I talk a lot of smack about the juice industry in New York. Sure, a big bottle of Doctor Green or Mother Earth makes you feel really healthy while it’s going down. But then you look at your bank account three days later and realize you might not make rent because your pursuit of hydration is bleeding you dry. The worst offender in terms of price point is probably Juice Press. But unfortunately for my moneybags, it not only has one of my favorite juices around, but also some of the best food.
During my detox I was very committed to eating organic, and didn’t temporarily mind if I was hemorrhaging money just so my liver could clean my blood properly without any interference from pesky pesticides. If I didn’t have time to make my marinated kale salad, Juice Press’ was a delicious alternative. I also became addicted to their raw falafel, which the lady at the register recommended I mush all together and eat more like a salad covered in a viscous brown paste. (If you’re eating alone, this is definitely the way to go). But my favorite teeny tiny container of food is the kelp me summer noodles in almond butter sesame sauce.
Kelp noodles are made entirely from sea plants and are big in health circles because they contain a baller amount of iodine. This is one of the many things I’m currently deficient in, so I’ve rationalized my intense craving for these noodles as a deep seeded longing in my blood cells. But I probably just like them because they’re delicious and remind me of my all-time favorite brown rice peanut noodles.
The beauty of kelp noodles is that they’re raw and don’t need to be cooked. When I took mine out of the package in an attempt to recreate the Juice Press sesame noodles at home, I was shocked by how tough they were. In order to make them manageably sized, you actually have to cut them into strands with scissors, which, unless you want your kelp noodles to double as a jump rope, or to try a lady and the tramp style kiss all the way from your neighbors apartment, I highly recommend you do. The noodles are so sturdy and crunchy, I was convinced that contrary to the establishment’s raw manifesto, they were secretly par boiling kelp noodles in the back. But once combined with the sauce, they seemed to soften a bit. And in the same bite with julienned carrots, you hardly notice where that slight bite is coming from.
As it turns out, this kelp noodle recipe was very easy to recreate (although I streamlined the sauces into just one spicy jalapeno sesame sauce). I’ll now make a batch at the beginning of the week for lunch. And in doing so, I save myself the $20 it used to cost to get two containers delivered to my door. Either I need to eat twice as much as the average Juice Press customer, or everyone else is just pretending not to be starving. So the best possible perk of this homemade kelp noodle recipe is that I can eat as much of them as I want.
Eat up!
Xo
Phoebe
Almond-Sesame Noodles with Kelp Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces kelp noodles
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned
- 2 scallions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 1 small jalapeno ribs and seeds removed
- ½ small shallot
- 1 small garlic clove
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari
- 1 teaspoon raw honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse the kelp noodles in a colander and cut in half (roughly) with scissors. This will make it easier to toss them in the sauce. Transfer to a mixing bowl with the carrots and scallions.
- In a food processor, combine the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. Add more water as necessary so the sauce is thinner than ranch dressing.
- Add the sauce to the mixing bowl and toss until the noodles are very well coated. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!
uggghhh, juice press is the worst! aka the best. but so expensive… my local juice joint does pretty reasonably priced juices on site so i try to limit myself to those. this recipe sounds crazy good, adding it to my lunch plans!
ooo what is your juice place?? I hope it’s close to where I live 🙂
Have never tried Kelp noodles. I wonder where I could get them in London… Do you think they would sell them at Whole Foods? Am very taken with this no cook business – healthy (and yummy) fast food for week nights.
They are kind of weird to work with – but end up tasting great once you throw on an awesome sauce! You can probably find them at Whole Foods. Any health foods store will also have them. Good luck!
That sauce is a winner.
Thanks Frankie 🙂
Hey Phoebe!
I’ve tried Kelp Noodles while on the Dukan Diet because of their high iron and low carb count. I have to be honest that I really disliked them. I didn’t like the texture at all. The crunch was just too much for me, even in a sauce, I found them too firm. But then I don’t like undercooked rice or pasta either so maybe that’s my problem? Haha how fussy am I?!
I really like the colours you have in this dish. It’s very cheerful!
Perhaps these could be cooked with a spinach cream cheese sauce with a runny egg on top too? Oooh that makes me hungry just thinking of it!
Your photos, as usual, are absolutely beautiful 🙂
Sam xx
Thanks Sam!! Well if you’re off the diet, I’d highly recommend trying this with quinoa pasta or regular noodles. The sauce is a winner! Those kelp noodles are definitely an acquired taste. They are particularly strange right out of the package. xx
For softer noodles – try shiritaki noodles – zero calories, all fiber. You can get the ones that have tofu at most grocery stores, or the pure ones from Miracle Noodle – sometimes found in healthfood stores.
