soba with sweet potatoes, cabbage and spinach

 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/health/nutrition/26recipehealth.html?ref=recipesforhealth

6 cups kombu dashi, chicken stock or vegetable stock
Salt to taste
6 ounces Japanese soba noodles, cooked and tossed with 1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (about 3/4 pound), peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick (cut in half lengthwise first if fat)
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 6-ounce bag baby spinach, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced chives
Note: Sweet potatoes may be labeled as yams. Look for dark orange flesh.


1. Bring the stock to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if desired. Add the sweet potatoes and cabbage, and simmer 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
2. If the noodles have been refrigerated, warm them by placing them in a strainer and dipping the strainer into the simmering broth. Then distribute the noodles among four to six soup bowls. Add the spinach to the stock. Cover, and turn off the heat. Leave for three minutes. Ladle the soup into the bowls, taking care to distribute the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the chives over each serving, and serve.


Yield: Serves four as a main dish, six as a starter.
Advance preparation: The noodles can be cooked ahead of serving and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days. The stock can also be made a day or two ahead.
Nutritional information per serving (four servings): 265 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 51 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 155 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 10 grams protein
Nutritional information per serving (six servings): 177 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 103 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 6 grams protein