There's been a lot of noodles on this blog lately when it comes to recipes- I guess there's something about winter that makes you reach for those slurpy broth noodles or hot noodles. 

Back in college, I went through a pad thai-obsessed craze with my freshman year roommate when we first discovered it. It became a little excessive, and I didn't realize then how much of a nutritional bomb it was- it's typically laden with sugars and not the healthiest of fats. 

There are times where I still crave those flavors- a savory peanut sauce on some chewy noodles. Soba noodles were my immediate go-to whenever I was craving noodles because they're fast and relatively healthy. Then this gluten thing kicked up, and I found out that even though soba noodles are primarily buckwheat, the majority have about 20% regular wheat in them, rendering them not gluten-free for those who have to be strict about it. 

In my search for gluten-free soba noodles, I stumbled upon this at Whole Foods and decided to give it a try.

These are the perfect noodles for that pad thai type of dish- they are chewy like rice noodles, but they have more substantial flavor and nutritional value. They have a lower glycemic index than most noodles, so it won't put you in a carb coma afterward. This soba bowl is gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free.

I made this peanut sauce with tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), ginger, and lime to give it that savory kick- it takes about 1 minute to assemble and 30 seconds to mix. Easiest, quickest noodle sauce ever.

As for the rest of the ingredients, I love throwing in a baby spinach wherever I can whether it be smoothies or bowls like these. The baby portobello mushrooms are to add some umami and much needed Vitamin D in this rather gloomy winter weather. 

On to it!

Spinach Mushroom Soba Bowl with Peanut Sauce

*serves 2

Ingredients

6-8 ounces Soba Noodles (I used King Soba Buckwheat & Sweet Potato)
1/2 dozen baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
3 cups of baby Spinach
1 small Scallion, diced
*optional sesame seeds & red pepper to garnish

Peanut Sauce
2 tbsp Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce- feel free to use regular)
2 tbsp creamy, unsweetened Peanut Butter
1 tbsp fresh Lime Juice
1 clove Garlic, minced (I use frozen Dorot)
1 tsp Ginger, minced (again, frozen Dorot for the win)
1 tsp Honey (or Maple Syrup if Vegan)
Asian red pepper flakes, to taste

Recipe

1. Begin to cook noodles you are using with the instructions on the packaging.

2. While noodles are cooking, make the peanut sauce. Combine all ingredients for the peanut sauce in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly well-combined. 

3. Place baby spinach and scallions in a bowl. When noodles are finished cooking and still hot, drain them and place noodles atop of the spinach/scallion mixture and let sit for 2-3 minutes to wilt the spinach. Mix altogether.

4. Pour peanut sauce over the noodles and mix in well. Garnish with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and fresh lime if you wish! This dish works both hot and cold, and is best served immediately.