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This Cold Sesame Ginger Soba Noodle Salad with Shrimp is packed-full of veggies and protein to make a delicious and satisfying meal. It’s perfect for BBQs, picnics of even lunch on the run! It’s also gluten-free!
You know what drives me bonkers?! False advertising. I get the concept of needing to sell a product, but marketing your jelly beans as fat-free isn’t cool. You know what turns into fat? Sugar. You know what the main ingredient in jelly beans is? Sugar. I apologize in advance for this post becoming a full-on rant.
Let’s rewind for a minute here. It’s a beautiful day and I decide to get my grocery shop on. I put together my list, grab my bundle buggy and head to the store. Sometimes I get inspired when I’m there and as I was looking for tamari, my eyes glazed over a pack of soba noodles. Hmmmm cold soba noodle salad sounded good so I made an impulse buy and headed home.
When I got home from the store it was lunchtime so I decided to put together the salad. As I was pulling out all of the ingredients I think I want to use for the salad, I glanced across the soba noodle packaging only to notice that the first ingredient in them was enriched wheat flour <–SAY WHAT? I was livid. Not only was I a) hangry and b) experiencing an intense craving which needed to be fulfilled immediately, but I truly felt deceived. The front of the package says “Buckwheat Soba Noodles” so naturally you would expect them to be made from buckwheat? Okay fine buckwheat was the second and only other ingredient but still…
Instead I had to put aside my craving until I could make it to a health food store to pick up some legit buckwheat noodles. The people at Vibrant Lifestyle (I love it there!) were not only nice enough to listen to my rant but also taught me to always look for 100% buckwheat noodles. Nonetheless, I still have some pent up anger.
Other types of false advertising that drives me nuts: When multigrain is just a combo of white and whole-wheat, “made with corn!” aka high-fructose corn syrup, or when companies fool consumers into thinking their product is healthy because it is labeled as gluten-free. I could go on and on but in my attempts to keep this space a positive place, I’ll stop. For now, I urge you to read more into the products you buy. I’m not talking calories, but look at the ingredients! And try not to come home with enriched wheat flour soba noodles…
Cold Sesame Ginger Soba Noodle Salad with Shrimp
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 package of 100% buckwheat soba noodles (8 oz)
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- ½ pound cooked shrimp, deveined and peeled
For The Sesame Ginger Dressing:
- 1 T finely minced ginger root
- 1 T sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 T honey
- 2 T rice wine vinegar
- 2 T tamari
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 T sesame seeds (for topping)
Instructions
- Cook buckwheat noodles according to package instructions.
- Run noodles under cold water until completely cool.
- In a large bowl add noodles, bell pepper, bean sprouts and shrimp.
- In a separate bowl combine all ingredients for the sesame ginger dressing.
- Pour onto noodle mixture and top with sesame seeds.
- Serve cold.
- Will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
You mean you don’t like finding preservatives in your “natural” products? Or traces of trans fats in foods that are supposed to be trans fat free? Yeah, I’m not a fan either. It’s kind of sad how deceptive food marketing is these days. I’m sticking to my theory that they’re secretly trying to make people sick and fat.
False advertising is the worst! I often eat “bad” foods, but at least I’m perfectly aware they’re bad. Nothing’s more annoying than thinking you got one thing, then finding out it’s something else.
Love cold noodle dishes. I will add this list to my sauce to make. I normally make a peanut sauce, but this is a really nice change up. Minus the shrimp for me and this dish sounds fantastic for summer! 🙂
It’s awful because SO many people think that they are eating healthy foods, when really all they’re having is processed junk. That was one of the main points of the Katie Couric documentary “Fed Up” and it’s so true. Most people don’t know to read the ingredients. Good thing you did and didn’t just go digging in to yours!
ugh I hate false advertising, like when you buy a granola bar and find out after you ate the whole thing the serving was meant to be for 2 people! I love cold noodles and am sooo happy you posted this recipe!
Sometimes I think I know way to much because like you, I can look at those ingredients and be like – hello, false advertising, fooling most of America, this is not healthy as it claims nor is it really the food you think you are getting. Ugh don’t even get me started!
I get so angry when I feel a company is trying to dupe me, like Stonyfield and their baby yogurt. Grrrrr
On the other hand, I get happy when I find shrimp recipes. Love shrimpieeees
I’m actually really glad you shared this story because after some quick googling I’ve discovered that buckwheat (and therefore soba noodles) is ok for my fructmal! Wheat of course is not, so that would be a very upsetting mistake for me to make as well.
I feel you on the false advertising because I get irrationally angry about something similar – false reporting! John will tell you that I spend pretty much every moment watching the news shouting at the TV because some reporter said something misleading or flat out untrue. This comes not from any sort of journalism background but from my inner scientist. It started with science based stories and spiraled out of control.
This looks mighty fine. I love Asian noodle bowls, especially cold. Cold curry is possibly the best thing ever – try it if you have not already! It is pretty shocking what can be lurking in those labels despite the front package claims. “Natural Flavouring” is usually speak for beaver butt glands. YUM…
Don’t even get me started.
I won’t forget buying a loaf of ‘wholewheat 100% natural bread’ in NYC and the second ingredient was HFCS….and it had sugar in addition to it. As for this recipe….COLD = winning. PRAWNS = winning.
This will be made….but with rice noodles because I OD’d on them and the shrimp/pesto combo is getting a tad boring lol.