Buckwheat Soba Noodles with a Tasty Spin

Happy Friday! I forgot to post this last night, so I'm doing it this morning! I served soba noodle salad for dinner last night, mixed with some very interesting veggies. It was tasty, filling, and best of all, healthy. It's really easy to make as well - the recipe says it takes an hour, but it takes much less! Enjoy!

Soba Noodle Salad with Pesto and Grilled Eggplant
Bill Kim, Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1 pound Asian eggplant, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and tossing
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 cups basil leaves
• 4 medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 pound buckwheat soba noodles
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6 large radishes, cut into thin wedges through the stem
• 1/2 English cucumber—halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 cup mint leaves, torn if large

Directions

1. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the eggplant with olive oil and season with salt. Grill over moderate heat, turning once, until tender and lightly charred, 6 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a plate and let cool completely, then cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
2. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing, until golden, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate and let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, basil and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. With the machine on, add the 1 cup of olive oil in a steady stream. Add the soy sauce and pulse to blend. Season the pesto with salt.
4. In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the soba noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes. Rinse the noodles under cold water, then drain and pat dry.
5. In a large bowl, toss the soba noodles with the pesto until evenly coated. Add the grilled eggplant, tomatoes, radishes, cucumber and 3/4 cup of the mint leaves and toss well. Season the soba noodle salad with salt. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of mint leaves on top and serve.