Soba Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu

Cold noodle salad is a staple for hot summer nights when you don’t want to spend too much time in front of a hot oven. Soba noodles are a Japanese buckwheat noodle and can be found in most Asian grocery stores. Prep the dressing ahead of time so your tofu has a chance to marinate in it before you grill.

Ingredients

Dressing:
2-3 Tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp sesame oil
5 Tbsp soy or tamari
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 inch fresh ginger, minced
2 green onions
Salad:
1/2 package firm or pressed tofu, cut into 1/3 inch slices
8 oz/237g package soba noodles
1 cup sprouts
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 1/2 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cups snow peas, sliced
4 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Optional: 1/3 package enoki mushrooms

Preparation

Dressing:
1. Combine maple syrup, vinegar, sesame oil, soy, garlic, ginger, and green onion. Marinate tofu in sauce for minimum 1 hour. The longer you marinate the better.
Salad:
1. Cook Soba noodles according to package instructions and rinse with cold water.
2. Remove tofu from dressing marinade. Set aside to use as salad dressing.
3. Grill tofu on a hot grill for 6 minutes on both sides or until it has nice char marks. Alternatively, bake tofu for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm and nicely browned in a 350° Fahrenheit oven.
4. Toss noodles with marinade. Add extra maple syrup, vinegar, sesame oil and soy if more dressing is needed.
5. Arrange noodles with vegetables, tofu and top with sesame seeds.