Cold Sesame Noodles with Summer Vegetables

While my work neighborhood has some great restaurants, who really has time to have a long drawn out sit down lunch? Not I! So I'm always looking for an easy lunch to take with me so I don't have to think about what to eat to fuel me through the day. Since its still somewhat warm out, I settled on this recipe because it looked super easy and was something different and light. Verdict? So easy to make, so colorful and full of texture. I love Sriracha so I added more than the recipe called for and didn't add the cilantro because I forgot to purchase it. Next time, I will add chicken or tofu to give it more of a protein punch. This dish is perfect for a light lunch or dinner, especially during the warm months.


Cold Sesame Noodles with Summer Vegetables
Recipe from Bon Appetit Test Kitchen, July 2012

Ingredients
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chili sauce)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
8 cups matchstick-size pieces mixed summer vegetables (such as carrots, radishes, cucumbers, and bell peppers)
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
8 ounces buckwheat soba (Japanese-style noodles) 
1 cup cilantro leaves 
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon black or white sesame seeds

Directions

Whisk first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetables; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain. Run noodles under cold water to cool them; drain well and add to bowl with vegetables. Add cilantro and scallions; season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle sesame seeds over and serve.

And now I have several easy to go packed lunches!

 

The original recipe can be found here.