Citrus Fresh Buckwheat Soba Salad

The crisp freshness of lemon and lime are perfect for cold summer salads. This recipe is inspired by a Japanese friend of mine with whom I exchange cooking tips on and off, among other things.

Dashi is sold in most Asian stores - either made from kombu or different types of fish. Salty Dashi, with some sesame oil, plus the tartness from lime juice and lemon zest makes this salad quite addictive.

Get the dressing ready, mix in the salad vegetables and let it sit while the soba cooks. The recipe here makes enough starter salad for two, or a huge meal for one.

Ingredients for the vinaigrette:
½ cup Seaweed Dashi or strong vegetable stock
½ tsp sesame oil
1 lime - freshly squeeze for lime juice
zest of one lemon
juice of ½ lemon, for additional tang

2 cups Salad Vegetables: For a quick meal, I use packaged kale salad mix plus scallions. Otherwise, whatever is handy -- radish, julienned carrots, sauteed cremini, slivered broccoli stems or other stems like I use for kinpira, ribboned greens, radicchio, purple cabbage...

Cook one bundle of the buckwheat soba per package directions, drain, and rinse in cold water, drain well. Toss in with the dressed vegetables, adjust the dressing as needed.

Served with some vegetable spring rolls and vegetable dumplings, this makes a filling weeknight meal.