If you make this recipe – it’s best to make it and let it sit overnight in the fridge so the noodles can absorb the liquid and get softer.
Phoebe – I am working on deconstructing the Juice Press Recipe as well – but they are just called Kelp Noodles. It’s a different version than the Summer Noodles. They have coconut meat and coconut water which I have not used. I also will not use agave as it’s a raw food myth of being healthy. I use raw honey instead. It also has chipotle powder which I am trying to locate. This version also has snow peas in addition to scallions and carrots – and nutritional yeast which adds more protein.
Thanks Dianna! I definitely learned the trick about letting them sit 🙂 I’ve always been intrigued by the shiritaki noodles. I’ll have to give them a whirl.
Those new kelp noodles sound delish! I’ll have to track them down to try. I’m totally with you on agave. I never use the stuff. Always raw honey!
Let me know if you try these!
xo
Dear Phoebe,
Just discovered your website while searching for gluten free recipes. Your kelp noodles sound delish! I will give it a try and let you know!
On the subject of juice bars, I bought a juicer and make my own! I use Fully Raw Kristina and she has amazing recipes and juices! Wish Juice Press would open in Houston. Sounds amazing!
Thank you,
Anne
Thank you Anne! I’m thrilled you found your way to the site. Will definitely check out Kristina. Thanks for the rec! xo
These were delicious! I was a bit skeptical about them softening up because I actually soaked them in warm water for a few hours and they didn’t soften. But miraculously, after adding the almond butter sauce they did soften. I added some finely shredded red cabbage to mine as well. Yum!
hahaha I TOTALLY feel you. I even tried boiling a small batch because I was so skeptical. Does nothing! But glad you ended up enjoying them. Strange stuff those kelp noodles. xoxox
It is actually the lime juice in the recipe that softens them. I usually soak mine in warm water with lemon juice for an hour before I use them. Works great. I can’t wait to try this sauce! Thanks for the recipe.
So good to know! Clearly I should have done some more googling before I tried them for the first time 🙂
YUM! YUM! This has some serious potential to be lunch today. 🙂
yay! let me know if you try it!! xo
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OMG This just made my day! I’m utterly obsessed with the kelp noodle dish by I had to leave NYC to go back to FL so i’ve been wondering how i’m going to keep eating them. I’m thinking about remaking the nori salad and the macha bowl! I hope you keep recreating their dishes 🙂
amazing!! I haven’t had the nori salad! I’ll have to try that. The raw falafel is still on my to-make list. Glad I could help! xx
don’t know if anyone commented this already but if you soak the kelp noodles in water and half a juice of a lemon for about ten minutes and massage them a bit like kale, they get so soft and delicious
that’s so great to know! I tried it with just hot water and it didn’t do much. Will try this!
I’m eating this now based on your recipe and it’s PHENOMENAL! Thank you!
YAY!!!! High fives galore, Jill. Were you a fan of the Juice Press version? Curious how it stacks up!
Leaving the city for a month for Christmas and already Amazon-ing Kelp Noodles to my next location. Was SO thrilled to see this recipe as I LOVE these noods and will miss them dearly and will need to recreate them while I’m away.
– JP Addict.
hahah. So glad to have found a fellow JP enthusiast in you Anna 🙂 Let me know if you tried it!! Hope you had a happy, kelp-noodle filled holiday! xo
Ok, here is my comment. Straight from the package, these things are like silicon to chew, and tasteless. However, left with a sauce awhile the texture changes and it is close to rice noodles. I would go with Asian and/or cold salad applications; seaweed of other sorts is good too. Also you can add other veggies cut like noodles or juilienned to stretch these expensive kelp noodles a bit.
i like mixing with zoodles too!
BLESS omg i use to work at juicepress and became addicted to these!! it was worth it with my employee discount because i paid 2 for the price of 1 but now i can make these at home!! THANK YOU 🙂
so curious how you think they stack up!
Soaking them in water. Then adding lemon and baking soda breaks them down. You massage them for about four minutes until they reach the texture you want. Then rinse. This works better than anything.
I loved these at Juice Press too! I found you because I was looking for the ingredients of theirs. I assumed the sauce to be made with peanut butter. Did you do a different spin or am I remembering wrong?
not peanut! always has been almond 🙂