I woke up kind of dreading the run and I was in a pretty crabby mood, but about 3 miles in everything was good again. It was warm, my legs felt good, and it was nice to be able to run and chat with Mike (who pushed Ellie in the stroller – she loved it too!)
Afterwards we stopped at 7-11 and nothing sounded better than chocolate milk.  I guess that whole “refuel with chocolate milk” marketing thing worked on me.  It was divine.

Sunday morning there was a 5K in Golden Gate Park. It was same course as a month or two ago (when I ran 21:56), so I was curious how it would go with kind of tired legs. The weather was perfect for running (as usual) and I felt nice an relaxed the whole race. I ended up snagging a fifth place finish in 21:08, my second fastest 5K ever. I definitely didn’t see that one coming.

I also finally got to meet Kristine, who totally killed it in her first 5K!

Sunday night I wasn’t really in the mood to cook, but this recipe sounded too good to pass up, and it ended up being pretty easy. I used regular eggplants, but next time I might switch to Japanese eggplants because they have thinner skin.

This recipe made plenty for both dinner and lunch the next day, and the mix of flavors was awesome: sour lime, smoky eggplant, sweet mango, and earthy soba. I added a chopped habanero pepper, but you can leave it out if you’re don’t want it super spicy.

(adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi)

We had a couple holiday parties this weekend, and since my parents were in town, we were able to go out just the two of us for only the second time EVER!

I celebrated the occasion by curling my hair… I don’t even remember the last time that happened. I also made some chocolate-dipped pretzels to take to the party. So easy and so festive!

I really, really love my new lens.

Anyway, to counteract the insane amounts of sugar I’ve been living on the past few days, I made this salad. Twice. It was such a hit with my parents on Friday for lunch that I made it again for dinner on Saturday. I love it most after it’s had a few hours to chill in the refrigerator.

I have a couple life updates to throw out there. First of all, this morning I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight! I gained 31 pounds while I was pregnant, lost all but 7 within the first week or two, and then the weight loss pretty much completely stalled.

A few weeks ago I decided to count calories for a few days just to monitor what I was eating (since being at home makes it way to easy to just graze on crap all day), and since then I’ve just been mindful about only eating when I’m actually hungry. I’m guessing all the running and Bikram I’ve been doing probably helped a little bit, too.

Second, I’m back at work and it’s AWESOME. The kids this year are so amazing. I had them write paragraphs explaining the difference between mass and weight, and was completely impressed with how well they write. Also, about a dozen students from last year (who are now in high school) stopped by one afternoon to visit and it totally made my day. I love this job!

Meals like this are perfect for those busy days (like yesterday, which involved work, a dentist appointment, and a trip to Costco to get stuff for our work party this weekend) that require something super fast and healthy. I served the noodles with a quick slaw made with red cabbage, mint, rice vinegar, and sesame oil.

I almost always order something really similar to this any time we go out for Japanese food, but I figured there had to be a way to make it myself. Unfortunately this isn’t vegetarian (I occasionally eat fish products), but I’ve done some research and apparently you can make a substitute for bonito flakes using dried mushrooms and kombu kelp. I plan on trying that really soon and I’ll add the recipe here as soon as I do.

Recipe:

2 bundles (about 6 ounces) soba noodles
thinly sliced green onion
sesame seeds

dipping sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 tbsp bonito flakes

To make the dipping sauce, boil the water, soy sauce, mirin, and bonito flakes together for about 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer and let cool completely.

Boil the noodles in a large pot of rapidly boiling water until tender (5-8 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Pile some noodles on a plate and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with a small bowl of dipping sauce on the side.

I can be really, atrociously terrible at following directions, and this dinner, unfortunately, is a perfect example.

I’m not always like that though. When I worked in a lab and was doing all sorts of crazy things with DNA, using primers and different chemicals that completely intimidated me, I was the best direction-follower ever. I had to be, because I was doing someone else’s work and I really, really did NOT want to mess it up for them. When I’m baking a really complex dessert with a bunch of different components, I read through the whole recipe a bunch of times, and follow instructions to the letter. But a simple sushi roll with soba instead of rice? I thought reading the directions was kind of pointless.

This brilliant concept (which I will definitely be making again now that I know what I did wrong, comes from the fabulous vegan blog BitterSweet. Basically, you’re supposed to tie a bundle of soba noodles together at one end, boil it, then cut off the tied end and roll the bundle up into sushi. It seems so simple, but I just assumed you were supposed to tie both ends, boil, drain, cut off the string, and roll them up, starchy, clumped-together ends and all. I guess common sense isn’t really my forte. Anyway, after realizing that a bunch of the noodles were uncooked in the middle, I went back and figured out the error of my ways. I think I like sushi made with soba even more than sushi made with rice, and the addition of baked teriyaki tofu made this a complete, satisfying meal.

