September 27, 2013 September 27, 2013/ Morgan
I’m starting to get a lot of fall produce. Kale is super cheap right now at the farm stand and I can buy large no spray butternut squash for $1 each. (Eating in season is AWESOME for your wallet!) Luckily squash stores very well and I can buy them up without worrying about them going to waste. You can also cube them and freeze them. The kale can be steamed and frozen to keep longer as well.
This was such a satisfying noodle dish. I love butternut squash in both sweet and savory dishes but I was surprised how well it went with Asian flavors.
And my three year old LOVED this. First she eats all of the kale. Then the noodles and then all of the squash. She’s funny like that! She crazy loves kale. (Girl is awesome, isn’t she?!)
Oh and the tiny amount of sesame seeds is totally worth putting on your dish. Being plant strong (and Dr. McDougall followers!) we don’t do oil but the seeds add just as much flavor but also texture. It’s awesome! And you only need a tiny bit to get a ton of flavor.
serves 4
- 6 oz soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash (smallish 1/2″ cubes)
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 3 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 Tablespoon sugar or agave
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds (You can toast them yourself in a pan over medium heat. Just stand there with it and shake the pan. They should be ready in a minute or two max. The flavor is totally different from untoasted sesame seeds.)
Mix together your tamari/soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sugar, sriracha, cornstarch and water and set aside. If you need to toast your sesame seeds do that next.
Add your butternut squash to a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1/2 cup of water (you can eyeball it) and cook your squash until mostly tender but not mushy. This can take about 10 minutes and you will want to stir your squash every 2 -3 minutes at the very least. Check to make sure you haven’t run out of water and add as necessary.
Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your soba noodles according to the package directions. When they are done rinse them with water and set aside.
When your squash are mostly tender add in your chopped kale. Cook for about a minute. Now turn up the heat to high and stir in the noodles as well as the sauce mixture. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened. Toss in your sesame seeds and serve!
You can certainly add more sriracha or chile flakes if you enjoy it extra hot.
September 27, 2013/ Morgan/ 
