Will Run For Tofu & Noodles

I blame A.  I blame her for a lot of things: hair in the bathroom, chocolate bar wrappers in the garbage, drinking the last glass of soy milk, etc.  I especially blame her for my newfound love for tofu.  She claims that it tastes just like bacon.  I agree.  Well, sort of.  It tastes just like bacon if you haven't eaten bacon in 13 years or maybe it tastes like bacon if just don't have any taste buds left.  I ate tofu (cold) for breakfast today.  I ate tofu for lunch.  Oh, and I ate some more tofu for supper.  It may not taste like bacon but it is salty, smoky and delicious.  It might almost be time for an intervention.

Here is one variation of tofu and noodles (there are about 3 weeks worth of variations)

Marinated Tofu

ingredients 

1 350g block of extra firm tofu 

1/2 C of Bragg

2 Tbsp Tamari 

1/8-1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Thinly slice tofu.  This is key unless of course you likely your tofu to jiggle. 

It gets better I swear!

In a shallow baking dish combine Bragg, Tamari & chipotle powder.  Let your tofu sit for approximately 5 minutes of each side.  Drain marinade and reserve for the noodles.  Warm 1 tsp of olive oil in a skillet.  Fry tofu until dark to golden brown on each side.  This takes about 10 minutes in total.  The technical term for this stage is "cooking the snot out of your tofu".  This will ensure that your tofu is crispy on the outside and firm on the inside.

The noodle dish is really a throw all of your favourite vegetables into a skillet with reserved tofu marinade and wait for good things to happen. 

Noodles

ingredients

bok choi (or baby book choi) (2-4 cups)

purple cabbage (1/2-1 cup)

carrots (1-2 medium)

broccoli (2-3 cups)

reserved tofu marinade

udon noodles (a package)

olive oil (1 tsp)

Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in large skillet.  Stir fry vegetables according to their cooking times.  Eg. purple cabbage, broccoli & carrots first (mushroom & onions if using). 

vegetables that take the longest to cook

Use reserved tofu marinade to steam vegetables.  You want the vegetables to be slightly crunchy or at least I do.  Add udon noodles.  Cook until noodles are sticking to the bottom of the pan and smell slightly burnt (about 5 minutes).  Add bok choi or other greens.  Cook until green are slightly softened.   Serve with tofu and a sweet dipping sauce (e.g. maple syrup, plum sauce, etc.).

add your greens

* I also love to use brussel sprouts that are finely chopped, mushrooms, onions, asparagus, & kale.  Rice noodles and soba noodles are also really delicious.

party in a bowl

Yum.