Meal of noodles, greens, nuts

Here’s a simple, warming dish that can let us down gently from all the holiday food fanfare.

It is so user-friendly that it even employs a microwave, which is something my recipes very rarely do.

Of course, you are not required to use it. This is just to let you know that you can. Steaming or blanching also work just fine for the greens.

This dish is filling enough (just) to get you through the evening happily, but it won’t compound the overstuffed holiday aftermath syndrome. Tofu or leftover cooked chicken or other meat all go very well on here, making it a good destination for leftovers.

Slender, dark, flavorful buckwheat noodles (also known as soba) are available in Japanese food shops and in natural foods groceries.

They are chewy and combine beautifully with cooked greens and toasted cashews for a very satisfying, quickly prepared one-dish meal.

Buckwheat noodles with cashews and greens

1 tablespoon light-colored

honey

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoon soy sauce

4 ounces uncooked Japanese-style buckwheat noodles

1 10-ounce package baby spinach leaves (or 2 5-ounce packages) or 10 ounces of any combination of kale, collard greens or mixed braising greens, stemmed and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons Chinese-style roasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon minced or crushed garlic

Salt to taste

1 cup or more firm tofu or cooked chicken breast (or other leftover cooked meat) in thin slices and at room temperature (optional)

½ cup chopped cashews, lightly toasted

Crushed red pepper to taste

Place the honey in a small bowl. Add the vinegar and soy sauce, and stir until the honey dissolves. Set aside.

Put up a pot of water to boil. When it boils, add the noodles and cook until tender (about 4 minutes).

Meanwhile, place the prepared greens in a medium-large microwave-safe bowl.

When the noodles are done, drain them and immediately add them to the greens in the bowl.

Add the sesame oil and garlic, and mix with a fork or tongs, bringing up the greens from the bottom so that they wilt from the contact with the hot noodles.

Place the bowl in a microwave, and cook on high for one minute to further wilt the greens.

Remove from the microwave, and add the honey-soy sauce- vinegar mixture.

Stir with the fork or tongs as you add salt to taste, as needed.

Sprinkle the top with strips of tofu, chicken or other leftover cooked meat, if desired — and the cashews and chili flakes — and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Makes 2 servings

Mollie Katzen is the author of “Moosewood Cookbook” (Ten Speed Press). To contact her, go to www.molliekatzen.com.

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