I like noodles in a bowl. All kinds of noodles, with all kinds of toppings though, in general, I always lean towards spicy and savory and Asian influenced. One of the best ways to use vegetables is to pick diverse colors, flavors and textures, chop them up, and throw them into a bowl with some soba noodles. For the above noodle bowl I used all kinds of Spring green things I had from my CSA – radish greens, green onions, new garlic, cilantro, and shredded carrots. I lightly fried some local “fake” chicken from Nature’s Soy in sesame oil, and mixed everything with cold buckwheat soba noodless and a basic Asian noodle dressing:
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. mirin (rice wine, substitute natural maple syrup, honey, or white wine)
chili sauce or flakes, to your liking
I also love the look of black roasted sesame seeds, and almost always add those, too for flavor and garnish. A perfect cold salad with endless variations! Cold vegan salads like these also travel well – make a giant bowl and take it to a picnic or potluck.
