“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” –John Muir
I blame myself. I could have looked up the details in depth, especially knowing that last time I trusted my brother he said, “oh there’s a quick trail to the top” and we all ended up on a massive climb up a mountain in the searing heat. It was an adventure though and it helped that we jumped right into the lake when we got down. So what did he do this time?
Remember I was telling my brother to pick a race for us to run together? Oh he did. He texted me, “We are running in a relay with some of the guys from my fire house and their significant others .” My brother continued, “It’s a lot of miles, but you have two days to do it. Sign up, but whatever you do you CAN’T BACK OUT.” All I need is a little sleep and I’m good. Done. Apparently, though, as I signed up, I saw that it’s a relay that goes for two days non-stop. SOMEONE (ahem) seems to have left out a few details…such as: Why the runners on the web page are wearing headlamps. And why they seem to be running up mountain trails. And lastly, why aren’t they in a huge pack? My part of the relay is like 4.8 miles followed by 9 (characterized as “very difficult”) miles, followed by 4.5 moderate miles. Who does this for fun? I’ve been practicing around town, in Central Park and elsewhere. I’ve got a month to get ready. While running is excruciating, I reach this phase where I look around and think “wow I’m doing this” and kind of enjoy the mindfulness of the moment. Not sure I’ll do this without walking OR that I’ll ever do it again, but I’m game for the adventure. Just this once.
So of course because we’re in this space, we must talk about how I’ve been fueling these runs. Oh man do I have some recipes for you. The food scene around this place has been expanding. I’ve been downing green smoothies from my new blender like crazy, but I’ve gotten hugely into Japanese cuisine lately and have been making all sorts of soba creations at home. The other day we went out to a Japanese place and the owner told me that the very subtle sauce on my soba noodles took over six months to make. There is a certain art behind Japanese cooking, a patience, slow fermentation, unique pickling techniques and flavor combinations.
I never thought I’d come to appreciate buckwheat noodles, due to the early childhood trauma of too many kasha varnishkas (roasted buckwheat groats). Much like candy corns or caramels, you can O.D. on kasha. But these noodles taste nothing like kasha. They adapt to the flavoring of the sauce and offer a sturdy base to the fragile vegetables of summer. They taste good both hot and cold. Soba noodles are adaptable in that you can elevate them into a studied art or you can craft a quick weeknight dinner with layers of flavor drawing from the sauce and texture from the vegetables. The cucumbers here bring a refreshing coolness, while the snap peas punctuate it with crunch. Cashews pick up on the nuttiness of the noodle base and the sauce ties it all together. The whole thing take under 30 mins to make. Add and subtract whatever you have on hand.
I plan to do a picnic on the beach this weekend and will show you the spread I’m making for it soon. Have a great weekend!
SOBA NOODLE CUCUMBER BOWLS
Adapted from the Love and Lemons cookbook via the Faux Martha whose beautiful blog and down to earth voice I’ve been admiring for years.
INGREDIENTS;
- 2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
- 1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. ginger, grated
- squirt of honey (optional)
- 2 tbsp. scallions, chopped
- 8 oz. soba noodles
- 1 cup peas, frozen
- 1 large cucumber, spiralized (yay new device!) or chopped
- 1/4 cup cashews, toasted and chopped
- sesame seeds
- 2 extra scallions, chopped
- 1/2 cup snap peas, chopped
- 1 sheet nori, cut into ribbons
- cilantro
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, assemble sauce. Into a bowl, add tamari, peanut butter, toasted sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Taste. Sweeten with honey if desired. Stir in scallions and set aside.
In a medium pan toast the cashews over low to medium flame. This should take about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Once the water comes to a boil, salt liberally and add in noodles and edamame. Cook according to noodle package instructions. Once done, strain the noodles and edamame. Spray cold water over the mixture to stop from cooking. Noodles should be cold to touch.
Spirallize cucumber using the thick circular cut.
Into a large bowl, toss noodles and peas, cucumbers, extra scallions, snap peas, cilantro and sauce until combined. Serve. Sprinkle with nori strips and black and white sesame seeds.
Oh my goodness. You signed in even after reading the description of the “run”? That sounds… crazy!!! But as you say, it’s just this once. Good luck with that any way.
Also… we need to talk green smoothies next time we see eachother. Green smoothies require forethought, and should be taken seriously. Haha.
Your recipe sounds fantastic, love the photos too! It’s just the kind of meal I adore, and could make every single day. We’ve got all the fresh ingredients in our garden these days, I could just step out, gather, and make your recipe! See you soon!
That is such a luxury to have a garden grow in your yard. I had a version of this last weekend on our way to the mountains and I had to try it. The website want very clear about the race. You have to download different maps and it said nothing about sleep. I had to really dig. But literally? This is what he picks???? I could talk about green smoothies all day. I’m tolerating them perfectly now and really like them. Can’t wait to see you! Xo
Hahaha you made me laugh so much, and details like why people are wearing headlamps in the photos! 😀 Your brother sounds a bit like Mr. H. He does these things to me too. Maybe not as drastic as that relay race. But things like after a whole day cycling around Paris and I’m sooo tired, telling me we only need to cycle as far as “the 2nd bridge” when in fact it was more like 10 bridges away… Or lI’m sure there’s a short cut to the river, walking for 45 minutes in the scorching heat only to admit that no, the river is not this way… etc… lol
I love your recipe. I discovered soba noodle a few months ago, bought them without thinking much and completely adored them on the first try! xx
PS you might want to go over to my blog and see what I wrote about you 😉
What? Omg headed over now. I didn’t get your update this week!
