Soba Noodles with Spinach, Mushroom, and Tofu

       I made this super yummy Japanese meal for supper tonight. My best friend is half Japanese and her family is really into cooking. So eating at her house is always so delicious and I always get to try new things. When my mom cooks at my house it is basically like the same 10-15 dinners over and over again. She is not the best at mixing it up or trying new things. Which is my speciality! I really like trying different ethnic food because I didn't have very much of it growing up. My friend really started rubbing off on me and made me realize that ethnic food has so much more flavor than regular american food. And more often than not it is also healthier because it doesn't have as many processed or fatty food in the dishes. So I made soba noodles with mushrooms, spinach, and tofu. I highly recommend this recipe, just make sure you cook enough noodles or aren't serving it to very many people. Because my family wasn't a fan of the smaller portions. It reminded me a lot of real Japanese ramen. If you have never had real Japanese ramen then it need to go on your to do list because it is out of this world! Also if you are in the mood for ramen you should watch the movie Ramen Girl. Very funny and also very educational about ramen. Here's the recipe below and sorry I don't have a picture of my own because I took a picture on snap chat and sent it . But forgot to take a picture with just my phone. I'm new at recipe posting so I'll get better with time. Also one last tip make sure you un shell the edamame beans before adding them. I had never used them before so I figured that one out the hard way. The shells are extremely crunchy! Also here is the website that I got the recipe from http://www.recipe.com/soba-noodles-with-mushroom-spinach-tofu/?crlt.pid=camp.jNT3xjbV

soba noodles with mushroom, spinach & tofu 

ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. (30 mL)

  canola oil
• 1 

  shallot, minced
• 1 

  carrot, finely diced
• 2 

  cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. (20 mL)

  minced fresh ginger
• 8 oz. (250 g)

  white or brown mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup (250 mL)

  frozen, thawed edamame
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL)

  low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. (30 mL)

  reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. (5 mL)

  grated lemon zest
• 4 oz. (125 g)

  spinach leaves, chopped
• 4 oz. (125 g)

  firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/4 tsp. (1 mL)

  freshly ground pepper
• 6 oz. (170 g)

  soba noodles 

  
  

  
  

  directions

  1.

  Bring a 5- to 6-quart pot of water to a boil.

  2.

  In a 10- to 12-inch saute pan, warm canola oil over medium-high heat. Add shallot, carrot, garlic, and ginger and saute for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, reduce heat to low, and cover pan; sweat mushrooms until soft, about 4 minutes. Uncover pan and increase heat to medium-high again. Stir in edamame and saute until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir together broth, soy sauce, and lemon zest and pour into pan. Bring to a boil.

  3.

  Stir in spinach a handful at a time, stirring after each addition until wilted. Stir in tofu, then turn off heat under pan. Season to taste with pepper.

  4.

  Drop soba noodles into boiling water; cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water to remove excess starch. Add noodles to saute pan and turn on heat to medium-high. With tongs, toss noodles with vegetable mixture just until heated through, then divide among shallow pasta bowls and serve.

  
  nutrition information

  Per serving: Calories 240, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 360 mg, Carbohydrate 22 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 15 g, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.