Eat Well: Soba Noodles with Peanut Sauce

The following post was written by my mom, WWW. Thanks, mom!

I’m back! The Mayo Clinic was informative, although no diagnosis. But lots of scary things ruled out and the bonus was, I got to hike for a day in Sedona with Larry and had the best vegan meal at the best vegan (and gluten free) restaurant EVER. If your travels lead you to beautiful Sedona, go eat at ChocoláTree. It's truly an experience.

I have recently fallen in love with soba (traditional Japanese buckwheat) noodles. I like the hearty texture of these healthy noodles and they lend themselves perfectly for any Asian style stir-fry. Eden makes several types, one of which is made from 100% buckwheat, which means they are gluten free! (There are several other flavors which are made with a combination of buckwheat and wheat flours so be careful to read the label if you are on a gluten free diet).

You can simply stir fry some vegetables and tofu in a little olive oil mixed with sesame oil, add some garlic and some tamari or Ponzu, and toss with the noodles for a simple meal. Or my favorite way to serve them is with a peanut sauce (or tahini sauce if you are allergic to peanuts).

If you want the world’s quickest gourmet meal, buy a good quality teriyaki sauce (I like San-J gluten free teriyaki) and mix with a few tablespoons of peanut butter until the desired consistency. Mix with stir-fried vegetables, cilantro and soba noodles. Or, you can make your own sauce. There are lots of peanut sauces floating around on the Internet. I came up with one using coconut milk and lime which adds a Thai flare to the meal. This week I had a large bunch of Swiss chard and some sugar snap peas in my refrigerator, so they went into the stir-fry as well as an onion and some garlic. When using Swiss chard, chop the stems separately and stir-fry first. Then add the leaves.

Peanut Sauce Soba Noodle Stir-Fry

½ cup coconut milk

¼ cup peanut butter (substitute with tahini if you are allergic)

3 T low sodium soy sauce or Tamari

2 t fresh grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

Juice from ½ lime

1 T brown sugar

1 package soba noodles

Olive oil

Sesame oil

1 chopped onion

3-4 cups chopped vegetables for stir frying

(Swiss chard, cabbage, tatsoi, pea pods, peppers, etc)

teriyaki baked tofu or fried tempeh

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Chopped peanuts for garnish

1. Combine first 7 ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more peanut butter if you want the sauce thicker. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

2. Cook noodles according to directions.

3. Stir-fry onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until translucent. Add the heavier vegetables first, such as chard stems, celery, peppers and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

4. Add the chopped leaves and chopped pea pods and stir-fry until tender, another few minutes.

5. Add tofu or tempeh, cilantro, and a splash of sesame oil and toss until warmed through. Add peanut sauce and toss everything with cooked Soba noodles. Put on plate and sprinkle with peanuts if desired.

Enjoy!

Love,

WWW