Soba noodles in peanut sauce full of complex carbs

Planning to carbo load for a strenuous session of watching the Winter Olympics?

This recipe for Buckwheat Soba Noodles and Vegetables With Tofu Peanut Sauce is just right. It starts out with an exotic, Japanese-style whole-grain pasta that gets topped with a ginger-laced stir-fry and tossed in a spicy, nutty sauce.

The soba noodles offer a solid serving of complex carbs, but the dish is packed with another energy-building essential as well — protein.

Tofu, which is chock-full of soy protein, does double-duty in this dish. Soft tofu is blended into the zesty peanut butter-based sauce, as well as cubed and stir-fried until golden-brown to serve on top of the noodles and vegetables.

This dish makes a complete meal, but you also could serve it with grilled chicken, shrimp or pork.

BUCKWHEAT SOBA NOODLES AND VEGETABLES WITH TOFU PEANUT SAUCE

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

12 ounces buckwheat soba noodles or whole-grain linguine

16-ounce package water-packed soft tofu

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided

1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark or toasted sesame oil, divided

16-ounce package frozen vegetable and edamame stir-fry mix

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain thoroughly, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine a third of the tofu, the peanut butter, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth. With the processor running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil. Set aside.

Cut the remaining tofu into 1-inch cubes.