Soba noodles with tofu, avocado, and snow peas

Seeking a healthier start to the New Year, this recipe on page 218 caught my eye. I didn’t have a lot of faith that Martha could really pull off the whole zen vegetarian vibe, but she did. This may be the first Martha dish I have ever made that didn’t call for any butter. The soba noodles were actually quite good. Refreshing. Healthy and light, yet substantial. The jalepeno ginger syrup was fabulous and not something I would have come up with on my own. Martha called for raw tofu— a testament to the fact that Martha herself has likely never had this dish…or possibly she has never had tofu. Raw tofu was clearly a bad idea. Instead, I fried mine up with jalepeno, lime, soy sauce, and chili powder. The raw English cucumber and avocado was a nice touch. The only real downside of this dish was all the pots to wash—one for the syrup, another for the soba noodles, and a third for the tofu. I can actually see making this Martha recipe more than once.