For the Noodle Salad

I don't measure for the salad and generally go with about 3 times the amount of veggies to cooked noodles. Feel free to vary the ingredients.

cold, cooked soba noodles

sugar snap peas, cooked tender-crisp

romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

yellow bell pepper slices

red onion slices

toasted peanuts

spicy sesame orange dressing - enough to coat everything (recipe below)

optional: sliced seitan flavored and cooked any way you like

Get the soba noodles cooking and toss the snap peas into the pot of boiling noodles one minute before they're finished cooking. Drain together, rinse with cold water and drain again.

I used a homemade 5-spice seitan but use any you like - or leave it out entirely. Great either way!

Spicy Sesame Orange Dressing

2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons agave nectar

zest of 1 orange

1 large clove of garlic, minced to a paste

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

red chile peppers, finely minced, as much as you like

Whisk tahini and sesame oil together until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and adjust flavors if needed.

Yields approximately 1/2 cup of dressing.

Related Recipe:

Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles with Veggies

Spinach and Artichoke Filo Pastries

Not so much a formal recipe as it is the simple method I used to put everything together. I assembled the pastries like two long strudels as I find it easier and quicker than making individual triangles. This gave us about ten 3” slices.

Spinach filling:

2 onions, chopped

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

1 kg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

chopped dill, as much as you'd like

1 cup chopped, marinated artichoke hearts

black pepper, to taste

Tofu crumbles:

175g firm tofu, crumbled

ume plum vinegar*

8-10 sheets filo, thawed

olive oil, for brushing (use a pastry brush or oil mister)

Get the tofu crumbles marinated

Combine the tofu and ume plum vinegar and allow to sit while preparing the spinach filling.

* Ume plum vinegar adds a pleasantly tart, salty flavor. I used 3 teaspoons but you could go with more if you think it needs it. I opted for less in the interest of keeping the total sodium content from creeping up higher than I'd of liked. I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourself how much to include.

Prepare the spinach filling

Saute onions in a little oil until translucent. Add the garlic, spinach and herbs. Saute just until any more excess liquid evaporates. Season with black pepper to taste. Allow to cool completely. Stir in tofu.

Assemble the pastries and bake

Assemble one long pastry at a time using 4-5 sheets of filo for each and half of the spinach filling. (I do this right on the baking sheet.) Work quickly and give each layer of filo a very light brush or spray of olive oil before folding up with the spinach filling. Place seam side down. Brush olive oil over the outside of the pastry and sprinkle with extra dill, if desired. Repeat process for the second pastry. Score the tops with a knife about every 3 inches. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes, or until filo is golden brown and flaky.