The Flexitarian Eater: As promised, a post and a recipe!

Few things say summer like grilling. And if you're anything like me, there's no meal like a good barbecue. Put anything on the grill and it tastes so.much.better. So of course I knew that my dinner-duty Tuesday evening had to involve the grill, in some shape or form.

Stellar photography skills, I know. I'm working on it, I promise!

On the menu?

Grilled teriyaki shrimp
Grilled bok choy
Sesame-soy soba noodles (because clearly I like alliteration with the letter "s")

To be quite honest, the shrimp and bok choy hardly required a recipe. That's the beauty of grilling -- you don't need to do much to make your food taste great! But the soba noodles did require a bit more thought, so I figured that's the recipe I'll share with you all today :)

Sesame-Soy Soba Noodles

Gluten-free, low-fat, and vegan...what more could you ask for?

For the noodles:

1 package of 100% buckwheat Soba Noodles (I used Eden Organics)
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 large cucumber, finely diced
2 T sesame seeds, toasted (just heat in a heavy duty pan over low heat until seeds begin to LIGHTLY brown)
3/4 c shelled edamame

For the dressing:

1 T peeled and grated fresh ginger root
4 T rice vinegar
1.5 T Asian sesame oil
3 T soy sauce
1-2 T minced garlic (I used 2, but my family LOVES garlic)
a pinch of sugar (helps round out the flavor)
salt to taste

Directions:

Cook soba noodles according to package directions (Be careful not to overcook! Soba cooks quickly). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Transfer to large serving bowl.

Make dressing:

Combine dressing ingredients. Whisk with fork until evenly incorporated.

Add dressing, vegetables, and edamame to noodles. Toss well.

Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate, at least 1 hour, and up to 5 hours (this helps the noodles to absorb the flavor).

Serve and enjoy!