Say hello to my go-to dish for feeding a crowd: sesame-ginger soba noodle salad. Vibrantly flavored, full of crisp vegetables, and best served at room temperature, this noodle dish is perfectly tailored for potlucks and casual dinner parties, and will even shine as leftovers the next day (provided there's some left).
The best part: the bold sesame-ginger dressing takes well to any manner of vegetables. You can make the recipe with ribboned asparagus, roasted bell peppers, and mung bean sprouts, or choose your own adventure by subbing in whatever veggies look best at the market (see the recipe for some suggestions).
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison
Whisk together the oils, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, ginger, and garlic in a large mixing bowl.
Cook the soba noodles according to the instructions on their package, or until tender but not mushy. Drain them and then rinse with cool water or dunk in an ice bath until the noodles are at room temperature. Drain off excess water, and then add the noodles, asparagus, bell peppers, mung bean sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds, and cilantro to the dressing, tossing to coat.
Serve at room temperature.