Summer Soba Noodles

Yay! Two nights in a row of A+ recipes, according to Doug! I'm really excited about tonight's recipe as well. I made Soba with Toasted Sesame Seed Sauce, taken from my Vegetarian Planet cookbook. It was really easy and quick to make, although it is recommended that you let it cool 20-30 minutes to room temp (or if you're super hungry like me, you can refrigerate it for less time) before serving as it is wonderfully cooling and refreshing this way.
This dish has a tangy, authentic flavor and the soba noodles are silky and delicious. I opted to add extra veggies to make it a more complete meal; really you could add whatever veggies sound good to you, or add tofu for some protein. It was also really easy to make lots of extra, so now both of us have lunch to take for tomorrow! It's kind of silly how excited I get about that...but really it saves me so much time and effort!

Soba with Toasted Sesame Seed Sauce
1/2 cup hulled white sesame seeds
8 ounces dried soba noodles
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar (I used balsamic)
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil (I used toasted sesame oil and it was great)
3 scallions, both white and green parts, chopped fine (yay for food processors!)
3 cups small broccoli pieces or 2-inch asparagus pieces, blanced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the sesame seeds onto a rimmed baking sheet. Toast the seeds in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until they are a rich brown around the edges.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until they are just tender. Drain them, rinse them well with cold water, and drain them again.

In a large bowl, mix together the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and scallions. Add the noodles and the toasted sesame seeds. Stir well, then stir in the broccoli or asparagus. Let the dish sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Bottom Line: You should probably make this! =)

Asian Inspiration

There are very few Asian dishes or recipes that I am unwilling to try. As long as I can remember, my parents had always taken my brother and I out for Chinese at least once a week and it was nearly always my favorite meal of the week. I just love the salty-sweet flavors and knowing that the exploration is endless when it comes to Asian cuisine.

For tonight's meal I was feeling something Asian-inspired. For the main dish I chose "Ginger-Baked Tofu" from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. I didn't, however, have a chance to pick up any ginger; it became more of a garlic-based flavor as a result, but was still quite tasty. As a side dish, I opted to make her "Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette" but again found myself lacking a title ingredient: Bok Choy. Instead I followed the recipe using leeks instead and at the end added 2 cups of unsalted, cooked edamame to make it more interesting. I was pleased with how tasty and filling (it's packed with protein) the end-result was, as was my ever-wary fiancee!

(The recipes below are as I made them, omitting the ingredients I didn't use but otherwise exactly detailing the originals).

Baked Tofu
1 pound firm tofu
1/3 cup shoyu
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 tablespoons umeboshi vinegar
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup (optional)

Finely chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

Cut the tofu in half width-wise, and place each half on its side then slice in half again. You will be left with 4 tofu "steaks."

Pour 3/4 cup water into a bowl. Whisk in the shoyu, oil, garlic, vinegars, and rice syrup and pour over the tofu, covering it. Marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and baste with the marinade. Reserve the remaining marinade.

Bake the tofu for 15-20 minutes. Turn the tofu pieces with a spatula, baste again with the marinade, and bake for 10-15 minutes longer. Garnish with scallions, if desired, and serve warm.

Leeks and Edamame Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette
6-7 leeks, chopped into large pieces
2 cups cooked, unshelled edamame
1 tablespoon umeboshi vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the leeks and steam for about 5 minutes or until they are just tender. Add the edamame just to warm. Transfer to plates.

Mix the vinegar and oil together in a small bowl, and drizzle over the steamed vegetables (you may not need it all).

Finished product!

Bottom Line: These are simple recipes that yield a protein-packed, clean and healthy meal. You only need small serving sizes to stay full!



Visit Alicia's website The Kind Life for more on The Kind Diet as well as kind-living tips and more recipes!