Weak in the knees...and a little ole thing called Hiziki

Papa nothing convinced me to take my run off the treadmill and venture outside today...I tried to make excuses to not run outside; it is really windy out, it is cold out, etc.  He told me to dress in layers and shut up.  So, I ran outside for the first time in over a year since having our third little babe.  It really isn't that cold out, it was pretty windy, but I survived.  I think that running on the treadmill has made me weak!  I used to run in the rain, in the wind, in the snow, in the heat...now I don't ever venture off the treadmill.  I set the incline at 1% because I read that is what most closely resembles running outside...bulls*^t!  So, as I cursed papa nothing as I was running uphill into the wind, I was also thanking him on my way back (downhill and wind to my back).  He told me I needed to get out into the fresh air, take a complete break from responsibilities and kids, and just go.  I realized once I got out that I really have missed running outside.  I am also reminded of all the positives of running outside during the colder months...
*Spitting; I always have to spit when I run, I can freely spit when I run outside and not gag on it!
*Decrease in sweat!  I like getting done with a run and not dripping sweat everywhere!
*We live in a mountainous area and when I run outside the mountains are always in my sight...the snow capped peaks are truly beautiful!
*Layers!  When I see cars coming I always speed up because I don't want people to question if I am just trying to walk really fast or am I in fact running...in the winter, I am so layered and then with my hat, no one can tell who I am!

After my run I settled down with a cherry chocolate peanut butter smoothie, it was surprisingly tasty!  After my quiet three minutes of relaxation, dinner prep began!  On the menu tonight was Land and Sea Soba Salad.  We slightly modified the recipe from our "Blissful Bites" cookbook.  This recipe contains "sea vegetables"a.k.a. seaweed...that annoying stuff that entraps your toes and makes you think large fish with teeth are brushing by your ankles when you are in the ocean.  The "sea vegetable" in tonight's dish was hiziki...a $24.99 per two ounce vegetable!  The price was ridiculous...this shit better taste fabulous!

The vegetables for dinner tonight!  Julienned carrots, broccoli, sliced cabbage, and that stuff in the measuring cup is hiziki.

You have to let the hiziki soak in water for about 10-15 minutes before you cook them.

I know, this looks crazy wierd...move past that!

Land and Sea Soba Salad

8 oz. soba noodles

1 carrot, julienned (I used two carrots)

3 leaves Napa cabbage, sliced (no clue what Napa cabbage is, nor did I see a sign above any of the cabbages at the grocery store, so I just used some purple cabbage that I already had from our sushi adventure)

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup tofu, steamed or fried (I used one package of extra firm tofu that I cubed and then sprinkled with sea salt.  I then added a bit of olive oil to a skilled and fried it up)

Sesame Seeds, toasted for garnish (oops,  I forgot to buy these!)

1/4 cup hiziki, soaked in 3/4 cup filtered water

2 tsp tamari

Dressing

1/3 cup tamari

1/4 cup brown rice vinegar (I was not willing to shell out $$ for yet ANOTHER vinegar, so I googled substitutes and found that Apple Cider Vinegar is an acceptable substitute, so I used 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar instead)

2 tsp fresh ginger (I just used some ground ginger from my spice cabinet...not messing with the fresh stuff, I am busy enough as it is!)

1 Tbsp liquid smoke (I was too lazy to run to the grocery store today to get this, so I just omitted it)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

* cook soba noodles according to package directions.  Whisk dressing ingredients together.  Remove the noodles from the water (mama nothing note: MAKE SURE TO KEEP YOUR BOILING NOODLE WATER, YOU WILL NEED THIS IN THE NEXT STEP)

* toss the soba noodles with the dressing and set aside.  Keep the noodle water boiling for blanching the vegetables.

* blanch the vegetables until lightly cooked and vibrant in color.  Remove the veggies with a slotted spoon and toss with the noodles.

* drain off the hiziki water and put fresh water and tamari into a small pot and simmer until water is absorbed.  

* meanwhile, fry up the tofu in a skillet.

* toss all ingredients with the noodles and veggies.  Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Tada!  

This was a close second to the stuffed pasta shells we made the other night!  Even our kids devoured it, and asked for us to save some for lunch tomorrow!  I know the hiziki looks a bit creepy in the picture, but if you can get past the fact that it looks weird it really is very delicious!  I recommend you give this one a try!  I have really gotten to love tofu!  Tofu is great because it tends to take on the taste of whatever you are cooking it with.  

For a side dish, I would recommend asparagus spears with lemon!  We adapted this recipe from the same "Blissful Bites" book, and this is a new favorite in our house, I hope it is in your too!

Lemon Roasted Asparagus

1 lb. fresh asparagus, ends trimmed

2 Tbsp thinly sliced lemons

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp oregano

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

* preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine all ingredients, making sure to coat the asparagus with oil.  Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and roast.  Shake the pan occasionally to toss, and roast for about 12 minutes or until tender-crisp.

There you have it!  Good for you and tasty to eat!

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!