Cold Soba Noodles With White Miso Dressing

Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day! It was an absolutely gorgeous day around here yesterday. Blue skies, warm… Very nice for a change. Fingers crossed, it will stay like this for a while!

I had a very nice day. Went to work for a little bit, went for a long run, had dinner with my son…. I wanted to be outside as much as possible but… the beautiful weather wasn’t the only reason.

The thing is, I can’t get the temperature inside my apartment to go under 80 degrees. Seriously. I have all the windows open and the fans going. And still feels like a sauna in there. The AC doesn’t go on because the management office “hasn’t switched the system from heat to AC for the season yet”. What does that even mean anyway? It’s not like they’re paying for my gas and electric. I am! I’m not sure if that’s a common thing in apartment buildings, but it’s certainly annoying. I literally have to sit around with an ice pack in my hand. And don’t even get me started with the whole sleeping situation. It’s almost impossible!! Sooo… I guess it’s time to go apartment hunting… again. Sheesh…

And as if it wasn’t bad enough, once I get in the kitchen and start cooking, it gets even worse. It’s just ridiculous. Basically I’ve been trying to avoid the stove as much as possible. Which means, I’ve been trying to come up with recipes that need little or no cooking at all. Which is totally fine with me, I actually don’t mind that at all, but I guess the “tricky” part is making these recipes balanced and filling enough to serve as a meal.

Doing pretty good so far. And this one of them.

A little Asian inspired, easy and refreshing. The soba noodles are a source of carbs that literally cook in less than 7 minutes ( “cellophane” noodles work great as well and are a bit lighter); the edamame is your protein. And plenty of veggies of course (I used carrots and cucumbers here, but you can be creative!). Make a big batch and you’ll have a great pack and go lunch for a few days. Also great as a light dinner or even a healthy snack

Cold Soba Noodles With White Miso Dressing Recipe

Prep time: 15 mins  | Cook time:5 | Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients: 

• 6oz buckwheat Soba noodles
• 1½ cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• White Miso Dressing (makes 2 cups)
• ⅔ cup white miso paste
• Juice of 2 medium size lemons
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Cook soba noodles according to the instructions in the packaging (make sure not to over cook them or they will get very gummy and stick together). Drain well and transfer to a large bowl
2. Add shredded carrots, edamame, cucumber, cilantro and sesame seeds
3. To prepare the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth
4. Pour desired amount of dressing over the noodles (we used about a cup and a half)