Simple Play: Beans, Scrumptious Soba Noodle Salad, and a Cook's Tool That's Worth Its Weight in Gold

Right before Christmas I blogged about how I had spent so much time trying to find the perfect gifts for my daughter, while she had just found the greatest toy in a few binder clips. With that in mind, and with it also becoming a reoccurring theme in our house, I have decided to start a new section called Simple Play, which will show up whenever we have a good, simple entertainment idea to share.

Simple Play: Beans in a Giant Plastic Jar

We have videos of my daughter going crazy with this. Basically, I have a bunch of dried beans stored in a big recycled plastic jar (not sure what it was used for originally, but it looks like it might have been a snack jar from Costco). After I loosen the lid she unscrews it, digs her hands into the beans, and then of course she grabs a handful and tosses them into the air. Over and over again. This is at least 20 minutes of fun, and usually more! And a smooth floor makes it that much more fun. Older kids can count or sort the beans, or make pictures or roads with them on the floor that they can run their cars or train through. Warning: Make sure your child is out of the "eat everything" stage before you try this game with him/her.

Recipe:

Soba Noodle Salad

A playful and healthy noodle recipe with an irresistible peanut sauce. The kids will love it and so will you. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and can be found in the Asian section of many grocery stores, Whole Foods Market, and health food stores. Throw in whatever veggies you've got around because you really can't go wrong.

Ingredients
6.17 oz. from a 9.5 ounce pkg. of soba noodles (or 2 of the 3 bunches)

Sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter

1 clove of garlic, pressed

1/2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated (see below: a Microplane zester is great for this)

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1/8 cup soy sauce 

2 Tbsp. brown rice syrup or honey

1/3 cup – 1/2 cup warm water, to thin

2-3 cups veggies of choice, suggestions below

organic red bell pepper, thinly sliced
frozen peas, steamed
green beans, steamed and chopped
snow peas, steamed and chopped
broccoli, steamed and chopped
lettuce

1. Cook the soba noodles following package directions. Drain, and let cool in a serving bowl.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by putting the first 6 ingredients together in a small bowl. Add warm water a bit at a time, and stir or whisk to blend.

3. Add 2 to 3 cups of veggies of choice to cooled soba, then pour sauce over it and toss to coat evenly. Salad should be completely cool when serving. Spoon over torn lettuce of choice, if desired.

Product:

Microplane Zester/Grater

An inexpensive cooking tool that it is worth every penny it costs just for the time that it saves you.

Before I owned one I use to collect my zest with a knife or an ancient zester that didn't really work at all. What used to take me close to 10 minutes, now takes me less then one. It's also great for ginger (grate straight from the root) and hard cheeses.