Buckwheat Soba Noodle & Vegetable Bowl with Garlic Chili Lime Sauce

When the weather turns hot, something cool and refreshing is appealing – why not try this delicious, light and nutritious dish instead of another boring salad?

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, which is a highly nutritious, gluten-free pseudo grain (a seed) that contains rutin which is wonderful for strengthening your blood vessels and preventing spider and varicose veins. It is a good source of fiber, rich in minerals and is great for controlling blood sugar. If you are trying to avoid gluten, be aware that most soba noodles contain wheat as well as buckwheat, so read the packaging!

Noodles:

1 package (8 oz.) 100% soba (buckwheat noodles)
2 tsp. sea salt

1. Bring a generous amount of salted water to boil in a large pot.
2. Cook for 7 minutes, drain and rinse thoroughly. Let sit in cold water until ready to use, then drain and divide noodles into four bowls.
3. I also like to use rice vermicelli or glass noodles for this dish but the cooking time would be less – check the package for directions. It is usually only a few minutes soaking in hot water instead of boiling for those very fine types of noodle.

Tempeh:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

1 240 g. block tempeh (about 6″ square x 5/8″ thick)
2 T. tamari soy sauce
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
freshly ground pepper

1. Slice tempeh into quarters, then cut each square down the middle so it is thinner
2. Stack two of the quarter pieces of tempeh and cut 1/4″ thin strips
3. Combine 2 T. tamari soy sauce, 1 T. balsamic vinegar and 1/4 tsp. garlic powder in a glass jar or container with a tight fitting lid; add tempeh strips to container, close lid and shake until coated evenly and let marinate to absorb the flavours for an hour (if you have time to wait – I just went ahead and started cooking so that works too!)
4. Heat 2 T. coconut oil in an ovenproof pan over medium heat, add marinated tempeh and sear the tempeh so it begins to brown. Put tempeh in oven for about ten minutes to finish browning the tempeh.
5. As an alternative to tempeh, sprouted extra-firm tofu would also be delicious!

Sauce: 

2 T. lime juice (about one good-sized, juicy lime)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
2 T. rice wine vinegar
3 T. organic wheat-free tamari soy sauce
2 T. birch xylitol (not from corn which is usually genetically modified – or can use maple syrup or honey)
1/4 c. olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid – shake vigorously to mix before pouring.
2. For a variation, add 2 T. nut butter (I like raw almond) and whisk thoroughly to blend.

Toppings:

1 carrot, grated
1/2 large cucumber, cut into narrow strips
3 large leaves of kale, stripped from stem and cut in thin strips
1 avocado, sliced (use 1/4 avocado per bowl)

1. Assemble bowl by placing the tempeh and other topping ingredients on top of the soba as artistically as you can, in piles around the outside edge of the bowl, leaving some of the noodles showing in the centre.
2. You can vary the toppings: for example, you could use cabbage instead of kale, thinly sliced red peppers and some fresh, sweet mango in addition or as a substitution for some of the other toppings!
3. Pour 1/4 of the sauce over each bowl.
4. Finally, garnish with a sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or chopped, toasted almonds and maybe some chopped green onions or chives.

Makes 4 servings