Soba Noodle Salad

I'm sick of seeing soba recipes and not getting in on the action.



A little bit of lazy...



And a little bit of luscious.

= Yum. :)

Bento Noodle Salad:

4 oz soba noodles, boiled (4-6 minutes) and chilled
2 cup coleslaw mix
1 stalk celery, julienned
1/3 red bell pepper, julienned

Dressing:
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp honey

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Mix chilled noodles, coleslaw mix, celery, and bell pepper in large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients together; pour over salad. Mix well. Serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds!

Also made another bento today:


Top container: banana slices and chocolate chip cookies for dessert
Bottom tier: soba noodle salad with soy sauce penguin
Top tier: almonds, cheese star, sourdough bread, spinach

It was yummy!

Soy and Garlic Zucchini

I know, I'm such a slacker. This is a really quick recipe that I like to make when I have my Japanese-styled breakfasts (miso soup, gyoza, rice). It's so simple and tangy and delicious!


Soy and Garlic Zucchini:

1 large zucchini, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp pepper
2-3 tbsp soy sauce

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, brown for 30 seconds and add sliced zucchini. Cook until somewhat softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add pepper and soy sauce.
+You can add salt, just remember that the soy sauce is very salty so you won’t need much.

Serves 2.

--Jirafa

No-Bake Cheesecake

My first attempt at a no-bake cheesecake. I modified a recipe that came with my KitchenAid mixer and it came out delicious! A lot of the joy was in the chocolate crumb base that gave the cheesecake an extra subtle flavor.



No-Bake Cheesecake (adapted from KitchenAid)

2 8-oz packages low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cup whipped topping, either homemade or packaged

1 ½ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
½ stick butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar

First prepare the crumb mixture. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, ½ stick butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Line a 9-inch cake round with wax paper, overlapping to create handles, then fill with crumb mixture. Press this firmly into the cake pan, cover with another sheet of wax paper, and weight with something heavy (I used a glass mixing bowl). Refrigerate while you prepare the cheesecake.
*Most boxes of graham crackers divide the crackers into packaged groups of 5 or 6 sheets. One of these groups is perfect and you can smash it all up in the thick plastic, then just cut open and
voila!

Place cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla into mixer bowl. Mix until well-blended and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add whipped topping, mix another 1 minute. Pour over prepared crust and smooth out. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

To serve, remove from pan using wax paper handles. Slice and top with sugared strawberries or chocolate sauce!

Serves 8




--Jirafa