Food: Soba Noodles

Now that we've seen some 80 degree temps here in Detroit (OK...so not 80 degrees consistently, just scattered here and there like the tree pollen all over my driveway), I've started thinking about summer foods. For example, burgers (or rather anything) on the grill, fresh seafood, salads... So today I've decided to share with you one of my favorite, one-dish, "salad" recipes for the warm weather - Peanut Soba Noodles.

This is one of my standard summer staples. It's fresh, super easy and quick, tastes of wonderful Asian flavors, has hearty and good-for-you Soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles, and is scattered with veggies galore. Just thinking about crunchy and slightly spicy, thinly sliced radishes, sweet and crisp sugar snap peas, and cilantro (yes, those of you who think this tastes like soap can leave it out but you really don't know what you're missing) is enough to get my mouth watering. It also has one super special ingredient that I'm sure you won't mind using on a sandwich or some crackers later - gooey but super tasty natural peanut butter (yes, the stuff that you have to stir and put in the fridge afterwards).

I know you're going to enjoy this one because not only is it fast, tasty, and fresh, it's one of those things that after you make it once you don't really follow a recipe any more...you just begin to throw in whatever strikes your fancy - shredded carrots, golden raisins, green onion, diced apple, water chestnuts, bok choy, etc. - you get the picture. It also keeps very well in a container to throw in your lunch box - in case you want to take some to work for your lunch (eating them with chopsticks, of course). But pack a napkin and a Tide pen just in case you're a little sloppy with the noodles :)

I think I'll have a second helping.

Asian Peanut Soba Noodles

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INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz of soba noodles (or one package), cooked per instructions, drained, and rinsed well (use your fingers to help you get each individual noodle rinsed)
• 3 T fresh peanut butter
• Juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1/2 T sriracha (you can always add more on top once you serve it)
• 1 T honey
• 1/4 c fresh, chopped cilantro
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 handful of sugar snap peas
• 1/4 c roasted peanuts

DIRECTIONS

• In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy, lime, vinegar, sriracha, and honey
• Toss together with the cooked/drained/rinsed soba noodles, cilantro, radishes, sugar snap peas, and peanuts
• Serve in bowls and slurp up with chop sticks (or twirl around a fork like you're eating pasta)!

Food: Grilled Kielbasa and Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

I had an exhausting week at work last week so Friday evening I wanted to eat something that was hearty and comforting yet quick to prepare. For some reason I had a craving for kielbasa, grilled until the skin has split, crisp on the outside yet juicy and steaming in the middle, served with sauteed peppers and onions and tangy yellow mustard (I'm making my mouth water just thinking about it). I must have been feeling nostalgic because this was something I remember having at my parents' house in the summer, where we would eat dinner on the back porch, looking out into the horse pasture and woods beyond. If only I could back to those days of relaxing dinners with family, the ones where you didn't have to worry about going back to work the next day, only enjoying the weather and fellowship. But I digress :)

Since I didn't think kielbasa would be hearty enough on its own, I decided to dig up a quinoa recipe that appeared in my September 2008 Bon Appetit magazine. Besides the black beans, the two other things that appeal to me about this recipe are the salty feta cheese and fresh, lively cilantro. I happen to love the flavor of cilantro. But I find it interesting how a little plant can be so polarizing. It's a food that causes so much emotion people have blogs dedicated to either loving or hating it. Even the Wall Street Journal in February found it noteworthy enough to dedicate an article to Cilantro Haters. When I was in graduate school earning my MBA, I once had a marketing professor say that if you've designed a product that evokes love or hate, you've succeeded in a respect because you've struck on emotion and emotion causes people to act. So in that regard, I now like to think of cilantro this way - that using it in food is something good because your food won't be bland and boring but, instead, cause a little bit of fresh controversy.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro
PREP: 25 MINUTES TOTAL: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped white onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup quinoa,* rinsed, drained
2 teaspoons chili powder (I used Chipotle Chili Powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
Crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese (optional)

PREPARATION
Heat oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in next 4 ingredients.

Add water; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until quinoa is almost tender, about 14 minutes.

Add beans and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook uncovered until heated through and liquid is fully
absorbed, about 3 minutes.

Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and cheese, if desired.

*A grain with a delicate flavor and a texture similar to that of couscous; available at natural foods stores. (You can also find this in the natural foods/grains section at many grocery stores...near the Bob's Red Mill products)