Japanese Soba Noodles with Veggies

Soba noodles are thin, buckwheat-based noodles that are popular in Japan. They can be eaten hot, cold, or room temperature and can be served with virtually any sauce. The last time I remember having soba noodles was when I went to Japan (about a year ago), and this makes me sad. Lately I have been trying to experiment with grains I usually do not use. I do not recall ever cooking with buckwheat, so this gave me even more of an incentive to purchase a package of soba noodles. What did I do with these lovely noodles? Take a look:



JAPANESE SOBA NOODLES WITH VEGGIES

-Roland© Organic Soba Noodles (enough for one person)

-1 Tablespoon sesame oil
-Several shakes of tamari, or soy sauce
-About 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
-Ground ginger, to taste

-1 small onion, cut into wedges
-1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin coins
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-Small handful of baby spinach
-1/4 cup frozen green peas
-Crushed red pepper flakes and sesame seeds for topping, optional

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Toss in soba noodles, cook until tender, drain in a colander, and set aside. At the same time, heat a metal skillet or wok on medium heat. Add sesame oil, tamari, ginger, onion, and carrot. Mix constantly. Once the onions and carrot become crispy, add the mirin and garlic. Continue to stir constantly, occasionally adding water if the pan becomes too dry. Toss in the spinach and peas. Let all of the liquid evaporate and the spinach wilt. Stir in cooked soba noodles and remove from heat. Spoon noodles into a bowl and top with crushed red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

Enjoy with chopsticks and a cup of hot green tea.

Falafel

Falafel is probably one of the most delicious Mediterranean foods I have ever eaten. If you're unfamiliar with this tasty vegetarian treat, falafel are smallish, crispy patties made of chickpeas. They are typically fried in oil, spiced with cumin and garlic, and served in a warm pita with tahini or yogurt dressing. I found an easy falafel recipe online (I cannot recall where) and did some personal editing to make it my own. I added ground coriander and extra cumin, garlic, and parsley to the recipe. I decided to skip the frying step and instead bake the falafel to perfection. The end result was healthier and just as crispy. Enjoy!

Vegetarian/Vegan Falafel

-1 cup chickpeas, cooked
-1 small onion OR 1/2 large onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic
-1 Tablespoon flour
-1 1/2 Teaspoons ground cumin
-1 Teaspoon ground coriander
-2 Teaspoons dried parsley
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-Canola oil, if frying

Heat oil in a skillet OR preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grind the garlic cloves in a food processor. Add the chickpeas and pulse until smooth. Scoop mixture into a large bowl and add diced onion, flour, cumin, coriander, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix with clean hands until all ingredients are well-incorporated into the ground chickpeas. Form mixture into balls (about the size of meatballs) and slightly flatten to form patties. Bake falafel on a sheet of parchment paper for about 15 minutes. Turn broiler on high (this is how the falafel get crispy) and let falafel crisp up on each side, flipping once to allow both sides to get golden brown. Remove from oven and ingest.



I also make a homemade Tahini Dressing to go with my Falafel.

Tahini Dressing

-equal parts of tahini and water
-a splash of rice wine vinegar OR lemon juice
-a clove or two of garlic
-ground black pepper

Whirl all ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Serve alongside falafel.

Vegetarian Sushi with Roasted Peppers and Cucumber

I think that American cuisine (whatever that encompasses) is very boring. There is very little beauty and originality found in a mundane hamburger plopped in a squishy seeded bun. I try to expand my palette and my creative mind by eating more exciting, ethnic foods. Some of my favorites are Japanese, Thai, and Indian food. Last week, I decided to take my interest in eating authentically delicious food to a new level. I was going to make something extraordinary; I was going to make sushi!

During my first attempt, I made three rolls of vegetarian sushi stuffed with white rice, carrots, cucumber, avocado, and homemade gomasio(toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, and nori). Each roll was contained in a sheet of nori, so the contents wouldn't spill everywhere. There were very yummy, but I wasn't totally satisfied. I kind of took the easy way out, so to speak, since I used non-stick parchment paper to roll my sushi (instead of a bamboo sushi mat) and medium-grain white rice (instead of sticky,short-grain sushi rice).

For my second attempt (above picture), I was going to do it right. I made a trip to my local Asian market and picked up a big bag of short-grain brown rice and a bamboo sushi mat. I boiled the rice, let it cool, and prepared some roasted red pepper and cucumber on a cutting board. I cooked an egg on my stove top in little bit of sesame oil with a clove of grated garlic. Everything was set! I laid down a half sheet of nori (shiny side down) onto my fancy $2.00 bamboo mat, spread the sticky rice, and neatly arranged the prepared veggies and eggs over the rice. The roll was carefully rolled into a cylinder with the help of my beautiful bamboo mat and sliced with an extra sharp knife. I made three rolls, and they were delicious!