Cold Sesame Soba Noodles

For weeks I had been eyeing this new cold noodle dish with sesame sauce from my favorite hand-pulled noodle restaurant. Because I don't go to this restaurant very often, I typically order my favorite dish since I don't know when I'll be able to have it again. But last night, I couldn't get the dish out of my mind.

Not knowing what it tasted like or even what all of the ingredients were, I improvised. In the end I made something that wasn't like the dish I envisioned at all. But what I realized is that some of my most favorite meals are usually created on a whim using ingredients that I have on hand and this is especially true for this dish.

I love the chewiness of the soba noodles, the tanginess of the vinegar and soy sauce, the warmth that the sesame oil adds, and the spiciness that the green onions add. This is great alone but even better with the various toppings you can add. I used celery, eggs, enoki mushrooms, and kamaboko. All of the different textures of the ingredients made for a party in my mouth!

I didn't make a big batch of this because I wasn't sure how it would turn out but now that I've finished it, I wish I had more. Let me know what you think of it when you try it!

Cold Sesame Soba Noodles
Adapted from this recipe
Serves 2 dinner portions or 4 appetizer portions

2 wrapped portions of soba (soba noodles are usually packaged with a thin ribbon of wax paper around each portion.)
2 TBSP of sesame seeds, toasted
2 TSP rice vinegar
4 TSP sesame oil
6 TSP soy sauce
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 lime

Toppings:
Celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Enoki mushrooms, blanched
1 Egg, whisked then cooked on low heat like a crepe
1/4 Kamaboko (steamed fish cake), thinly sliced into matchsticks
Seaweed, to garnish

Boil water in a pot, drop the soba noodles in and cook for 3 minutes. Drop the noodles into an ice bath and drain in a strainer. Set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

In a bowl big enough for the noodles, whisk the vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce together. Put the soba into the bowl and lightly toss. Add the sesame seeds and green onions then squeeze the lime over the noodles. Lightly toss until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

While the soba noodles are chilling, you can prep your toppings. One tip to get the eggs to be thinly sliced is to cook the egg into a thin crepe. Let it cool then roll the egg up like a fruit roll-up. Then slice the egg along the length of the "roll-up." You can either keep the eggs in the pinwheel shape or shake them out so that they're more like strips. You can leave the eggs and kamaboko out if it's a meatless monday kind of day.

To serve, put the noodles into a bowl, top with the toppings and garnish with a bit of seaweed.

Sesame Tofu & Rustic Cabbage Soup

Sometimes, you just need to detox.

Whether it's from having one too many cocktails or eating out too much (guilty of both this weekend), the body gives subtle clues when it's not a happy camper. For me, I know I need to detox when I start to feel a little sluggish and heavy on the inside.  I also start to crave green, crisp vegetables.

This weekend was especially busy and I got a little lazy with cooking. My body craved a home cooked meal today and it was the perfect opportunity to use up some produce that was nearing expiration. I had a half head of green cabbage and a couple potatoes. Luckily, I found an amazing recipe that used up both items.

I wasn't sure how the soup would turn out since it was my first time making it so I also made a back up meal, a sesame tofu recipe that my dear friend Clarissa sent to me. Luckily, the soup was light yet flavorful and super nutritious. And the sesame tofu was delicious as usual. Even if both dishes didn't quite go together, it still made for a delicious Meatless Monday and I'm ready to attack the rest of the week.

Sesame Tofu
Adapted from this recipe
Serves 6

14 ounces extra-firm tofu
2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
6 green onions

Cut the tofu into small triangles, place into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. After the tofu has simmered for 10 minutes, drain the tofu in a strainer.

Meanwhile, put honey, tamari, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and chile flakes into a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Keep warm.

Coat a pan lightly with olive oil and put the tofu in to brown. Once browned, lower the heat to about medium and pour the sauce in and let simmer for a couple minutes. Toss the tofu with the sesame seeds and green onions just before serving over your carb of choice (I used brown rice).

Rustic Cabbage Soup
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks 
Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound potatoes, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 cups vegetable stock 
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
Freshly cracked black pepper, garnish
1 cup cooked brown rice.

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and bring the pot to a simmer.

Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is. Serve with a couple spoonfuls of brown rice and freshly cracked pepper and you've got yourself a full meal.