spicy, sweet, slurpy salad

In case you haven't noticed, it's hot as hell. On Sunday I heard the TV weatherman speak the phrase "heat wave" for the first time this summer, and boy, has Mother Nature delivered. This means that, no matter how much I am craving banana chocolate chip muffins (a lot) or how restorative a bowl of hot soup would feel (still fighting the vestiges of last week's cold), my sweat glands and I are firmly opposed to actual cooking.

So imagine my glee when I found a clutch of salad recipes from a back issue of Women's Health, all refreshing and packed with a variety of tasty things crying out to be eaten, in my collection of clipped recipes I want to try. ("Collection" is a fancy word for a tattered blue Trapper Keeper folder I used for English 163, "Distinguished Writers/New Voices" with Anne Greene. Go Wes!) This one, which my cooking buddy Julia and I decided on, is surprisingly filling and full of really interesting elements I wouldn't think to put together: white miso, orange juice, mint, sesame oil. To be fair, water was indeed boiled for the soba, but while it cooked I was able to stay far away from the stove. Not a violation of the No Cooking During a Heatwave rule that I invented at the beginning of this post.


Sesame soba noodle salad
Time: 20 mins prep, 6-8 mins cooking, 30 mins chilling
Adapted from Women's Health magazine (issue unknown!)

1 package soba noodles (appx. 8 oz.)
1 c. frozen shelled edamame
(we threw in some frozen corn, too, but didn't measure it!)
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
1 1/2 c. sliced scallion
1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
1 c. diced red, orange or yellow bell pepper
1 large orange, for zest and juice
2 Tbsp. white miso
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Add to a large saucepan enough water to cook the entire package of soba. (The original recipe says to fill a 6-quart saucepan with agua; I ignored this and just guessed.) Bring to a boil, add soba, frozen edamame and frozen corn. Cook 6 minutes, test a noodle, and continue to cook if it still has a bite in the middle. You want the soba to be soft throughout.

2. Meanwhile, in a small or medium bowl with high sides, zest and juice the orange. Whisk in miso, oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes until smooth.

3. When done, remove soba, edamame and corn to a colander and rinse very well in cold water. Set aside to drain.

4. Combine carrots, scallion, mint and bell pepper in a large bowl, then add drained soba and toss gently. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently a second time.

5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve cold or at room temperature.