Soba Noodle Vegetable Stir-Fry

A meal with no meat? I know, I was a little surprised with myself too. But as much of a carnivore as I am, I like to experiment with vegetarian dishes every now and again in order to make sure that I have options in my repertoire. Whenever I do have a meatless meal, I am not satisfied unless there is something of substance on the plate that will fill me up such as beans, potatoes, pasta, or some grain. Then I (almost) don’t even miss the meat…almost.

Ingredients:

• buckwheat soba noodles
• sesame oil
• grated ginger
• carrots
• chili flakes
• snow peas
• enoki mushrooms
• black bean garlic paste
• soy sauce
• sriracha sauce
• black sesame seeds

Procedure: Cook the soba noodles according the instructions on the package, and I also threw a few chunks of ginger in the water to add a little extra flavor. Start by sauteing the carrots in the sesame oil with chili flakes and grated ginger. Add the snow peas after a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and add the mushrooms at the very last minuted or else they will essentially disintegrate. Add in a couple spoonfuls of the black bean garlic paste, a few dashes each of soy sauce and sriracha, and toss in your freshly cooked pasta. As always, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds as a garnish.