Soba Noodle Salad with Sriracha Tofu

Soba Noodle Salad with Sriracha Baked Tofu

Soba Noodle Salad with Sriracha Tofu

This Soba Noodle Salad is a perfect summer side with grilled chicken or as a main dish on its own.

On a quest for healthy meals for the family, I came across a recipe for a soba noodle soup. Heavy on the ginger, with the addition of spicy sriracha baked tofu, it became the favorite dish I make for Coda. When summer came along, I wanted to be able to serve the same flavors but without the warm broth, and that is where this salad was born. It is very versatile, you can add whatever seasonal veggies are available. In this particular version I was able to add the snow peas and golden zucchini  that I grew in the garden this summer. (read more)

Wild Rice Salad with Blood Orange and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wild Rice Salad with Blood Orange and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wild Rice Salad with Blood Orange and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette

My Mom gave me some wild rice from that she got from a friend in Minnesota, and I have been meaning to experiment with making some dishes with it.  When reading a caption from the package of Singing Pines wild rice, I learned a little about the origin of this rice, and it peaked my curiosity.

August is called “manominikegississ” the month of the rice making moon. Traditionally, the Ojibway and Sioux Indians of Minnesota harvested the “mahomem”  or wild rice with two people in a canoe.  One person poled the boat through the rice bed, while the other, using sticks, knocked the rice kernels into the boat. The rice was then parched; the hulls removed and using a birch bark winnowing basket, the rice was separated from the chaff. The native peoples considered the mahomem a sacred gift from the Great Spirit or Creator. (read more)