It has not been easy to blog lately. Not
because I haven’t had anything to share, I just can seem to get focused enough
to get to a computer and write after sitting in front of a computer all day.
Every time I take a hiatus I pretend like that is the last one, but let’s face
it. This won’t be the last one. However, if anyone is still reading I’ll keep
trying to post!
I wrote a while back about a mango salad
that I love from a Thai restaurant in Edmonton. Then I made my own version of
it… and I forgot immediately that I did that and made another version. Similar
flavours, but slightly different too including a different grain. I tried
cooking with soba noodles not long ago and was amazed at how much I loved them.
They are a nice change from regular pasta and although they look like pasta and
they taste kind of like pasta, I seem to only want to put them in more
Asian-style dishes. Not quite sure why. Main reasons why I like this dish is
that it is good cold and at room temperature which is great when I am taking
things to work or while travelling; and there is very little labour time
involved. If you happen to be a lucky person with a mandolin, bring it out for
this one and you will have the veggies ready in a couple minutes. If I had a
mandolin I would have julienned the cucumber, but after chopping the mango, I
lost all interest and just sliced it. This salad could also have different
fruit in it. Pineapple comes to mind as a good one.
Normally I pick out an ingredient and find
some info on the nutrients on it, but I am trying something new. New as in I am
actually attempting to get the nutritional information for some of my
recipes. I have never paid a whole lot
of attention to the nutritional info. Most things that I cook are made from
whole ingredients and I think are pretty healthy. Some things definitely are
not, but really, who wants a healthy cookie anyways? A few weeks ago, a friend
was arguing with me about vegans not being able to get proper nutrients in
their diets. Personally, I thought this was bullshit, especially coming from a
person that lives for junk food and doesn’t cook more than once a month. So I
decided to log what I ate for a week and see where I stood. The results were
mostly expected, but a few things surprised me:
- I don’t get enough vitamin C –
How is that possible? I eat fruit and vegetables every day. I looked a little
closer at my diet and I actually don’t eat a lot of fruit and veg that is high
in vitamin C. I also don’t drink juice. Some days I get enough, but I think
because this is the vitamin that most people get too much of, I just wasn't thinking it should be monitored. I guess I was wrong!
- I don’t always get enough Calcium:
This one I was not as shocked at. Before going vegan I drank more milk than
most families do. I was getting more than my fill of calcium. When I stopped, I
replaced milk with water and never thought about making sure I was getting
enough calcium the week I did this food diary I was also being a little lazy
and not eating a lot of greens. If I eat greens every day, I see to be fine.. Something
to remember the next time I think about not buying greens to save a buck.
- I don't get enough vitamin D –
Another problem that comes from switching to a vegan diet. This vitamin is
trickier to get as a vegan. Easiest way to get it is to go outside. During the
time of logging what I ate, I was riding my bike outside and that wasn't calculated here. When I am not going outside (you only need 15 minutes), I will
need to remember to drink orange juice and non-dairy milk that is fortified
with it.
- Selenium – Seems I was low on this one too. Normally I eat a lot of grains, so I am rarely deficient. However, it is a reminder than this is another vitamin that seems to be easier to get from non-vegan sources. If you are eating your whole grains though, you’ll get enough. Mushrooms and sunflower seeds are a good source as well.
With all of that said, here is the recipe
for my soba noodle salad. It has vegetables, fruit and whole grain.
Cold Soba Noodle Salad
3-4 servings, takes about 45 minute, most
of this is inactive
- - 2 bundles of soba noodles (6 oz.)
- - 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- - Scant ½ cup of rice vinegar
- - 2 Tbsp. sugar
- - 1 Tbsp. Lime juice
- - Rind of one lime
- - 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- - ½ jalapeno, chopped fine or 1-2 tsp. of chili flakes
- - ½ small red onion sliced very thin (not pictured, I added it after the fact)
- - ½ long English cucumber sliced on the diagonal (Can peel, but don’t have to)
- - 1 mango, peeled and julienne
- - 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
- - ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- - ¼ cup chopped salted peanuts
- - Extra lime slices (optional)
- - Chopped cilantro (optional)
Get two pots and fill the large one with
water for the soba noodles and bring to a boil. While you are waiting, put the
vinegar and sugar into a small sauce pot and heat over medium heat until the
sugar is dissolved. At this point the water should be boiling. Cook the soba
noodles according to the instructions (about 3-4 minutes). In the sauce pot,
add in the onion, garlic, jalapeno lime and oil and stir well to combine. Let
this cook for a couple minutes. When everything is done, strain the soba
noodles very well and put them in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over top of it
and stir very well to combine. Put the noodles in the fridge and let them cool
for about a half hour or so.
Making the dressing.. |
Careful with these noodles, you want them al dente. They can over-cook very easily! |
When the noodles are cold, chop up the
mango, cucumber, mint, basil and peanuts. Add it all to the salad and stir
well. This salad is best if you can let it stand for a while and let the
ingredients meld, but could be eaten right away. Serve with extra lime and/or chopped
cilantro
Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe
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3 Servings
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Amount Per Serving
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Calories
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316.8
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Total Fat
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15.5 g
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Saturated
Fat
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2.2 g
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Polyunsaturated
Fat
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5.8 g
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Monounsaturated
Fat
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6.7 g
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Cholesterol
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0.0 mg
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Sodium
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47.8 mg
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Potassium
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331.3 mg
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Total
Carbohydrate
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42.7 g
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Dietary
Fiber
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3.1 g
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Sugars
|
19.5 g
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Protein
|
6.7 g
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Vitamin A
|
15.5 %
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Vitamin
B-12
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0.0 %
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Vitamin
B-6
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10.6 %
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Vitamin C
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47.8 %
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Vitamin D
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0.0 %
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Vitamin E
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10.9 %
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Calcium
|
3.0 %
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Copper
|
10.0 %
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Folate
|
11.1 %
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Iron
|
5.0 %
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Magnesium
|
10.7 %
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Manganese
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28.9 %
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Niacin
|
12.8 %
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Pantothenic
Acid
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5.5 %
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Phosphorus
|
8.4 %
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Riboflavin
|
5.1 %
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Selenium
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2.1 %
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Thiamin
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11.6 %
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Zinc
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4.4 %
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