Cold Soba Noodles with Egg and Vegetables

This is one of my favorite meals to prepare during the summer.  It's quick, filling, nutritious, and a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies.  It only takes a few ingredients to whip up this healthy meal for the family.

The essential ingredients are the soba noodles (Japanese for buckwheat) and the soba dipping sauce (available at most Asian supermarkets).   My favorite brand for the soba noodles is from Sukina, and the dipping sauce I use is Danya's Soba Tsuyu.  The sauce is an excellent blend of soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, and sugar with the slightest hint of bonito (dried tuna flakes) and dried mackerel.

Buckwheat is considered a superfood and has incredible health benefits:  it's gluten-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free and is a good source of nutrients like manganese, iron, zinc, lean protein, and thiamine.  To learn more on the health benefits of buckwheat noodles, you can read about it here.

Simply place the noodles in boiling water for about 6-7 minutes.  Rinse the cooked noodles with cold water and drain well.  Place a serving of noodles in a bowl, add a tablespoon of the dipping sauce (add more to taste), and top with veggies like lettuce, sliced carrots and cucumbers.  I like to add sliced boiled eggs for an additional source of protein.  Then I usually sprinkle a touch of black or roasted sesame seeds on top to complete the dish.

To say my boys love this dish would be an understatement.  They practically inhale it, and that makes me one happy mama.