I’ve always been a big fan of soba noodles. For years I’ve served them with a rice vinegar and tamari based sauce, and then I discovered ponzu. Made from Japanese citrus (sudachi), ponzu is tart, acidic, and the perfect vinegar replacement for a soba noodle sauce. Similar to lime juice, it brightens up the sauce, and adds a level of complexity that just isn’t present when using vinegar.
I’ve already made these delicious ponzu soba noodles 3 times (in a week)! The sauce comes together in 5 minutes, the noodles are ready in 4, and the veggies––the most time consuming part––can be washed, chopped, and cooked in 15. Make a large batch, and these easy soba noodles will keep you nourished and happy all week.
Confession: I love to cook, but don’t do it often for myself.
Unless I’m creating a recipe for Sweet Potato Soul or cooking for my clients, I rely on quick and easy eats. I will make a large batch of these soba noodles to munch on throughout the week, and the rest of my meals are things like my Buddha Bowl, Kale and Kimchi Salad, Quinoa Porridge, Avocado Toast, and Chia Seed Pudding. For snacks I usually eat fresh fruit, chocolate, and very occasionally I’ll have popcorn or nuts. Something else I rely on is my Vitamix to make smoothies. I keep pre-washed greens in the refrigerator, and always have bananas and blueberries in the freezer. Those ingredients combine with non-dairy milk or coconut water to make an uber simple, healthy, and tasty smoothie.
Here’s a look at what I will eat in a day (well, maybe not all this in one day). The salad shown is about 1/4 of the size I eat it:
Top, from left: banana blueberry smoothie with raw cacao powder, strawberries, quinoa porridge, iced coffee. Bottom, from left: toasted Ezekiel bread with mashed banana and tahini, homemade kombucha, tofu scramble, kale and kimchi salad
Ponzu Lime Soba Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 to mato diced
- 4 carrots peeled into skinny strips with a julienne peeler
- 2 heads baby bok choy chopped
- 2 cups baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 3 bundles of soba noodles
Sauce
- 6 tbsp soy sauce shoyu or tamari
- 1/4 cup ponzu or lime juice
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil in a large skillet or wide pot.
- Add the tomato, and saute on medium heat until soft.
- Add the carrots, bok choy, and mushrooms, and cook until tender (about 8 minutes).
- Meanwhile make the soba noodles. Boil 6-8 cups of water, then add the soba. Stir for the first 30 seconds, then allow to cook for another 4 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Sauce
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a large jar with a lid, or a bowl, Shake or stir to combine, then pour them over the cooked veggies.
- Combine the soba and the cooked veggies with sauce.
- Serve warm or chilled (my favorite).
This week I decided to take off from releasing a cooking video. My camera man and I have gotten very busy with work, and haven’t edited the new content just yet. Because of this, I figured it would be an opportune time to ask you for your video requests. What is it that you’d like to see more of on the Sweet Potato Soul channel? It could be anything from fitness to cakes, salads to interviews. Let me know in the comment section below, please!!
Ly Be / May 19, 2017 at 11:21 am /
I just tried it and it was super delicious! I will definately make it again on another day.
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / May 21, 2017 at 1:45 pm /
Thank you!!
Bette DelGrosso / November 6, 2015 at 1:57 pm /
How about mung beans. Would like to get a recipe for making them.
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / November 23, 2015 at 9:51 pm /
Hey Bette!! I thought I replied to this, but it didn’t save 🙁 Here’s what I found for mung beans on Food Gawker: https://foodgawker.com/?s=mung+beans
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / November 6, 2015 at 2:19 am /
I love that idea so much. A lot of people have been asking for that recently 🙂 Coming soooooon!!!
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / November 6, 2015 at 2:19 am /
You are so kind!!
Why soba? I love it. So delicious and hearty. They’re actually my favorite non-Italian noodles . Tacos!! https://sweetpotatosoul.com/?s=tacos
No more pizza crusts, but I would like to make one…soon 🙂
Pie crust: https://sweetpotatosoul.com/2015/01/vegan-pecan-pie-for-dr-king-video.html
Thanks for loving my site! I’m so happy to have you as a reader 🙂 xo
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / July 9, 2015 at 3:16 pm /
Hey Georgia! It’s so so great for these conditions. I highly recommend checking out the diabetes guide on the PCRM website http://www.pcrm.org/health/diabetes-resources/the-vegan-diet-how-to-guide-for-diabetes
You can get plenty of protein from plants. You’ll just need to eat enough calories (plants have way fewer calories than animal products). Broccoli has more protein per calorie than beef!
A plant based diet is great for healing, strengthening, and lowering risk of disease 🙂
Renee Wiggins / June 18, 2015 at 11:45 pm /
How to make seitan, and more raw dessert dishes
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / June 23, 2015 at 1:28 am /
mmm, great ideas!! Thanks Renee!
Liz / June 17, 2015 at 4:29 pm /
Hey Jenne I want to become vegan, I recently did a vegan challenge with my husband, it was great. I had a problem with cheese so when it was over I went back to eating cheese but it made me ill. I guess cause I didn’t eat it for 40 days. How to you deal with cravings? I want to start back eating vegan diet I had so much energy and I felt and looked great.
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / June 23, 2015 at 1:27 am /
Hey Liz! I want you to become vegan too 🙂
My favorite way to deal with cravings is to have a conversation with myself about the craving. If I’m craving banana bread at 11am and there is some sitting on the counter I ask myself why I want it, how it will make me feel, and if I can go without it, and make a better late-night decision. Often I want it because I’m stressed or tired, so I’m able to deal with those emotions in a healthier way (sometimes that means going to sleep, or getting off of the computer). If I tell myself it’ll make me feel guilty, then I definitely don’t eat it because that’s a negative emotion that I don’t enjoy. The cake isn’t good enough to make me not care about the possible guilty feeling.
Thats an example of how I deal.
If cheese was my thing I would read about where cheese comes from, the reality of dairy farms, and the negative health effects of it. Sounds scary, but it is. Enough to make me not eat it anymore despite giving up stuff like…cheese pizza 🙂 Whatever works for you! If these don’t make sense you may have to get creative with yourself.
Most importantly, be aware of your daily decisions and food choices. Good luck! I’m always here to help!
Kenyatta University / June 16, 2015 at 7:24 am /
I just love the Recipe! Need to try this! – Isaac
Jenné @ Sweet Potato Soul / June 16, 2015 at 4:26 am /
Hi Jazy! Congratulations on becoming vegan. I can assure you that you’ve made the right decision. There is a ton of evidence out there that confirms the benefits of eating a whole food plant-based/vegan diet.
Great questions/requests. For breakfasts check out this video: https://youtu.be/TSzrNZL0FCA and the breakfast tab on my blog: https://sweetpotatosoul.com/recipes
For weight loss watch this one: https://youtu.be/GLW1A5s7Wws
And this one too: https://youtu.be/RB9fVasnfXk
For more help send me an email jenne@sweetpotatosoul.com
Love from NYC <3