Soba with Herbed Edamame Sauce

Edamame is pureed into a sort of pesto sauce for this yummy pasta.

Cook 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame according to package directions. Drain, then combine the edamame in a food processor with 2 tablespoons chopped cashews, 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, 3 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese in place of Romano (such as the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods), 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper and 2 small peeled garlic cloves. Process until finely chopped.

Add 1/2 cup hot water and process until smooth. How hot should the water be? The recipe didn't say, so I heated water as if for tea, let it stand a moment, then added to the food processor.

Meanwhile, cook 8 ounces soba according to package directions.

Serve 1 cup noodles with 1/3 cup of the sauce and an extra teaspoon of chopped cashews sprinkled on top. Each serving is 410 calories - this makes enough for about 3 servings, but it doubles easily.

Note: the recipe called for dry-roasted cashews, but I bought raw cashews, since that's what Whole Foods had in the bulk section; I can't imagine this distinction made any difference overall.

Cost:
cashews $0.56
cilantro $1.69
soba $3.39