Polish Summer Soba Salad

Ingredients

• Soba Salad
• 1/2 pound uncooked beets, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
• Pinch of salt and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces soba noodles
• 2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
• 1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
• 1 cup cooked white beans
• 3 tablespoons chopped roasted walnuts
• Dill Dressing
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon organic granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F, then cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter the diced beets over the parchment, add 1 tablespoon of oil, the celery seeds, salt, and pepper, and toss everything together. Roast for 20 minutes, until the beets are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
2. Cook the soba noodles as directed on the package, stopping when they are just shy of fully tender and still al dente. Drain them, rinse well with lots of cold water, and move them into a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the scallions, cucumber, and white beans. In a glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients until combined. Pour half of the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture and toss, then add the rest of the dressing to the soba noodles and toss those too.
4. Portion the soba noodles into serving bowls, twisting them into a little mound in the middle of each bowl. Top with the bean and vegetable mixture, add the roasted beets, and finish with the roasted walnuts.