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DIY (Chinese) New Year Noodles

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She’s crafty, and she’s just my type…

 

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know why this song is stuck in my head.  I did something crafty!

Like everyone else, I am addicted to Pinterest.  One of the first items I “pinned” were chalkboard wine glasses.  I’m not crafty.  When I see something cool, I look for a way to buy it.  Chalkboard wine glasses can be bought, but they are wayyyyy overpriced ($60 for 1 glass and a carafe… nothankyou).  I had no choice but to be crafty.

 

 

The whole process was super easy – I followed the instructions from this “pin” to a tee.  All it takes is a spray can of chalkboard paint and 6 wine glasses (which you can find on the cheap at Home Goods or T.J. Maxx).

PSA: You’ll notice there are only 5 glasses pictured.  Do not drive around with a box of 6 wine glasses in the back of your car for 2 weeks.  Consider yourself warned.

 

 

I can’t wait for the next wine gathering at my place!

 

P.S. I swear I wasn’t drinking rose in the middle of the day (or ever – blech).  I poured myself of glass of this deliciousness:

 

My Whole Foods sells growlers of my favorite kombucha – Buchi Fire. 🙂

I love you Whole Foods… it’s my wallet that doesn’t.

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In the continued spirit of DIY, I avoided a typical Chinese New Year takeout celebration yesterday by cooking my own Asian-flavored meal.

Weeks ago I purchased a bag of kelp noodles… and for weeks I’ve been staring at them in the fridge, unsure of what to do with them.  Last night, in the spirit of the Chinese New Year I busted them out.

 

 

I realize these noodles aren’t necessarily Chinese, but kelp feels like it should be Asian.  Sushi > seaweed > kelp.  See the connection?

Any how, I felt I needed to get in the spirit with an Asian-themed new noodle dish.

 

 

I love, love the sauté goodness I conjured to go with my kelp noodles – the simple mix was filled with flavor.  As it cooked, the ginger, shallots, and garlic made my kitchen smell better than Chinatown.

 

 

The noodles… I’m still unsure.  They were oddly rubbery and crunchy.  I had to use kitchen shears to cut them apart in order to eat.  The texture did grow on me as I ate them, and the taste really was neutral.

Bonus: You can eat the entire package, as 1 serving only contains 6 calories and 1g carbs.  Really – it’s only water and kelp.  They are also a RAW food – upon further research I learned you can marinate them in lemon juice to “cook” them and help the texture.

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Chinese New Year Noodles

  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/2 large shallot, minced
  • 1 in piece of fresh ginger, minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 serrano pepper
  • 1/4 C edamame beans (shelled)
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 C spinach
  • 1 pkg kelp noodles (or any noodle/rice)
  • cilantro, for garnish

 

In a large skillet, toast sesame seeds over medium heat until just browning.  Transfer to plate to cool.

In same skillet, heat sesame oil.  Sauté ginger and shallot for ~5 mins, until shallot becomes translucent and ginger is fragrant.  Add garlic, pepper, and edamame.  Cook until softened and garlic is turning golden (~3-4 mins).

Reduce heat to medium low.  Add soy sauce and vinegar, stirring to combine.  Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally (~8-9 mins).

Add kelp noodles (or cooked noodles/rice) to the pan.  Stir well to coat in mixture.  Continue cooking until noodles are warmed through.

Transfer to plates and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and cilantro.

Serves 2.

***

 The real test will be if I do any of the other DIY projects I’ve pinned.  Oddly, most involve vino…

Have you ever crafted something from Pinetrest (or another website)?

Have you ever tried kelp noodles?  Tofu noodles?

 

Comments

  1. I’ve had shirataki noodles. Are they similar? I actually sort of like them (the shirataki ones, I’ve never had the kelp).

    How much does a growler of Buchi cost? Maybe I don’t want to know!

    • Kelp noodles have absolutely no taste (I think shirataki can be fishy) and their texture is crunchy.

      The growler was about $15.

  4. I volunteer to come over for a wine night and try out those glasses with you – really need to make sure they work and the chalk wipes off cleanly. All in the name of science (and crafts!) , of course! 😉

    Where did you find Kelp noodles, I can’t find them anywhere! I refuse to pay 7 dollars in shipping for them online – at least so far.

