For this blog, i made Soba Noodle Salad, which is a nice, light pasta dish that utilizes a lot of very unique ingredients. For example, ingredients such as tahini and tamari are used in this dish, which is what makes it so unique. This dish was super easy to make, and can be made ahead of time, because "The soba salad can be served warm or cold, making it a great option for any season." Says Angela Liddon.The first step is to make the tofu for the dish, which requires some before hand prepping. There are a few steps when preparing tofu, which includes pressing the tofu with heavy books so that all the moisture is let out. After that was done for at least 30 minuets, it is ready to be cooked. The recipe from the book recommended a few different options for how to season the tofu, so i decided to keep it simple, and put garlic and onion powder on mine. You then fry the tofu in a pan for 5 minuets on each side. I have never done this before, however this seems like the best method to cook tofu.
While the tofu is cooking, you can start cutting up the vegetables and start to boil water for the soba noodles. Some of the fresh ingredients that go into this dish are red and yellow bell pepper, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice. The author of the cook book says "Its light and energizing, but the fiber-rich soba noodles and crispy tofu give it plenty of protein and staying power". After all of the ingredients are prepped and prepared, you can add them all to one bowl and mix it together. For the dressing, There was sesame oil, rice vinegar, tahini, maple syrup, tamari, and garlic. All of these flavors combined and made a wonderful dressing. However, the most prominent flavor in the salad was sesame, because there was sesame oil, and tahini, which is sesame seed butter.
Once it was all mixed together, the final product was bursting with colors and flavor. It had a very light and refreshing flavor, which would be perfect for the summertime. I really enjoyed this recipe, and i would definitely make it again. The only thing that i would change is to substitute the tahini for peanut butter, because it is easier to access and i personally think has a better flavor. Have you ever tried tofu, and if you have, have you ever made it yourself?Liddon, Angela. Oh She Glows Every Day. Avery, 2016.
