I have never been to Japan, and I am not even 0.001% Japanese on a good day, but I sure do love to eat some of the delicious, good-for-you foods that my Japanese friends enjoy…err, at least my American upbringing has led me to believe that they enjoy them. No matter. A friend and I made a great meal inspired by some personal conceptions of Japanese cuisine. Katie and I decided to have dinner together, and buckwheat noodles sounded especially appetizing. So, we put together a little two-serving soiree of soba-veggie salad, edamame, miso soup, and salmon. That’s not all, folks. We ended the show with chocolate mochi ice cream, raspberry sorbet, and a cup of jasmine green tea.
I first made this salad about three years ago, and I have not been able to forget about it since. The recipe is so simple. In fact, I have not looked at the recipe for three years…I just throw in whatever sounds good. It usually has the same basic colorful and scrumptious appearance, though.
Soba-Veggie Salad
(print this recipe)
Toss the following, in accordance to your preferred amounts/variations:
Cooked and cooled soba noodles (2-3 servings)
Sliced cucumber
Sliced mushrooms
Peeled, Chopped carrots
Chopped bell peppers
Diced green onion
Sliced plum tomatoes
Drizzle of rice vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of soy sauce
Handful of fresh basil/cilantro
Top with sliced avocado and fresh ground pepper
…Feel free to add in whatever other things you think might fit in this salad. Seeds, nuts, veggies, cheese? I don’t think there is much out there that won’t taste good with soba noodles!
Soba noodles are exciting to me because they are made from buckwheat! Buckwheat just sounds healthy, right? Well, it is good for you, has a bit of protein, is a slower-burning source of carbohydrate for longer-lasting energy, and is suitable for those on gluten free diets (but not so fast, Celiacs!…check labels to make sure that there are no wheat ingredients in your soba noodles).
