Vietnamese-Style Beef and Soba Noodle Soup

Hello friends!

So, after a turn of unexpected events, I am actually here in Dallas, TX caring for my mother who was recently hospitalized and in the ICU. She is doing ok- thank God- and being here puts things into perspective. Taking care of and cooking and cleaning for my mother, who always took care of and fed me. . I would do anything for this woman. She and my dad are growing old and need to watch their health. . they have been trying to change their diets, cut out salt, cut out white rice etc. . so I made this dish for my mother and my daughter (who is almost 5 yrs old) found this recipe in The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook and said she wanted to make this for hal-mo-nee (grandmother).

So, here’s to my mom. .

Vietnamese-Style Beef and Soba Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. naturally brewed reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp. acacia or other mild honey
• 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (I did not have any of this and everything still tasted delicious!)
• 10 oz. lean beef tenderloin (antibiotic free) cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 3 oz. dry soba noodles (japanese buckwheat noodles)
• 1 (14.25 oz) can or container natural fat-free beef flavored broth
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)
• 1/4 cup julienned carrots

So, I photographed the wrong noodles. Here are the soba noodles I used:

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, oil, honey and ginger. Add the beef and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate up to 20 minutes. (Please don’t skip the marinating. You must marinate the beef. It will taste SO much better!)

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the soba noodles until tender; about 4 -5 minutes. Drain. Set aside.

3. In a large sauce pan over high heat, bring the beef broth to a boil. Add the beef with the marinade. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until a full boil is reached and the beef is cooked through. You can cook 4-5 minutes if desired.

4. To serve, put soba noodles in a bowl and then add the soup. Top with green onion, carrots and mint (if using).