Chilled Soba Noodle Salad

If you are looking for a really different pasta salad for your summer entertaining, this is the one!  Made with soba noodles, it boosts interesting texture, complex flavors, loads of vegetables, protein from tofu and peanuts and beautiful color.  It can totally be made ahead of time and will hold up well on the buffet table.  Don’t like tofu?  You could substitute shredded chicken breast or cooked shrimp. Adding edemame would boost protein and be a great addition too.  The recipe was recreated by my friend Christine who is a guest blogger today. She enjoyed the salad at famous chef Lynn Crawford’s Ruby WatchCo Restaurant on a trip to Toronto.  Christine brought it to a recent potluck where it was a hit.  The recipe feeds a big group.  It looks complicated but it really is not:  cooked soba noodles are tossed in a great honey-ginger dressing.  To that are added shredded veggies, sautéed tofu and marinated cabbage.  To finish, the salad is topped by crunchy peanuts and pea shoots.  It is worth making and leftovers, if you’re lucky enough to have any, will keep for a few days.  Dig in!

Tomato-Mozzarella Avocado Boats

This may become your favorite summer appetizer.  Ready in a couple of minutes, it is a delicious and gorgeous dish bursting with color and flavor and suitable for  low carb diets.