Cold Soba Noodle Salad

 I love soba noodles! They are so simple and versatile to use that I usually end up grabbing them for dinner at the end of the week when the pantry is looking a little sparse and our selection of produce is limited. The end of the week is the biggest eat out temptation because even if I wanted to cook I usually have a very minimal selection of ingredients and no energy to run out to the store to get any missing ingredients. An asian inspired meal solves this problem for many reasons. Veggies like carrots and broccoli survive the week much better than the rest of the produce I usually pick up, and frozen peas are always in my freezer, all of which compliment an asian inspired dish quite well. To demonstrate this theory that you can make an asian inspired dish with what's left in your pantry at the end of the week, I actually saw this recipe halfway through the week last week, made it on friday, and never had to run out to the store to grab any missing ingredients. I always keep a few bags of soba noodles on hand so I always have them as an option. I really love the soba noodles from world market, they have organic soba noodles with no sodium for only $2.99 each. It may be a little pricier than your regular soba noodles, but soba noodles without sodium makes it totally worth it. Most soba noodles are PACKED with sodium so is best to choose the one with the lowest sodium content. 
  
  I adapted this recipe due to the availability of ingredients I had, taste preferences, and the amount of soba noodles I had. I didn't have any cucumbers but will definitely add them next time I make this. I omitted the nuts because I wasn't really into the idea of nuts in the this dish but feel free to add them if you want. I only had 12 ounces of soba noodles, not 1 lb, so I slightly decreased the honey and soy sauce to account for the lack of soba noodles. This recipe really I think can be altered in so many ways based on what you have on hand or your taste preferences without actually drastically changing the base of the recipe as long as you keep the soba noodles, honey and soy sauce. 


  Anyways enjoy this quick and simple recipe! I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I have had some extra long days at work and what little free time I get has been devoted to sleep or studying for my upcoming GRE test. I promise to get caught up on posts by the end of the weekend though, I have so many great recipes I want to share :)



Cold Soba Noodle Salad


1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons of sesame oil
1 lb of soba noodles*, cooked until tender and refreshed in ice water
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 bean sprouts
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1 cup lightly crushed nuts like peanuts or cashews (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

  In a small bowl whisk together the honey, soy sauce, and oil. To the noodles at green onions, bean sprouts, carrots, cucumber, cilantro, sesame seeds and soy mixture. Toss to combine. I also topped mine with some sauteed chicken and broccoli :)

*My soba noodle package was only 12 ounces so I just slightly decreased the amount of the honey and soy sauce to compensate for the lack of noodles. I kept the rest of the ingredients  the same because I figured you can never have too many veggies!


Adapted from Pretty Peas originally sourced from Emeril Lagasse