Kale with Avocado Miso Dressing

I am so proud of myself! After a baking/ice cream making/lunch making marathon one night this week, I felt ready enough to jump back into cooking now that everything has calmed down. This was the first recipe I wanted to try, inspired because of an avocado we had gotten for free the prior week at EarthFare that was too ripe! Neither Will nor I have ever dealt with miso before, but after reviewing this recipe, I figured this would be a simple way to give it a try, since it was not the main feature of the meal. I am happy to report that this dish turned out fantastically and even though it was supposed to serve 4, Will and I mostly polished it off in one sitting. Soba noodles are probably my new favorite pasta-y/noodle obsession, ever since Will used them in our Kinda Sorta Pad Thai. They just taste really healthy! Anyways, I'm happy to say we enjoyed our first miso encounter and thoroughly enjoyed this recipe!

Cooking Notes: I pretty much followed this recipe as is. I chose white miso, mostly because it came in a smaller container than the chickpea miso did. I also skipped out on using an actual lime and sprinkled in some lime juice instead. I used only 1/2 cup water instead of 3/4 cup because we like thicker sauces and dressings. She did not cook her kale, however we elected to cook it for about a minute, just so it's wouldn't be too crunchy and stand out from the other parts of the dish. We also were out of sesame seeds, but I included them in the recipe below because I think they would make a nice finish to the dish!

Kale Noodle Bowl with Avocado Miso Dressing (adapted from A House in the Hills; serves 4)
1 small bunch kale
1 8-oz. package buckwheat soba noodles
1 ripe or overripe medium avocado
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white or chickpea miso
1/2 tbsp lime juice
Sesame seeds, to garnish

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add noodles, and cook for 8-10 minutes. While noodles cook, de-stem kale and cut into ribbons. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine avocado, garlic, miso, olive oil, lime juice, and 1/2 cup water. Then in a medium skillet, bring to heat a drizzle of olive oil. Once noodles are done, drain and rinse with hot water. At that point, the oil in the skillet should be warm, so toss in the kale ribbons. Add a couple tablespoons of water and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Put noodles in a bowl, then kale, and cover with dressing and sesame seeds. Stir to combine, then enjoy!

Recipe: A House in the Hills: Kale Noodle Bowl with Avocado Miso Dressing