Peanut Soba Noodles

My apologies for the hiatus in not posting a recipe last week - to make up for it here is the first of two wonderful asian noodle dishes that I have created recently. These are great for a weeknight meal when you want to throw something together in less than 30 minutes.

While this dish doesn't have a main protein, this soba noodle recipe is actually packed with it, between the peanut butter, peanuts, and edamame. We like to make a big batch of this and have it for leftovers, but you can certainly cut it in half or a third for a one-night meal or smaller portions. We also served this at a casual dinner party - everyone went back for seconds!

Soba noodles made with 100% buckwheat are gluten-free, making this a great meal for anyone with a gluten allergy. Just make sure that you read the label if this is the case - some soba noodles also include whole wheat flour. Soba noodles can generally be found in any grocery store in the asian section.

Peanut Soba Noodles
Makes 6-8 servings

Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

16 oz. dried soba noodles
2 c. edamame
2 carrots, grated
1 c. roasted, salted, shelled peanuts, plus a few more for garnish
1 c. chopped green onions, plus a few more for garnish
1 T. toasted sesame seeds, plus a few more for garnish
3/4 c. natural creamy peanut butter
4 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
2 t. Tabasco or other hot sauce
3/4 c. hot water from the soba noodles

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, grate the carrots and chop the scallions. Additionally, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Tabasco in a small bowl.

Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, reserving about 1 c. of the cooking water before draining. Drain the noodles. Gradually add about 3/4 c. of the cooking water to the peanut sauce mixture, whisking to combine. This will help to thin and emulsify the sauce, making it easier to coat the noodles. Put the noodles, carrots, sesame seeds, peanuts, edamame, and green onions in a large bowl. Add the peanut sauce gradually and stir to combine until coated to your liking (I used the full amount of sauce for this amount of noodles).  Top with some additional peanuts, scallions, and green onions, and serve!