Soba Salad with Anti-Inflammatory Dressing.
It is July 2024 and Montana is extremely hot right now. Here’s something I made for my husband and I for lunch yesterday. I love salads but often don’t feel satisfied after eating them unless they’re loaded. This is a light dish that I consider to be loaded. Salad dressings are the secret to a good salad in the same way that pasta sauce is the secret to a delicious pasta dish. I like to make dressings interesting and strong to give the leaves some flavor. The store bought dressings have no prana in them, sitting on the shelf for months, filled with all sorts of unnecessary things and to me they all taste the same - too sour in a synthetic way. This dressing is bright, sweet, zesty and colorful. The ingredients have anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties, I call this a win-win situation. Enjoy!
Ingredients
The Dressing:
Medium carrot x 1
Tumeric root x 1 inch chunk
Ginger root x 2 inch chunk
Apple Cider Vinegar x 1/4 cup
Salt x 1 teaspoon
Tahini x 1/4 cup
Honey x 2 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil x 1/4 cup
Toasted Sesame Seed Oil x 1 tablespoon
Water x 1/2 cup
Red Cabbage x 1 cup
Medium Carrot x 1
Snap Peas x 1 big handful
Fresh Cilantro x 1 handful
Spring Salad Leaves x 4 handfuls
Avocado x 1
Shredded Chicken x 3 cups (poach 2 chicken breasts in water until cooked, then shred)
Soba Noodles
Shoyu
More Sesame Seed oil
Black Sesame
Toasted White Sesame Seeds
Instructions
SERVES 4 | COOKTIME: 35 MINUTES if you're fastFirst let’s make the dressing, the star of the show. It has so much flavor and zing to it, it tastes like the feeling of having fun. Slice the carrot, ginger and tumeric into 1/2 inch chunks and add into a small food processor. Add the apple cider vinegar and salt. Pulse until the roots are uniform, you want some texture, so don’t worry about it not being perfectly smooth. Push down the sides with a spatula so none of the roots get stuck around the edges and create an uneven texture. If you need more liquid, add a bit of the water. Next add honey and tahini, pulse again. Then stream in the extra virgin olive oil and sesame oil, pulse again. Here you can choose your thickness. I like this dressing to be light so I add the 1/2 cup of water, if you like it thicker and more creamy you can add less water.
Next we prep the veggies. I like using 3 different types for color and flavor variation. Here we’re using red cabbage, carrots and snap peas. Choose your fave veggie that taste good eaten raw. Grate the carrots, slice the snap peas and mandoline the cabbage so it comes out like noodles. Dress them in the dressing in a bowl until covered, Not too much dressing or they will be weighed down when you plate them.
Gather your shredded chicken in a bowl and dress them too, just enough to cover them, then sprinkle in black sesame seeds. Adding iron, anti-inflammatory properties, layering, color contrast and a bite.
Boil some water and salt it until it tastes like the ocean. When it reaches a rolling boil, add your soba noodles, I love the Soba Pasta noodles by Eden Organic. They are firm, don’t stick together and have a delicious nutty flavor - they are not gluten free however - choose your favorite.
When they’re cooked - about 10 minutes - strain and drizzle in shoyu, toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds. This adds layers, gives them a bit of flavor and moisture without being heavy and stops them from sticking together.
Place the noodles on your plate if you’re ready to eat - these noodles are also great cold - cover with your shredded chicken mixture, shredded veggie mixture, fresh salad leaves, cilantro and splash a generous amount of dressing over the top. Slice avocado and place to the side of the delicious stash.
The ratios of noodle/veggie/chicken are totally up to you. With this dish I love it to be heavy on the veggies because it’s so refreshing, the crunch cools me down. Perfect for a hot summer’s day when you’re hungry but don’t feel like eating.
This is so yummy. light and completely medicinal way to feed yourself.