Planning to carbo load for a strenuous session of watching the Winter Olympics?

This recipe for buckwheat soba noodles and vegetables with tofu peanut sauce is just right. It starts out with an exotic, Japanese-style whole-grain pasta that gets topped with a ginger-laced stir-fry and tossed in a spicy, nutty sauce.

The soba noodles offer a solid serving of complex carbs, but the dish is packed with another energy-building essential as well — protein.

Tofu, which is chock-full of soy protein, does double-duty in this dish. Soft tofu is blended into the zesty peanut butter-based sauce, as well as cubed and stir-fried until golden-brown to serve on top of the noodles and vegetables.

This dish makes a complete meal, but you also could serve it with grilled chicken, shrimp or pork.

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BUCKWHEAT SOBA NOODLES AND VEGETABLES WITH TOFU PEANUT SAUCE

Start to finish: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

• 12 ounces buckwheat soba noodles or whole-grain linguine

• 16-ounce package water-packed soft tofu

• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided

• 1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dark or toasted sesame oil, divided

• 16-ounce package frozen vegetable and edamame stir-fry mix

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain thoroughly, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine a third of the tofu, the peanut butter, vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth. With the processor running, slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil. Set aside.

Cut the remaining tofu into 1-inch cubes.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Add the cubed tofu and stir-fry until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Set aside.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the vegetables and ginger and stir-fry until the vegetables are hot and the ginger is fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables and reserved peanut sauce to the bowl with the reserved noodles. Toss to coat. Top with the reserved cubed tofu and scallions. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 662 calories; 228 calories from fat; 26 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 80 g carbohydrate; 27 g protein; 9 g fiber; 301 mg sodium.