A simple lunch: chilled soba noodles

Somehow this baking blog has been serving up more savory items lately, something I didn't intend to do when I first started this little spot but now feels like a natural progression as I play around more in the kitchen in general.  So here's to mixing up some more savory with all the sweet...

I thought I'd post this simple soba noodle dish that I've been making in the past few months.  It's a nice summer lunch or even dinner option to consider since it's pretty quick and easy to put together - and I think those are the kinds of recipes most of us want for our everyday lives, particularly in the summertime.  

I've mentioned before that I like to watch Nigella Lawson's cooking shows.  Well, I've seen Nigella make these soba noodles many times (re-runs) and I'm glad I finally got up and started cooking this for myself.

You need some basic pantry ingredients to dress the soba, and then you can add to it as you see fit.  Make it and leave it in the refrigerator so that it's ready when you want it.  It makes a great meal or side dish during the warm months when you want something filling but not too heavy.  I often make extra so that I'll have lunch for a couple of days.

These soba noodles are lightly dressed with rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a little sugar for a nice balance of flavors.  I was actually surprised by how restraint this Nigella recipe is in terms of dressing.  If you prefer more dressing on your noodles, feel free to make more but I like it this way.  It keeps the dish light, and I think there's just enough dressing to give it flavor.  A generous amount of toasted sesame seeds and fresh scallions add crunch and great flavor to the dish.

I love to add sauteed shiitake mushrooms to these noodles; I think shiitake mushrooms just go really well in many Asian dishes.  And to make more of a meal out of it, I sometimes eat it with some sauteed shrimp.  Salmon or leftover chicken are also excellent proteins to pair with it.  It's a whole lot easier to think about and whip up the add-on's when you already have the noodles in the fridge!  I recently picked up a simple method of poaching chicken breast from America's Test Kitchen (another cooking show) and I've been poaching a few at a time, dicing it, and keeping it in the fridge to eat with noodles like this one or with salad.  

Anyway, noodles of all kinds are my idea of everyday food and this is a good one to add to the rotation.

Not bagels or donuts

When I was making these, I thought they looked so much like bagels.  Of course, I'm thinking of things we're probably trying to ease up on right now. 

Then they made me think of donuts.  Boy, I love a donut from you-know-where.  My childhood and still current favorite (the only kind I eat, actually) is a regular donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.  Another food we're probably avoiding post-holiday.  Honestly, I rarely indulge in a donut nowadays since I'm taste-testing so much at home but I have fond memories of buying them by the half-dozen as a kid (buying that many was a much better deal than buying a few separately - that's how I rationalized it).  When I was pregnant with the little guy, I wanted donuts but along with ice-cream, it seemed to stick with me right on my tummy and hips.  I remember my husband and I would go to the donut shop and I'd eat a small half to satisfy that craving.

Doesn't it look like a bagel?

But I'm veering off-track again.  Let me tell you these are actually cookies.  Specifically, they are amaretti crisps, courtesy of Martha Stewart.  You and I may have had plenty of cookies during Christmas but if you're like me, you still want them in your life.  So along the lines of January and eating lighter, I'm thinking of meringues.  These amaretti crisps are basically meringues - toasted almonds pulverized with confectioners' sugar and folded together with stiffly beaten egg whites and a touch of almond extract.  That's it.

My family and I really enjoyed these.  I've been munching on them the last couple of nights and loving that toasted almond flavor and scent.  Like the classic Italian amaretti cookies, they are crisp and crunchy but these are also chewy in the center, which I love.  And as much as I adore rich chocolaty treats, something like this is delicious and just a great change of pace.  I followed instructions and piped these cookies into rings but also experimented with other simple shapes.

The little one in our family doesn't like to eat almonds whole but loves all these almond treats that come out of the kitchen.  He says they taste like macarons.  I can see the connection because they both have ground almonds and a chewy texture but these are far less fragile and practically hearty despite the lack of flour or butter.

So this is what I wanted to share with you today.  It's a 4-ingredient cookie that comes together quickly.  It does, however, require a bit of effort in the form of toasting the nuts, using a food processor, and piping.  I piped the batter out but I think just spooning them out into thick rounds would also work.  For me, these were worth a little extra effort - just call it exercise and reward yourself with a couple of these cookies.  And if you want to be naughty, spread a little something (like nutella) between two cookies or have it with a scoop of ice-cream.  I like it just the way it is though.