Gluten-Free Mung Bean Pasta!

We've been on the hunt recently for something delicious and sans gluten to cook up for a gluten-free friend of ours. We really wanted to have a little dinner party and make something new and interesting that she could partake in. There were a few options we came up with but after recently sampling the gluten-free Mung Bean pasta made by Explore Asia we knew exactly what we were going to make!

This stuff is so unique and scrumptious! Made of totally organic green mung beans it is not only naturally gluten-free but also high in protein, low in carbs, and 100% vegan. 

So what are mung beans? They are small green legumes which are seeds from the pods of plants. You might know them better as bean spouts in their sprouted form. That's right! Those white sprouts that are served with Pho and other dishes- they're mung beans sprouts!

Like many other legumes, the mung bean can be eaten raw when sprouted, or else eaten cooked with the skin on or off, but unlike many other beans, the mung bean is quite easy on the digestive tract and doesn’t usually cause a gassy reaction.

At first we just stared at the bag and weren't quite sure how we were going to prepare them. Should we treat them like spaghetti noodles and cover them in lentil meatballs and red sauce? Should we follow the suggestion on the package and toss the cooked noodles in vegan butter? Hrm...

After a little thought and some research we decided this was a job for our signature coconut milk alfredo sauce! The main ingredients: coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and corn starch are all gluten-free! Yay!

If you link to the blog post for the alfredo sauce recipe note that we didn't follow the directions exactly as we would for the kale alfredo. Instead we made the sauce in one small pan, sauteed the kale in another, and lightly steamed some broccoli separately. We then mixed them all together and got this as a result:

And man on man was it just as delicious as it looks! 

One can of coconut milk made enough sauce for about half the bag, which was about 2-3 servings. You could certainly stretch the bag and feed 6-7 people. Just add extra veggies! 

The texture is a little different than a typical pasta. Thin and flat. Less starchy than flour pasta for sure, possibly slightly al dente, but oh so good!

Next time we may even consider adding this pasta to a stir-fry and going the soy sauce or other asian sauce route. We may even top it with some Gardein Mandarin Orange Crispy Chik'n.

Either way, we highly suggest giving it a try and doing some experimenting of your own. Especially if you are gluten-free or have gluten-free friends! 

With peace, love, and compassion-

The Two Vegan Ladies