Soba Noodles with Ginger Almond Sauce

This is one of my all time favorite dinners. I found it in vegetarian times years ago and have been recreating and reinventing it ever since. It is both satisfying and rich, while still fresh and light.  I dress the nutty (and gluten free) soba noodles in an almond butter and ginger sauce (that evokes its Thai peanut sauce cousin), and then toss in fresh, raw veggies. If I’m craving extra protein, I love to add grilled prawns. *Best of all, this dinner can be made in 30 minutes.

EQUIPMENT

This recipe is MUCH easier with a food processor or blender, although could be done with a whisk and determination.

INGREDIENTS

6oz low sodium soba noodles

1/2 cup organic, unsalted almond butter

1/4 cup brown rice vinegar

1Tbs. honey, agave or maple syrup

2 tsp. tamari (or soy sauce)

1 Tbs. pealed and chopped fresh ginger

1-2 cloves peeled garlic

1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. fresh lime zest

3/4 cup cilantro, divided and 1/2 cup saved fresh

Seasonal crunchy vegetables. I like:

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1 small red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced

1/2 cup grated carrot

1 sliced green onion

Optional 2 Tbs chopped toasted almonds.

1/2 lb whole prawns

DIRECTIONS

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water (follow package instructions.) Rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, puree in your food processor the almond butter, vinegar, honey, ginger, tamari, garlic, lime, lime zest and 1/4 cup cilantro. Blend until smooth using small amounts of warm water to thin if necessary.

If cooking shrimp lightly toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and grill or san sear until just pink.

Finally, toss together the noodles, almond sauce, remaining cilantro and fresh veggies.  Top with shrimp and serve warm.

This dish is excellent cold the next day, so be sure to make extra for tomorrow’s lunch!

THE SKINNY

Soba noodles are a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour and sometimes flavored with green tea, mugwort, or seaweed. Soba in it’s true form is gluten free (but some varieties add gluten so be sure to check the packaging- Eden Foods has a 100% gluten free version.) Buckwheat gets its name for its resemblance to wheat berries, but in fact is a fruit seed.  Buckwheat is known to contain flavonoids known to lower blood pressure and protect the body from harmful cholesterol.  It contains very high-quality protein (containing all 8 amino acids), and high levels of magnesium and B vitamins.