Omg my husband is like that too. We have a plan to bike tonight and we really do go so far. The very first time you emailed me we were on a long bike ride. This race is insane. I really start to hurt after 7 miles. Clearly I have some deep form if self hatred to keep up with this. Lol. But you and I both just discovered these noodles and they are great for post run! Xo
You are very brave – that’s the kind of thing that would have my hand up in a gesture of, NO!, straight away. When you mentioned marathon a few weeks ago, I didn’t realise it was practically a recreation of the original in Greece. Well done!
There are all sorts of interesting things going on in Spain with Japanese fusion, which I suppose is fair enough, since the Japanese are probably the biggest buyers of Spanish tuna. Some of it is weird, but I haven’t had anything bad so far.
That seems like an interesting combo. I can see it working if done right. I think the original marathoners died when they reached Marathon. This is a relay from Albany to Lake Placid. I’m not sure it’s commendable. It’s definitely crazy.
Ha ha – yes Pheidippides died of exhaustion (I wasn’t going to mention that).
Knowledge is power…. and yet… 😅
it sounds like a race we have here in MD called the Ragnar. i volunteered to be at the pit stop to cheer people on and provide them with directions and water, but not to run. that is just not my thing. way to go, respect.
as for a 6 month sauce, the PATIENCE. i don’t have that.
i remember when we were training for halfs, all we did was eat or think about eating, while running. we were constantly hungry and dishes like this is so healthy and filling and easy.
It is Ragnar! We still need volunteers for upstate. I honestly think this is crazy. He couldn’t just sign us up for a 10k??? Whoa you did a half?? And totally…I’m obsessed with food and nutrition these days. As for the sauce, i’m glad this came together in 5 minutes raather than 5 months. But I kind of wish I lived in a society where a 5 month sauce was a thing. Have a great weekend, Lan!
a couple of years ago dw + i signed up for like 6 races each, because he’s obsessed with medals and depending on the organization, if you run a certain amount of their races, you get an EXTRA medal. it was EXHAUSTING. i think i did 3 halfs, a 10K, and a few 5Ks. dw did all that AND a full. we’re done. i’ve put the kibosh on such tomfoolery, keeping up with his usual appetite is a challenge, add in a running schedule to that was very difficult. also, we ate our weight in pb&j sandwiches.
Omg. That sounds insane. They’re is something about a personal challenge. That’s amazing though. Good job. Is there a medal after Ragnar?! I hope so. I haven’t even thought about what to eat during the run. I may have to prepare meals, bring bananas and bars. I have no idea what my brother’s firehouse buddies and significant others eat. Also the things we do for those we love….. Cray.
This looks like another healthy and inspiring recipe, Amanda! I love the way you styled the food for the photos, and the way the sliced cucumbers look. 🙂 Good luck with your training for the run!!! It sounds crazy, but I bet it will be very rewarding and fun. My husband has some experience with night-time and running with headlamps, but I have not gotten that hard-core yet. 🙂 Keep us posted on your adventures!!
Thanks, Jenny. You’re so kind. Oh those cucumbers are spiralized with a machine. It was very easy. That’s the trick. This race really is insane. I’d be afraid to night run alone, but it sounds fun. I’ll definitely keep you posted and I love that you know what I”m doing with regard to healthy recipes. You’re following my journey and somehow that just means a lot to be understood. xo
Ok, love the bowl. A variation of this is my favourite lunch thing though I’ll have tuna or salmon sashimi on the side for an extra treat when possible. BUT, the race: gooooood luck, we’ll cheer for you and your mad brother!
haha thanks! I even like the idea of having some fish on the side. The noodles are so good. The sauce is a keeper. My brother though…. He’s something! Xoxo
Hohhh boy!!
That race sounds both scary and invigorating. I do not envy you babylove.
Those cucumber ribbons just pretty everything up, i love it!!
In other news, hiiiiiiiii!!
How’s your summer going?
I’m gonna keep using that in present tense until the day I have to start wearing a coat again 😀
Hi!!! Thanks for your comment. Yeah this race sound awful. Ugh… the cucumbers were made with my new spiralizer. What a fun machine. How have you been? Summer is good! Going too fast like time in general!! I gotta head over to your page. I am woefully behind. On everything. Including training for this ridiculous race. Xoxo. Hang onto summer!!
Now that´s a challenge, Amanda. Only a brother can drag you into something like this 😉 good luck with it. You´re going to need a lot of lovely bowls like this one afterwards – looking forwards to more adventures in JApanese cooking!
Totally a brother adventure. I’ll be trying to get through it with good food. I feel like I need an apprenticeship to learn more Japanese. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’re doing well! Xo
Just last Friday, I was in an Asian market looking for light soy sauce — not dark, mind — and actually picked up a bottle of tamari sauce but put it back. I didn’t have a need for it, or so I thought. This bowl really sounds delicious, Amanda, and gives me a chance to try soba noodles. There’s a buckwheat pasta dish, pizzoccheri, that’s tasty but the noodles are a pain to make. I’ve thought that perhaps soba would work. Well, now I’e got 2 different ways to try them. Thanks!
Good luck with the race. I’m exhausted just hearing the description and oh, how I’d make my brother pay for getting me involved. Plotting my revenge would provide me fuel for every step of the run. 😀
Haha yes he will get payback for this race. I’ve never heard of pizzoccheri but I do imagine buckwheat is harder to work with than flour and/or semolina. Tamari I think is the gluten free version of soy. I have light and dark. Some of my favorite recipes on this here blog are there Korean/Chinese/Japanese ones. And you can use your spiralizer on this!! Good to hear from you as always. Be well!
if payback is one if these Asian doodle cucumber bowls I’ll take it. Otherwise know that I’ll always be one mile ahead of you! Pushpushpushpushpush. Keep running.
Lol! I can do that. You definitely will be ahead. I’ve got a 7-9 mile run planned for wed and Thurs. I’m pushing. Mom and dad tried to talk me out of this. Real proudaya.