Recipe:
(inspired by BitterSweet)
tofu
1 16-ounce block extra firm nigari tofu (I used Trader Joe’s High Protein Tofu)
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tsp grated ginger

sushi rolls
2 carrots, julienned
1 English cucumber, seeded and julienned
1 avocado, cut into strips
6 sheets of sushi nori, toasted (I just hold them over the low flame of a gas burner for a few seconds)
3 90g bunches of soba noodles
wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger for serving

To prepare the tofu, preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a shallow baking pan. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise into strips about 1/2″ x 1/2″ by 4″. Toss them with the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, and garlic, and arrange in a single layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until brown and firm. Set aside to cool.

To prepare the noodles, divide each bundle in half, and tie at ONE END with a piece of kitchen twine. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the bundles for about 6 minutes, or according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and let dry for a few minutes.

To assemble the sushi, cut the tied end off the noodle bundle and place the noodles on the nori. Add a few tofu sticks, some carrots, cucumber, and avocado, then roll up tightly using a sushi mat (or if you’re cheap like me, a piece of wax paper.) Slice with a very sharp knife and arrange on a plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients (you may have some tofu left over, but it’s great diced and added to salads.)

Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.

This morning almost felt like summer. It was sunny, it was warm, and I felt kind of miserable on my run because of it. I’m just not used to temperatures above about 65 when I head out in the mornings! Can’t complain though…we definitely get spoiled here.

For about the four hundredth time I’m trying to make more recipes from my cookbooks. I pulled out Japanese Home Cooking and the Summer Soba instantly jumped out at me because of the warm day we had. I love how pretty and composed the plate looks, and of course I love just about anything made with soba noodles. I deviated from the recipe in the book a little bit – I marinated the cucumbers, and baked some tempeh to add a little extra protein. I like the flexibility with recipes like this – you could put all sorts of different fresh vegetables in here and it would look and taste amazing.

Recipe:
(adapted from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima)

makes 2 large servings

tempeh
8 ounces tempeh, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp freshly grated ginger

cucumbers
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup rice vinegar

eggs
2 eggs
salt and pepper
pinch sugar

dressing
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

noodles
2 bundles soba noodles (about 6 ounces total)
1 sheet nori, toasted and cut into thin strips
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Prepare the tempeh: mix the soy sauce and ginger, then evenly coat the tempeh slices, cover, and chill for about 4 hours. Then place in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Let cool, then cut into matchsticks.

Prepare the cucumbers: toss the sliced cucumbers with salt and sugar, then stir in the vinegar and let stand for about an hour at room temperature.

Prepare the eggs: Beat well with a pinch each sugar, salt, and pepper. Heat a small nonstick pan over medium, add the eggs, and cook until set, then flip to cook through. Remove to cool, then cut into thin slices.

To make the dressing, mix all ingredients and set aside.

Boil the noodles just until tender, then drain and rinse with cold water. Arrange on 2 plates, then pour some of the dressing over the noodles. Arrange the avocado, cucumbers, egg, tempeh, and nori on the plate, and sprinkle with sesame seeds to garnish.

I’ve always been more than okay with repetition and I know I have my parents to blame for that. in our hose growing up there were certain stories (about egg salad sandwiches or Greenbrier vans) that I heard so many times I feel like they happened to me.

I have been known to repeat stories, songs, meals, outfits, and food combinations more than is probably normal. My breakfast is always raw oatmeal with walnuts and wheat germ. I have run the same 3.5 mile loop in my hometown so many times I’m sure I could run it with my eyes closed. I’ve probably told Mike the story about getting lost in Washington DC when I was 3 years old at least two dozen times without realizing it. I have already posted two recipes with soba and spinach on this blog (here and here) and made them each a few times, but here I am posting a third. What can I say? When I find something I like, I stick with it!

This recipe incorporates some of my favorite things: orange juice in a savory dish, soba noodles, spinach, tofu, and cilantro. The recipe called for tempeh but gave tofu as a suitable substitute, and I loved it with tofu!

Recipe:
(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
16 ounces extra-firm nigari tofu
2 tablespoons olive oil
a handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
8 ounces soba noodles
1 medium bunch spinach, stems removed and roughly chopped

Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Stir in the mirin, honey, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.

Cut the tofu into thin (1/4″ – 1/2″) bite-sized triangles, and press between two clean dish towels to remove excess water.

Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tofu and fry for about 5 minutes, or until golden. Flip the pieces and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a thick glaze.

Meanwhile, cook the soba in a pot of rapidly boiling, lightly salted water, then drain.

Remove the tofu from the frying pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir the spinach into the glaze that’s left in the pan, and cook, stirring, until it is just wilted. Toss the spinach and remaining glaze with the cooked soba, then top with the tofu and fresh cilantro

I would like to call your attention to that cute little tree in the column on the right side of the page. The one that says “Super Natural Recipe Search” under it.

If you’re trying to eat more whole foods, or if you get some new produce in your CSA box and have no idea what to do with it, or if you’ve been perusing the bulk bins of whole grains at your grocery store but don’t know where to start, that button will be of tremendous use to you. I most recently used it to find new things to do with soba noodles, my current obsession.

Heidi Swanson, the author of my very favorite food blog 101 Cookbooks created the Super Natural Recipe Search to help easily find great recipes featuring natural, minimally processed ingredients. You can even submit your own creations to be added to the database! I’m a big fan. I most recently entered “soba” into the search box, and found some great things…like this!

So about this beautiful salad: It’s got soba and spinach, two fantastically healthy ingredients. (So does another soba recipe I made, but that one had a totally different flavor profile). The dressing starts with a giant scoop of peanut butter, so you can’t really go wrong there. It’s great still warm or cold the next day, so it’s perfect for packing in your lunch.

Recipe:
(adapted from Mighty Foods)
3 cups roughly chopped spinach
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 1-lb block extra firm tofu, drained
12 ounces soba noodles
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (green parts only)

Dressing:
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp brown sugar

Cut the tofu into small cubes.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the tofu and cook, stirring gently, until all the cubes are golden. Set aside.
Cook the soba in rapidly boiling water according to package directions.
Drain and rinse with plenty of cool water.
While the pan is still warm from cooking the noodles, add all the dressing ingredients and whisk them together (the heat will make the peanut butter easier to mix.)
Put the soba in a large bowl with the spinach and tofu, and toss with the dressing (you may not need to use all of it).

Don’t ask me why I made this dish in the middle of summer. I’m going to go ahead and blame the torrential downpour that kept me awake all night for making me think of fall and the rich foods that seem so appropriate when it’s cloudy and gray and pouring.

In the midst of the rain, I thought about pasta. Creamy pasta…or soba (even better than regular pasta). Garlic. Roasted cauliflower. It all sounded so perfect in the middle of a rainy night
Aside from the fact that it was 90 degrees out when I made this, it’s pretty close to perfection.

Cauliflower was an unexpected find at my grocery store. I hadn’t seen it there before, and was overjoyed when I spotted some tucked back by the broccoli. It was even reasonably priced, which is more than I can say for the asparagus ($6 for 8 bleak looking stalks? I think not.)

Recipe:
1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbps butter
5 cloves garlic, chopped (it sounds like a lot, but it will mellow)
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
8 ounces soba noodles

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until slightly browned and tender.
Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
Cook the soba noodles according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
While the water for the soba is boiling, put the butter in a medium saucepan and melt.
Add the garlic and stir over medium-low until very fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add the milk and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl, beat the egg well with a fork. Add about half the milk to the egg, stirring constantly.
Return the egg-milk mixture to the saucepan and add about 1/2 tsp salt. Stir constantly until the sauce begins to thicken.
Taste and add more salt if necessary.
In a serving bowl, toss the cauliflower, noodles, and sauce together, then serve immediately.

Shopping here has definitely been a big adjustment; I’ll have an idea of what I want to make, then get to the store and find that a few key ingredients just aren’t available. It makes meal planning a challenge, but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it soon.

I couldn’t decide how to categorize this recipe, so I put it under both Chinese and Japanese, because it has elements of each.

8 ounces soba noodles
a few tsp oil (such as canola or peanut)
12 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into thin 1″ by 1/2″ rectangles
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
about 20 white button mushrooms, sliced
1 large bunch spinach, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
pinch white pepper

Cook the soba for about 6 minutes in a large pot of rapidly boiling water.
Drain, and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Heat about a tsp of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden brown on all sides. (You may need to cook the tofu in two batches, depending on the size of your pan.)
Set cooked tofu aside.
Stir together the sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, broth, and white pepper
Heat another teaspoon of oil in the pan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent.
Add the mushrooms and oyster sauce mixture and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the spinach (waiting until some cooks down before adding more, if necessary), and then the tofu and stir well.
Add the noodles to heat through, then transfer to a serving bowl.