Soba Noodle Salad

Have I told you about the guy I stalk at the South Pas Farmer's Market? No, not the Grass-Fed Beef guy (my new supplier of all things red meat), but the Granola guy (from Urban Green Cuisine / the Sweet Spot - can't find a website). When I was messing around with my granola recipe, I was trying to make my texture more like his so I'd try and subtly squeeze him for information each week as I tried a free sample.

And, then, I discovered his soba noodle salad. It was so good that I'd pay way too much for a little container and take it to work for lunch or serve it as a side dish for dinner. The good news is that making it yourself is WAY cheaper and really easy. Last night, I served it with seared ahi on top. As a main dish with the protein, it made two generous portions. As a side dish, you could maybe stretch it for four. I wish I had doubled the recipe so I'd have lots of leftovers to take to work this week. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with them, soba noodles are made from buckwheat and are usually in the Asian food section of the grocery store.

The dressing was awesome and I'll probably be using it in other ways (green salad, dipping sauce etc). The radish was a little overpowering so I might cut back the amount next time but you could easily leave it out if you don't like radishes. Maybe a little orange juice in the dressing or peeled orange segments in the salad would sweeten it up and be a nice contrast to the radish.

Soba Noodle Salad (Cooking Light 1/07)

6 oz uncooked soba
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. finely chopped English cucumber
1 c. shredded carrot
1/2 c. julienne-cut radishes
1/3 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 c. chopped green onions
3 T rice vinegar
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 T peanut oil
1 1/2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 T sesame seeds, toasted

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, peanut oil, sesame oil, and red pepper with a whisk in a small bowl. Chop all those vegetables up and mix them with the noodles, the salt and pepper, and the dressing. Top with sesame seeds.