :)
I’m so excited to see your post on these… I’ve always wondered about them!! I’ll have to see if they carry them at our big Asian market. Would love to give them a go.
As for the google ads… I’m guilty of placing ads on my site myself, but I try not to overwhelm my readers. Blogging is a biz for me so it’s really a necessary evil to have advertising. I don’t like when I see the ads plastered right in the front of a blog post though- I tend to skip blogs that do that.
Thanks for visiting my site- I’m glad to have discovered yours!
I am so excited. I am making this sauce tonight to serve over Polenta. It is close to one I do on the stove but I have never tried it in the oven.
Awesome, Ann! I hope you like it! I have your shrimp and feta rigatoni in the dinner loop, although it looks like I may have to put it off until Monday with this sudden Brat Showdown this weekend. I’m dying to try it!