With just over a week left until my cookbook deadline, I’m practically swimming in chocolate. I dream about cookies at night, I contemplate cupcake frostings on my runs, and I fill up my shopping cart with too many bars and bags to count on trips to the grocery store.
I even found dark chocolate melted on my toenail a few nights ago and wondered why I couldn’t remember only painting half of one nail dark brown.
Yes, that really happened. Maybe I should invest in some of this or this for my chocolate sanity’s sake…
Last weekend, my guy asked how many things I had tested the week before, and I started ticking recipes off of my fingers. “Two batches of these, a batch of those, one round of these, two failed attempts of that, another two of these, four of those…” Tupperware containers cover all of our countertops, and zip-topped baggies full of baked goodies threaten to slide out of the freezer every time we open it.
Although I’ve really enjoyed writing a chocolate-themed cookbook (it’s a chocoholic’s dream!), it results in a lot of taste testing, and since most chocolate-related recipes fall towards the sweet side of the scale… My savory and salty cravings have taken over, leading to copious amounts of salads, French fries, and almond butter to compensate.
When the most recent round of savory cravings hit, I ended up cooking this healthy and super simple Peanut Soy Chicken Noodles dish for dinner. With lots of chicken and veggies, it packs a big protein punch, and it easily kept me full until the next batch of cookbook cookies came out of the oven!
One of the great parts about this meal, other than its complete lack of sugar (it’s all about balance right now!), is the noodles. Because carbs and chocolate currently go hand-in-hand in my household, I used shirataki noodles instead of regular spaghetti. They’re traditional Japanese yam-based noodles, although many American brands use tofu, and contain no more than 15 calories and 4g of carbs per serving.
Yes, I’m saving my carbs for cookies and cupcakes. Would you do the same?
You can find shirataki noodles in the produce section of the grocery store, normally near the tofu. They come in small packages full of liquid to keep the noodles hydrated, so you’ll need to drain and rinse the noodles before adding them to the pan. But at least you don’t have to boil them first like with regular pasta!
Since the noodles will release a little bit of liquid as they cook in the pan, I purposely made the peanut soy sauce very thick. You’ll probably think I’m a little crazy as you stir it together in the bowl! But it thins out in the pan to coat all of the noodles, chicken, and vegetables—just enough to taste, not so much to leave everything else soggy.
This recipe is really adaptable to whatever produce and proteins currently sit in your refrigerator. Feel like tofu instead of chicken? Or broccoli instead of peas? Orange peppers instead of red? It all works! Treat the recipe like a clearing-out-the-fridge dish, and you can’t go wrong.
And you definitely deserve a chocolate dessert afterward!
| Chicken Peanut Soy Noodles | Print |
- 2 tbsp (32g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp (30mL) low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 medium (130g) red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 c (170g) snap peas, sliced
- 12 oz cooked cubed chicken breast
- 2 (8oz) packages shirataki spaghetti noodles, drained and rinsed
- In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and soy sauce until smooth.
- In a large pan coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook the bell pepper and snap peas over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, or until the peppers turn dull red. Add the chicken, and cook another 1 minute, or until warmed through. Add the shirataki noodles, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the peanut butter sauce, and stir until all of the noodles are coated. Serve hot or cold.
The peanut flavor in the dish is fairly faint. If you prefer a stronger peanut butter taste, double the sauce. The sauce will be very thin if the dish is served hot, but the sauce will thicken if the dish is served cold.
If you don’t have leftover cooked chicken, sauté 1 pound of chopped chicken breast after cooking the vegetables.
Use whatever proteins and produce you have in your fridge!
For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free soy sauce.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, high protein}
More low carb noodle recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai by White on Rice Couple
♥ Cucumber Noodles + Spicy Sesame Soy Dressing by This Gal Cooks
♥ Shrimp Scampi Zoodles for Two by Skinnytaste
I’m always up for a good clean out the veggie bin meal – and this one look perfect!
Thanks Heather! It’s always nice to have those types of recipes!