Soba Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour which gives them a pleasantly nutty taste. I myself love the flavor of buckwheat, especially in my mom's blueberry buckwheat pancakes, but I realize not everyone is a fan of the taste. Soba noodles have a milder buckwheat flavor, so don't be scared to try them—I promise they're tasty. This salad is also very fun to eat because you can use chopsticks!

Nutrition Highlight: Soba Noodles

Soba means buckwheat. Look for 100% buckwheat soba noodles by reading the ingredient labels.  Manufacturers often mix buckwheat flour with refined wheat flour to lower costs, in turn decreasing the nutrition.  You can find soba noodles at Whole Foods or Japanese markets.  

Buckwheat is rich in rutin, a flavonoid. Flavonoids are plant-based antioxidants. Rutin has many benefits:

• Lowers cholesterol (yay for healthy arteries!)
• Helps blood circulation (good news for those with varicose veins!)
• Reduces inflammation (keeps arthritis away!)
• Vitamin C boost (helps maintain collagen, making skin resilient!)

Rutin is also found in berries, asparagus, and black tea, but the best source is buckwheat.

Cooking Tip

Rinse buckwheat noodles under cold, running water.

Rinsing vigorously gets rid of the starch on cooked buckwheat noodles, which negatively affects flavor and texture. It's recommended to cook the noodles at a simmer, not a rolling-boil, for 8 minutes in un-salted water.

Soba Salad with Ginger-Sesame Dressing
Printable Recipe

2 oz soba noodles, cooked (1 1/2c cooked)
6 medium mushrooms
6 mini bell peppers
1 1/2 c chickpeas, cooked
2 scallions (1/4 c chopped), reserve some
1 T wakame, reconstituted for 5 min, opt.
3/4 c baby spinach (a generous handful)
3 T sesame seeds

Dressing

2 tsp grated lemon zest (or 1 lemon)

   1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1" thumb of fresh ginger, grated (1 T)
1/2 T honey                           

1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt                   

2 T brown-rice vinegar         

2 T soy sauce
1 T olive oil       

1 T toasted sesame oil

Dressing:  Whisk together in a small dish.  

Toss salad ingredients in a large bowl with 3/4 of the dressing, saving the rest for another use. Sprinkle with green onions.  I recommend eating this with chopsticks for lunch.  Makes 3 servings.