(Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Meat Free | Paleo-Friendly) This sumptuous salad is quick and packed full of flavour. I mean, that’s the ideal combo, right? The leftovers make a great packed lunch as well, which is always a massive bonus!

I didn’t know much about buckwheat noodles (also called soba noodles) before I found this recipe. As it turns out, they’re naturally gluten-free and have more nutrients than your average noodle. Unfortunately, they’re a bit hard to find in the average UK grocery store. I even ventured to the Piccadilly Circus Whole Foods in London, but they only had spiral buckwheat noodles, which wasn’t exactly what the recipe asked for. If you’re in a real bind, maybe just skip the noodles -the veggies and sauce are tasty enough on their own!

I tried this recipe because I could use over half the contents of my veg box in the process. Just look at this beautiful Nature’s Window veggie box that got dropped off at my door!

Okay, enough about buckwheat noodles and my veggie box. On to the recipe!

Noodle Salad Ingredients

• 170 g buckwheat noodles (I could only find buckwheat pasta spiral noodles so I used those instead)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 small red onion or 3 spring (green) onions, finely sliced
• Large handful of finely chopped carrots
• Large handful of shredded cabbage (Red/white/savoy were all recommended, but I only had spring greens so I used those instead -they were good!)
• Large handful of cruncy veggies (Broccoli/sliced fennel/radishes were all recommended, but I had asparagus and closed cup mushrooms so I threw them in)
• 2 handfuls of leaves such as watercress, baby spinach or sliced lettuce

Dressing Ingredients

• Juice and zest of 1 unwaxed lime/lemon
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• A splash of tamari (I didn’t have this so I just skipped it)

Topping Ingredients

• Small handful of any nuts or seeds, such as cashews, peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds or poppy seeds (I had cashew nuts and chia seeds so I used those)
• Handful of fresh herbs such as coriander (cilantro), mint, chives, basil or Thai basil (I used mint)

Here are my tasty veggies all prepped for the fun they’re going to have in my frying pan!

Directions

1. Make the dressing by adding everything to a jam jar and shaking well (For those of us who don’t have jam jars kicking about, a simple bowl and whisk will do)
2. Cook the buckwheat noodles according to the packet, using plenty of water. During the first minute of cooking, use two forks to stir and separate the noodles.
3. When tender, drain and rinse with cold water for about 15 seconds to stop them from cooking further. Set aside to drain then toss a little extra virgin olive oil through to stop the noodles sticking.
4. Over medium heat dry toast your nuts or seeds in a frying pan until golden brown then set aside. This only takes a minute so don’t leave them.
5. Turn the heat up and add in the coconut oil and onion. After 30 seconds or so, add the ‘hardest’ vegetables (for me, this was the carrots and asparagus), and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry for a further minute –you want to lightly cook the vegetables to retain their crunch and bright colours. Cook the vegetables a little more if you prefer (I do), adding a few tablespoons of water to steam them if they catch on the bottom of the pan.
6. Turn off the heat, add the cooked noodles and toss.
7. Add any raw leaves. Spoon over the dressing and toss everything together. Top up with toasted nuts/seeds and herbs.

Serves 2 with 1/3 portion for lunch leftovers

Source | Hemsley Hemsley, ‘The Art of Eating Well’