With temperatures reaching about a billion degrees, cold dinner is where it's at. I could live off this vegan sunflower butter buckwheat noodle bowl through the dog days of summer. It's my jam. With the house all but melting into The Bay, we've found another new evening groove to keep the babe cool and mama sane.
A walk with daddy - all his idea.
As soon as he gets home from work, Lucas straps Zoella into the stroller to cruise the neighborhood. Just the two of them. An hour and a half later, I hear tales of their daddy/daughter adventures - park explorations, a hike to the top of Albany Hill to see just how far baby dinosaur noises echo, and a short jog back in time for bed. Pretty darn cute right? It's been going on five days now. You know how I know it's been exactly five days?
That's when Pokémon Go was released. (Cue some SERIOUS eye rolls). He had me fooled for three days before I discovered it on his phone.
No complaints though because it gives me a solid chunk of time back in the kitchen testing recipes and exploring cookbooks to make things like this sunflower butter buckwheat noodle bowl from Heather Christo's Pure Delicious.
Pure Delicious contains an arsenal of recipes free of the eight most common food allergens: gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, or cane sugar. And yet they're all still brimming with intrigue and flavor. Heather's recipes cover a large cross-section of food allergies, but she also recognizes that - and this is key - every person is different. While some might have additional foods that don't agree with them, others might find that one or more of these typical allergens are totally fine for their diet - and that's okay!
This cookbook is a roadmap to guide folks toward finding their own food sensitivities while still enjoying food, and the recipes are easily adaptable to suit those needs - recipes like chocolate coconut caramel bars, lemon artichoke hummus, and hot spinach, strawberry, and bacon salad (like srsly omg).
Take me, for instance, I steer clear of gluten, but soy and I are a great buds. So I topped Heather's ginger sunflower butter buckwheat noodles with edamame and added a splash of tamari to umami it up, but I've also left suggestions if you're looking for a soy-free version. These buckwheat soba noodles are all at once creamy, spicy, and nutty (without nuts!), and they make the perfect base for whatever veggies or protein you want to throw on top. My adaptation adds layers of fresh crunchy veggies and aromatic mint, transforming the noodles into a bowl fit for a meal.
Bonus: Like pizza, it gets even better eaten cold straight from the fridge. If you're lucky enough to have leftovers...
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Recipe
Vegan Sunflower Butter Buckwheat Noodle Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound soba noodles, for gluten-free version make sure you look for 100% buckwheat soba noodles
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 3- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup sunflower butter
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage
- 2 tablespoons sambal oelek
- 1 tablespoon tamari sauce, or coconut animos for soy-free version
- ⅓ cup edamame, replace with snap peas for soy-free version
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and julienned
- 1 cucumber, cut in half, seeds scooped out, and thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, cut on the diagonal
- 10-15 mint leaves, ripped into pieces
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add the edamame and red bell pepper, blanching for just 2 minutes. Use a fine mesh sieve to remove the edamame and bell pepper, then rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Add the soba noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, about 6-8 minutes. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water until cooled completely. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
- In a food processor or by hand, finely mince the garlic and ginger. Add the rice vinegar, sunflower butter, coconut milk, sambal oelek, and tamari sauce and process until completely smooth.
- Gently toss the soba noodles with the sauce. Add the blanched edamame and red bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, mint, and sesame seeds and gently toss to combine.
- Divide between four bowls and serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.
Recipe reprinted from Pure Delicious by arrangement with Pam Krauss Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2016, Heather Christo LLC
Carla -
ADORABLE. I mean, sure, there's some extra unexpected incentive, but if it means you get dinner like this? A GOOD TRADEOFF. :)
Sarah Menanix -
I AGREE. We got to eat Sherrie's Fresh Tomato Sauce with Quick-Stewed Zucchini + White Beans tonight and it was everything.
Jayme | holly & flora -
Sarah, I am so with you on the "eye roll" about the entire Pokemon Go concept. I find the technological, psychological, and societal impact of the game interesting, but I've got too much "stuff" to do than play a video game. I'd rather be out in nature, anyway, but kudos for the game's impact on getting gamers actually moving, right? I *might* download the game, you know, just to see what it's all about, though... ;-)
This recipe looks so stunning, and I love Heather's photography and recipes so.
Sarah Menanix -
It's really interesting to me that it is getting folks up and moving who might otherwise not be! Also, my husband swears it allows him to strike up conversation with strangers in the park really easily. But, he adds, usually they're high school kids. So there's this 30 year old man holding a baby chatting up high school kids in the park. Not weird at all.
Jayme | holly & flora -
...Oh, no. Not weird at all. ;-))))) I'm laughing at the scenario!!
