Vegetable and Soba Noodle Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

I don't know how such an egregious mistake could have occurred, but in my year and a half as a blogger, I haven't shared a single stir-fry recipe. For something that makes an appearance on our dinner table almost every week, that's just not okay.

Lately, we've gone through a string of boring, not at all interesting stir-fries. It used to be something I looked forward to, but lately, we've been eating it less often just because it's been so disappointing. Finally I struck gold with this recipe. It's packed with veggies. The peanut sauce isn't too thick and peanut buttery, like so many other peanut sauces I've made. And these gluten free soba noodles, made from sweet potato and buckwheat flour, are going to become my newest obsession. I've long been a fan of the organic soba noodles by King Soba, but the chewy texture of these makes them my new favorite. You can purchase a variety pack online or locally here in Columbia, SC at Earth Fare.

If you follow me on instagram, you probably saw my pictures of wineries and the gorgeous Cali sunset from our trip to visit family in Sonoma. I'll spare you from instagramming a picture of what I look like right now - haggard and unshowered after taking the red-eye from San Fran last night. So while I would love to babble on about the health benefits of eggplant or bok choy, I would love to take a shower more.

Vegetable and Soba Noodle Stir Fry with Peanut Sauce

Serves 6
Adapted from Goop

Peanut sauce:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Juice from 1 lime (~ 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tablespoons coconut sugar or unrefined brown sugar
2 tablespoons tahini
1 small clove garlic, minced
2-4 dried red Thai chilies, partially seeded and chopped
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 lb whole grain soba noodles
2 tablespoons avocado oil or organic canola oil
8 ounces tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into strips
1 medium eggplant, cut into thin strips
1 cup green beans, halved
1 medium bok choy, stemmed and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
Chopped peanuts, for garnish
Sliced green onions, for garnish

First, make the sauce by blending all peanut sauce ingredients together in a food processor until smooth and combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Heat a large pot of water to a boil and cook soba noodles according to package instructions. When tender, drain and rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil on medium high heat. Season tofu with salt and pepper and add to oil. Cook until browned on all sides, about 5-7 minutes total. Remove and set aside.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil t the skillet on medium-high heat. Add eggplant, green beans, bok choy, and red pepper. Cook until tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add cooked soba noodles and peanut sauce and toss to combine. Add tofu and toss again. Serve garnished with peanuts and green onions, if desired.