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Soba Noodles with Bok Choy & Ginger

It's overcast and cold out today. Mom was baking her famous cookies for my brother's upcoming art show in Santa Barbara, and I got sucked into major pantry organization; consolidating bulk teas and grains and baking stuff, throwing old things out, and putting new things in jars. We were dancing to this and were both in the mood for something warm and delicious for lunch. I put together this simple pasta dish with buckwheat soba noodles, sprouted tofu, and bok choy.

Roughly chop 1/2 yellow onion. In a medium sized pot, heat 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 Tbsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp ground ginger with 2 Tbsp sesame oil. After 1-2 minutes, add chopped onion. Turn heat to low and cover, remembering to stir occasionally. In a smaller pot, boil water for noodles. While onions are slowly cooking and water is heating, cut 1/2 package firm sprouted tofu into small cubes, and roughly chop 1-2 baby bok choy. Set aside. In small mixing bowl, combine 1 heaping tablespoon white miso paste, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 Tbsp brown rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp mirin (rice cooking wine), 1-2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (depending on how spicy you like it), 1 Tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp soy sauce. When water is boiling, add 1 bundle (about 3.5 oz) soba noodles. Add tofu and bok choy to onion pot, give a good stir, and turn up the heat to med-high, leaving uncovered. When noodles are cooked through, strain and transfer them to vegetable pot, along with sauce mixture. Cook for another minute or two (until excess liquid evaporates and ingredients come together), then remove from heat and serve. Garnish with chopped toasted peanuts (I used pinenuts since I had no peanuts on hand and they were great), and/or chopped green onions. Serves 2.