Marissa -
The daddy daughter walk after work (that gives mom a little reprieve) is just the sweetest for every reason. It's the kind of thing that shows love for both of you more than anything... (now I'm just getting sappy **sorry**)
We've been having some pretty hot days here and I'm always on the lookout for delicious meals for summer evenings. This looks terrific (as does the book!) and I love how simple it is to prepare.
Sarah Menanix -
It is so sweet, right?! It makes me feel so sappy too:) I can't recommend Heather's book highly enough! And this bowl is the perfect way to beat the heat!
Claudia | The Brick Kitchen -
HAHAhahahhahahh that is the BEST story ever Sarah! Everyone in Australia is obsessed with pokemon go at the moment too (I haven't succumbed yet!), with my housemates going for very out of character walks in the park across the road - apparently there are heaps of pokemon there. Crazy.
This noodle bowl looks gorgeous too - I especially love how you used coconut milk in it as well <3
Sarah Menanix -
RESIST!! I'm still holding out...but also my phone is full of baby pictures, so even if I wanted to download it, I wouldn't be able to. Haha. And thank you! That coconut milk idea is all Heather - she's a genius with allergy-friendly recipes that boast tons of flavor!
Heather Christo -
thank you SO much for sharing my book and this recipe- your pictures are so gorgeous!! XOXO
Sarah Menanix -
Thank YOU so much for sharing your book with me! I'm finding so much inspiration! Alanna and I also made your wonton wrapper too!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan -
Pokemon noooooo! Hahaha. My brother Nathan had to tell me about this one. I was like what is it and he was like, it's like you are IN THE GAME. and then he told me to drive around midtown and see all the 25 year olds walking around without looking where they're going. lol! This noodle bowl looks gooood. Can I join you and Sheri for the remake? :)
Sarah Menanix -
Hahahaha - exactly. Now whenever we see someone walking around w/ their face in their phone, we can safely assume it's Pokemon Go. AND YES, YES YOU CAN!
Matt -
I need to get in the kitchen to make this one for Naomi. She would love it.
Sarah Menanix -
It's so easy and so flavorful! I bet you'll even put some crazy unique spin on it!
naomi -
So much flavor and brightness in this dish!
Sarah Menanix -
These noodles make the perfect base for seasonal veggies!
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire -
Oh my gosh, Pokemon Go has taken over everything! At least they are still spending time outside together, right? Any excuse to get some much needed "me" time! I just got Pure Delicious and love thumbing through it. I haven't made anything from it yet, but this is on the top of the list now!
Sarah Menanix -
Haha right? We live in an age when saying, "get off the couch and play your video game!" is a possibility haha.
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain -
GAH! It's so HAWT here in Denver too. Sigh. I say we eat lots of cold noodles to keep us distracted!
Sarah Menanix -
Such a tasty distraction!
Kasey -
Cold dinner is my favorite. Also, soba noodle bowls are my jam, and I trust anything Heather does. Beautiful photos!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks! I can't wait to work my way through her book!
Veronica -
Ok now this is my kind of summer meal! All those different textures and flavors! Wow, I can not wait to try this! I raised a thoughtful son! He takes after his dad when it comes to any type of game and yes even my hubby has be told to put the phone down!
Sarah Menanix -
Reminds me of when you said Roy would take the kids on runs when they were little! Lucas can't wait to go on a full-out run with her!
Sheri -
Can I place my order now? On one of my visits I'd like a bowl of this deliciousness!
Sarah Menanix -
Hehe - okay!
Alanna -
So gorgeous! I can't wait to eat these again. And what a great dad and husband Lucas is. :)
Sarah Menanix -
Yes! AND POTSTICKERS! Please make them for me again.
gerry @ foodness gracious -
I'm with you on cold dinners, especially mega bowls like this! Gorgeous :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! Bonus of cold dinners is that they also usually come together lickety split!
Abby @ Heart of a Baker -
This is my DREAM dinner right now! I hadn't discovered the wonders of noodle bowls until semi-recently, so I'm all about them now. Also, husbands...they are the best but also sometimes the funniest :)
Sarah Menanix -
I love these noodles in particular because they're so versatile! Whatever you've got on hand goes!
Jennifer Farley -
Jeff had to explain to me why Pokemon was suddenly everywhere on my social media. I was like WHAT IS GOING ON. I guess I was a little old for that craze because I know absolutely nothing about it. However, when he explained, I tried downloading the app so I could see if there was one in our house. I don't even know if that's how it works. When it tried to get me to log in with my Google account I gave up in 5 seconds. Yep.
Anyway, this looks amazing. I need to get my hands on this cookbook!
Sarah Menanix -
Yeah - I'm so not into it either. Lucas and another friend were trying to explain it to me and they said things like "gyms" and "lures" and I got a glossy look on my face. Lucas said, "you have to start from ground zero with Sarah - she literally knows nothing about video games." Hahaha.