You may recall that I entered the world of a soccer mom reluctantly. Not one, but two of my boys are currently practicing twice a week, with games on Saturday from one corner of the city to the other. They love it. I love that they love it. However, I do not love the fact that practices are from 5-6:30 pm twice a week. This schedule does not fit my beloved family dinner routine, as little ones cannot eat at 7 pm, and weekly meals of fast food are simply not an option.
Perhaps I'm the only one facing this dilemma. I'm not sure. It seems that other families handle it just fine, while I'm a bit of a wreck trying to keep the family together for some portion of the day and having dinner made and ready to go by 4:30 twice a week. I suppose it all depends on what is worth fighting for in your family. For me, it's worthwhile to be altogether at the end of the day and to share a home-cooked meal together, even if it means that I begin preparing supper around 2:30 in the afternoon twice a week. That's just my choice. It's healthy for our family.
So, twice a week you'll find me whipping up something suitable for a picnic and easy for two of the children to eat on their way to soccer practice. I came up with a winner last week. We found it delicious at a park bench with the sun setting behind us. And for those of you who don't find yourselves braving rush hour traffic for soccer madness extra-curricular sports training, you just might find an excuse to pack up dinner this tasty, just so you can get a taste of what I experience twice a week: Home is wherever your family is.
Cold Tahini Soba with Seared Ahia super pared down recipe
- enough soba noodles to feed your family, prepared as directed, rinsed and set aside
- container of tahini paste, or tahini sauce (ie. from Trader Joe's)
- soy, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil mixture (or Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce)
- shredded carrots (also from Trader Joe's)
- cucumber cut into long strips (julienned)
- finely slivered green onions
- sesame seeds and/or Rice Seasoning
- ahi tuna steaks (we only use 2 four oz. pieces for our family of 6)
- olive oil
Prepare ahi steaks by sprinkling with salt and pepper, then coating all sides with olive oil, then searing in hot griddle or nonstick pan for a few minutes on each side, depending on how rare you'd like it to be. Remove from heat, set aside.
Make sauce for noodles by combining tahini with an equal amount of Trader Joe's Soyaki or (soy-vinegar-sugar-sesame-oil mixture). Toss with your noodles (a little at a time to ensure proper coating), carrots, cucumber, and green onions. Hopefully you've eyeballed the right proportions. If not and it's too thick, thin out your sauce with a bit of water or more soy and vinegar. Slice your cooled seared ahi, and add to noodles. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds or seasoning. Chill until ready to serve.