On fast days I like to adopt an eating clean mindset and fill my plate with minimally processed, natural foods. I’ve always loved the simplicity and elegance of Japanese food, so it’s no surprise that I often turn to its cuisine for fast day inspiration.
This cold sesame soba noodle salad celebrates and highlights the flavours, textures and colours of early Autumn seasonal produce. Deliciously light and refreshing, yet improbably satiating, it’s filled with generous slivers of smoked salmon, spinach and late harvest cucumbers. An added bonus is that apart from putting on a pot of water to parboil the noodles, there’s no cooking involved; just a little slicing, shredding and grating before dinner is served. A beautiful plate of food for just 264 calories per cup serve.
Cold Sesame Soba Noodle Salad With Smoked Salmon, Spinach And Cucumber
Makes 6 cup (264 calories per cup serve)
270g packet soba noodles (960 calories)
250g smoked salmon, thinly sliced (290 calories)
1 cucumber, spiralised or thinly sliced (45 calories)
3 cups baby spinach, shredded (21 calories)
4 long green spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal (20 calories)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (5 calories)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (120 calories)
3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated (4 calories)
30ml (2 tablespoons) light soy sauce (20 calories)
90ml (6 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lemon juice (16 calories)
2 teaspoons sugar (32 calories)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted for garnish (52 calories)
BRING a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the soba noodles and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Rinse with cold water and drain again.
MEANWHILE place sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, lemon juice and sugar in a small jug or bowl. Whisk well to combine.
IN A LARGE BOWL, combine cooked soba noodles, thinly sliced smoked salmon, spiralised cucumber, shredded spinach, lemon zest and spring onions.
DRIZZLE over dressing. Toss well to combine.
TRANSFER salad to a platter. Scatter over toasted sesame seeds. Serve.
The Paddington Foodie 
you have inspired me to do the 5:2 diet! I can’t say I enjoy it but have lost 1.5kg in a week so am hanging in there. This looks great, is good to have some variety to break up the monotony on those loooong fast days.
Don’t get dispirited – it does get easier. I take it today might be a fast day, look on the bright side tomorrow you can eat whatever your heart desires. I bet you wont wake up hungry though. 1.5kg is impressive.
I hope so! Today is a fasting day and I’m doing well – probably coz it is school hols and I haven’t left the house yet 😉
I’m doing 6-1 during the holidays – way too hard to do anything else with a house full of teenage eating machines. I’m impressed you’re staying with 5-2 through the hols.
Absolutely love your blog!
I really think you should print a book, that would be so much easier for the likes of me, struggling between the computer and the kitchen!
Really enjoy your work!
Thanks for the vote of confidence. So lovely to hear that you are enjoying the blog. I think I’d need to join forces with a skilled photographer to publish a book.