wasabi soba salad

Mirabella's Pantry is back! I finally joined a CSA here in NYC and just received our first delivery from Stoneledge Farm. I've decided to spend the summer finding and creating recipes that showcase each week's ingredients.

This week we received mizuna, a peppery spring green with a mild mustard flavor that's high in folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamins A and C, and antioxidants. The Japanese traditionally serve it pickled (which I've never tried), but it also tastes terrific raw or stir-fried.

kale, beets, and soba noodles with lemon ginger dressing

I make this dish whenever I feel like I need a serious nutritional boost. Between the vegetables and the dressing, it's packed with vitamins and nutrients and tastes sensational. I recommend it even if you dislike kale or beets, as the lemon ginger dressing really livens up the taste of the vegetables.

The dish consists of beets, kale, carrots, and soba noodles, a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. Feel free to substitute the soba with spaghetti or any other kind of pasta or grain. If you want to add protein to this dish, tofu works well and looks beautiful, as it picks up the gorgeous pink coloring of the beets. Just chop some up and throw it into the final dish.