Sesame-Miso Noodles with Green Onions & Edamame

Mariel here. Unlike many people, I really look forward to Mondays. I work from home Tuesday through Friday so I have someone help me out with my son so I can actually get some writing done. Two-year-olds have no concept of personal space and as I write this very post, my son is yelping at me from the doorway that he “Needs help, helmet is stuck.” Lately he insists on wearing a flaming yellow and black helmet everywhere – to dinner, out to ice cream, in the car, to the park. Frankly, there are worse fascinations and since he’s also intent on scaling every wall, rock and terrifying climbing apparatus in sight, it’s a good thing he’s always putting safety first.

In any event, my son and I call Monday “Mommy Mondays” and he knows that our day together typically entails a trip to the nature center, the zoo and playdates with friends. During the insane infant/newborn phase, Mondays were my toughest day. I think every parent is better suited to certain developmental stages and I just felt out of my depth for most of that first year. But now that he walks, talks and full-on asserts his own opinion, we can totally hang. And I really love it, screaming tantrums aside.

Even though this is my favorite weekday, I’m usually exhausted by 5pm, especially now that I’m squarely in my third trimester of pregnancy. So when it comes to dinner, the more brainless the better. Weeknight dinners don’t come easier than this one and because the sesame dressing includes ripe avocado to make it creamy – in lieu of high-cal tahini or peanut butter – it’s relatively guilt-free (for a noodle dish anyway). I serve this to my son sans greenery – he’s just not there yet – but for full-size people, this makes for a complete meal: salad, protein, fiber, all in one miso-clad parcel. Enjoy!

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Sesame-Miso Noodles with Green Onions & Edamame
Serves 3

Ingredients for the Dressing:
¼ of a ripe avocado
1 Tablespoon white miso paste (I get it at Whole Foods) – $4.23
1 small garlic clove – stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice – stock
½ teaspoon sesame oil – stock
¼ kosher salt – stock
1/3 cup warm water – stock

Ingredients for the Noodle Salad:
8½-oz package of buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to package directions – $3.00
2 green onions, sliced – $1.50
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions – $2.99
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped – $0.79
Sesame seeds, to garnish – stock
Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $12.51
Cost per serving: $4.17

Directions:
1. Using a food processor or blender, puree all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

2. Cook the frozen edamame and the soba noodles separately, according to package directions.

3. In a large bowl, combine all of the noodle salad ingredients then toss with the dressing, spooning on a Tablespoon at a time until coated to your taste. Serve warm.