    • I got the noodles at Your DeKalb Farmer’s Market. I think they were $4-5… And you are welcome for wine night any time!

  6. What a cute idea! I just signed up for Pinterest, but still trying to figure out how it all works (geez, I sound like a grandma).

    I’m with Lee on the the shirataki noodles. They’re really good too. They have no flavor on their own, but are super low cal/high fiber which makes them the perfect vehicle for more indulgent toppings than I’d normally put on noodles (mmm, alfredo sauce). I’ll have to look for the kelp ones next.

  7. Oh wow, a whole growler of delicious kombucha! I definitely have a few craft projects I’m planning from Pinterest, and Jeff’s brother and fiance even made us something from Pinterest for Christmas which was really cool.

  9. nice work on the wine glasses – i am loving the “chalkboard” trend right now. i haven’t chalkboarded anything yet, but it’s pretty much inevitable that it will happen at some point. 🙂

  11. They look great! I much prefer the chalk board bit around the base rather than slapped haphazardly somewhere on the side of the glass, looks soo much better that way! Well done love! Looks like their might be a crafter in you after all! 😉 I quite like the idea of a chalkboard wall.. just a small one… although I don’t think that it combined with my lack of spatial awareness and love of black outfits would actually be a very bright idea! :/

    • I feel your pain on that one… my “big” idea is to get a giant empty frame to hang on the wall and paint with chalkboard stuff inside of ti. That way it’s safe from my stumbling.

  13. I’ve been eating shirataki (konnyaku) since I was 12 in Japan, and I have no issues whatsoever with the texture. Looks like a fragrant, delicious dish!

  15. I love the chalkboard wine glass idea!! I am not crafty to come up with ideas, but I do pretty good following instructions.

    I’ve tried the kelp noodles – um, not my cup of tea – could never get over the texture, yet I love tofu noodles!

    My trick is to rinse the tofu noodles really well, put the tofu noodles in a salad spinner to get them super dry, then wrap them in a paper towel, but it in a bowl for an hour before I use them – they seem to soak up sauce better that way.

    • Thanks for the tofu noodle tips! I definitely make sure to rinse well and par boil them, but never thought to dry them so thoroughly. Will try this next time!

  17. I love kelp noodles! Apparently you can also boil some water, remove it from the heat, and place the noodles in for 10 minutes to give them a softer texture. A friend of mine painted his entire car in chalkboard paint and carries a bucket of chalk around with him where ever he goes. He’s kind of my hero. And I just started brewing another batch of kombucha over the weekend… it had been far too long since I’d made my own! 🙂

    • Thanks – I’ll try that on the next go ’round.

      That car sounds bad ass. So much fun.

      Are you going to post about the kombucha? I want to try making some too!

  18. I love this idea. I have sticky chalkboard labels, but this is much more practical. I actually like these ‘lo-cal’ noodles. I have never had that brand, but I usually have the shirataki ones and makes a healthy creamy sauce with a laughing cow wedge and peas and broccoli. Asian style dishes are usually good choices with them since you ‘pan fry’ them and the texture improves.

    • I’ve used the shirataki a lot – they make awesome pasta bakes. Great idea with the laughing cow sauce!

  19. So impressed with your crafty skills!! Even if it was easy… but I don’t believe you. 🙂 They look awesome! The noodles do too… yum!

  20. OMG – I love that idea Laura – I am SO buying some chalkboard paint in Canada and taking that idea back to Trinidad…. Awesome.
    I guess I should buy some chalk too eh? LOL
    Kelp noodles? Hmmm….sounds weird. Looks good. Which is my normal comment on some of your recipes… lol Seriously 6 calories….um…bring on the kelp noodles!!!
    In Canada freezing my butt off but surprisingly am running faster than ever…do u run faster when it’s cold outside?
    Xoxo from Calgary

    • You do say my food is weird quite a lot. LOL! 😉

      I run faster in the cold too – the faster you run, the faster you warm up!

  24. I’m so addicted to pinterest but haven’t come across these wine glasses, am so going to make them, thanks!

  29. I’ve tried the same noodles and I used them in a miso soup that I made a while back. I found that once they were cooked in the broth for a few minutes it drastically reduced the rubbery weird texture of them. I did like the nutrition facts when I saw them, though. 😉

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