Vermicelli, The Ramen Noodles Killer

Vermicelli, The Ramen Noodles Killer

My wife and I have had this issue that I think is common with a lot of people trying to eat healthier on a tight time and money budget.  Ramen noodles have arguably by some been one of the best inventions for such budget crunching people as us, college students, people in jail and anyone who has to pinch every penny.  In the long run if you measure the costs it's not so brilliant, remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Vermicelli

The problem is that Ramen is freaking toxic to your body unless you burn calories like a furnace because they are usually made with refined wheat flour.   Even if you are burning calories really fast you are taking in who knows what and even if you burn the calories immediately it is a high glycemic index food and will be converted into blood sugar so fast you'd have to be running a marathon or something to burn all the calories.  Just check out this infographic on the downside of ramen.  Additionally, just read the ingredients typical to the noodles on the Wikipedia page for ramen.

I have to admit craving the heck out of ramen regularly, especially after we were buying it for a while for it's simplicity and speed and especially during cold weather when you sinuses need clearing and nothing else sounds good, especially with the growing popularity as it turns up more and more in restaurants.

Vermicelli Ingredients

My wife kept telling me that vermicelli was made from 100% green beans and I was having a hard time believing it because they are clear and seem so far removed from a bean.  Recently though, she brought home a large package of them packaged like ramen, dried and in little packages and I read the ingredients and they are in fact that simple.  It just says, Ingredients:  Green Beans.  That's pretty hard to beat as far as simple ingredients.  They are not all made from green beans though so make sure you read the ingredients.  The easiest way to get them is to just go to your local asian market and buy a whole bunch at once.  They're also really cheap like ramen.  You can also order them from the company that made these, Well Luck, INC.

Egg and Vermicelli

Here is my wife's simple recipe for creating a ramen like soup with vermicelli.

Typical Toppings:  If you have been to a Pho restaurant you get the idea that you can pretty much be as creative as you want, staying within healthy guidelines and keeping sodium count low.

• Veggies: Bean or other Sprouts, Scallions, Thai Peppers, Bamboo shoots, regular sliced or Menma which are fermented, Baby spinich, Bok choy, Nori (dried seaweed)
• Egg, Hard boiled and seasoned or just broken into the boiling water.  Take the yolk out if your like me and don't want the 106% of your cholesterol in one tiny dose.
• Fish or shrimp paste
• Dried shrimp, anchovies or small crabs
• Sliced lean meat
• Corn
• Low sodium soy sauce
• Be Creative!  Again, just stay within the parameters of vegetables, mono-unsaturated fats and lean meats, especially fish and you're on the right track and PLEASE SHARE ON THE COMMENTS!  🙂