Food By Franz

Recipe of the Month#1 – August 2009 – Cold Japanese Noodles

Soba Noodles are a japanese buckwheat noodle – you can use any pasta, but the wheat noodles give this more texture & earthy flavor. The soba noodles also help on the caloric scale. This recipe is built for two, but it can be combined to make a wonderful picnic side.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp grated/minced ginger
1 lb chicken breast
1/3 C soy sauce
¼ C aji mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tsp Sirracha (asian hot sauce)
2 tsp sesame oil
Pkg of buckwheat soba noodles
1 bag fresh baby spinach
2 Tbsp red pepper, sliced fine ( I use a red jalapeno or hotter pepper)
4 crimini mushrooms, sliced fine (any fresh mushroom)
Chopped green onions
Toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts

To Assemble: Boil water for noodles, drain noodles – wilt spinach in same water, keep noodles handy in cold water. Mix together soy, mirin, ginger, chile paste and sesame oil. Set ½ C aside – toss the rest with the chicken. Grill or broil chicken until done, 4-5 minutes per side approximately, when cool tear or cut into bit size pieces. Assemble your salad – pile noodles in the bottom of each bowl & toss with the red pepper, top with spinach, chicken and mushrooms. Pour the ½ C of sauce between two bowls, garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

This travels well and is a wonderful chilled salad main for summer. Feel free to add additional vegetables, I have used sliced baby corn, julienne carrots, water chestnuts, even thinly sliced cauliflower.

Caloric Information (from Google)
Chicken – breast or leg – 1 portion, 140 Cal
Mushrooms, Brown, Italian, Or Crimini, Raw – 1 cup, 19 Cal
Noodles, Japanese, Soba, Cooked – 1 cup, 112 Cal (if you use regular pasta-1 portion 248)
Soy Sauce Made From Soy&Wheat (Shoyu) – 1 tbsp, 8 Cal
Spinach – 1 portion, 34 Cal
Oil, Sesame, Salad Or Cooking-1 tbsp, 123 Cal
Dinner – 436 Calories approximately per serving.

published as first ROM – August 2009

Ole’ – a new twist on guacamole!
Ingredients:
1 avocado
1/2 a cucumber
1/2 C cabbage
1/4 C onion (red or green)
1 jalapeno pepper
EVOO (oil – use your favorite non flavored)
2-3 tbsp vinegar (more increases sharpness/tang)
sugar
cumin
garlic powder
oregano
S & P

To prepare the salad
Chop cucumber – salt & ice for 10 minutes while you do the following
1 avocado, halved, seeded and cubed – leave in shell w/seed until your ready to mix
De-seed and dice finely the jalapeno pepper
Finely slice the cabbage
Chop fine the red or green onion

Then mix the vinaigrette for salad – use a whisk in a bowl big enough for the salad
Mix – 2 Tbsp EVOO, 2 Tbsp vinegar (experiment w/this – red wine, balsamic, rice or an herbal vinegar)
Whisk this together until it begins to emulsify, then add a pinch of sugar, dash of each-cumin, garlic powder, oregano.
Taste is the key here – when you have the vinaigrette ready, mix in the onion, drained cucumber chunks, cubed avocado, chopped jalapeno
Toss gently with vinaigrette, add S & P to taste – arrange sliced cabbage on plates and spoon salad on top – best served at room temp.
Garnish w/tortilla chip or lime wedge if handy

A grande all around southwest side dish