When we gave up grains, we pretty much gave up all pasta and noodles. Lately, I found a way to make “noodles” out of vegetables and they taste delicious! Even if you aren’t grain free, using vegetables in place of noodles is a good way to get some extra nutrients in your diet.
Before the name scares you off, I should say that this was a hit with all of my kids. It is essentially just a standard lo mein recipe with parsnip “noodles” in place of the noodles and a few substitutions for ingredients like soy sauce. I used a spiral slicer (this one) to make the parsnips into noodles, but you can also use a peeler or just very thinly slice them to get a similar effect.
My favorite thing about this recipe? It comes together in under 30 minutes and you only need one pan!
Parsnip Shrimp Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh parsnips
- 4 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 carrot (chopped, optional)
- 1 onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 cups green beans (fresh or frozen, chopped)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Himalayan salt
- 2 TBSP coconut aminos
- 2 TBSP fish sauce (or oyster sauce)
- 2 TBSP honey (or maple syrup, optional)
- 1 lb shrimp (cooked)
Instructions
- Cut the parsnips in to curly noodle shapes using a spiral slicer. If you don't have one of these, you can use a peeler, or just very thinly slice the parsnips.
- Melt the coconut oil in a large pan or wok.
- Add the chopped carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the thinly sliced onion and green beans and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add parsnip noodles and continue sautéing on medium heat for 5-8 minutes until all ingredients are starting to soften.
- Add the garlic powder, pepper, salt, coconut aminos, fish sauce and honey and stir well.
- If shrimp are frozen, add them now and put a lid on the pan.
- If using defrosted pre-cooked shrimp, wait an additional 2 minutes and then add.
- Continue cooking until shrimp are hot and vegetables are all tender.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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This was amazing! I wasn’t sure what to expect since it’s a new recipe for us, but what a pleasant surprise! I didn’t have green beans so I just used broccoli and carrots. The parsnips had a nice sweet flavor. Will definitely make again.
When I put the recipe into my nutrition app, (Cron-O-Meter), it said that a 1-cup serving had more than 1100 mg. of sodium! I found out that according to the USDA database, shrimp are chock-full of the mineral. I know that salt’s OK, but one serving giving me nearly half my daily intake of sodium is not cool.
So, I used just 1 T of fish sauce, bringing the 1-cup serving down to 882. mg. of sodium. Still high, but manageable.
This recipe tastes superb! But I dispute the 30-minute prep time. Maybe I’m an outlier, but it took me nearly 75 minutes from start to finish. The result was worth it, but I will budget more time the next time I make this recipe.
Given the environmental destructiveness of shrimp aquaculture, I’ve decided to forego shrimp unless it’s wild-caught, like the ones from the Gulf of Mexico are.
My husband was very skeptical when I started with parsnips, but the great flavor won him over, this is a new favorite.
Thank you!- can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Yum! We made this tonight but replaced the shrimp with ground pork, and sub’d bell pepper for the green beans. Added fresh garlic and ginger. The parsnip noodles were just like pad thai rice noodles!! Thx 🙂
I never would have thought of spiralizing parsnips! Great idea. This is going on my “to-make” list for sure.
I need some advice. I really want to jump head-first into organic, grass-fed, wild caught, local, seasonal everything. However, my fiancé teases me about being a hippie, though he does love my cooking (When I’m not feeling creative…). Our biggest rift comes because I want to be able to buy grassfed, organic, etc. products, which certainly are more expensive, though I don’t mind it. He doesn’t see a need for it, and can’t personally justify spending more money on what he sees as the exact same food. Admittedly, I can’t always tell an organic zucchini from conventional, or grass-fed beef from conventional, or “feel” the difference in my body, but I understand the health implications. How do you get the spouse on board with the organic food budget?
It can be tough- I stick with the most budget friendly options when our budget is tight, and as long as we aren’t eating out or buying processed food, I can keep the cost really similar to a “normal” food budget. You might also try shopping at farmers markets and local stores, so maybe he would be on board with supporting local business, and the prices are usually cheaper too 🙂
hi Wellness Mama, after having ‘suffered’ stomache cramps for years and having tried alternative ‘solutions’ in my diet – none of which truly helped -, I decided last week: enough is enough, and took on your challenge to stop eating grains for 90 days and see if I feel better! I have to admit after just one week: far less cramps, but I now have eczema on my eyelids (I used to have same eczema as a young child till about 7) Do you think this is related to the change in diet? a cleansing of sorts? what to do, apart from drinking lots of water and herbal teas, which I already do
Saskia, coconut oil (the kind you eat and cook with) has helped my eczema a lot as well as my sons… I never had eczema until I experienced a rather traumatic event a few years ago, since then any little thing can set off my eczema, food allergies (like if I ever give in to eating dairy), cold dry weather, and of course stress, but coconut oil has helped a great deal. Best of luck cleansing out the grains. It can be a rough process, but it’s worth it 🙂
thanks for this useful tip! our local healthfood shop will be seeing me a lot more the next few weeks;-)
I should have mentioned that raw/unrefined and organic coconut oi is best, Costco and Sams Club have the most reasonable prices I’ve seen, and then Trader Joe’s.
The problem with the coconut for sale at Costco and Sams Club is the plastic containers. First, plastic, by its very nature, is electrically polar. So is oil. Therefore, the oil and the plastic exchange electrons easily, i.e, the plastic leaches into the oil and vice versa. So, you end up eating plastic, which is a xenoestrogen (an estrogen-mimicking chemical).
Even coconut oil sold in glass jars, such as those sold by Trader Joe’s and Wilderness Family Naturals, have probably traveled to those companies in plastic barrels lined with “food-grade” plastic; this was the case when I spoke with Wilderness Family Naturals in 2004. But at least the final decanting into glass jars reduces the damage of the xenoestrogens.
Wellness Mama, Please respond. I read your post on natural toothpaste and fluoride and I have now switched to a natural fluoride free toothpaste. I have one tooth(bottom front) that has fairly rapid receding gums.. Is there a natural remedy for this or can you even grow back your gums?? Thank You!!
Make sure that whatever you are using doesn’t have vegetable glycerine and check out the Bass brushing protocol at OraWellness.com