crispy tofu noodle bowl

Does anyone else ever get super excited to have a day to themselves just so they can eat what they want- it doesn't even have to be a full day, just one meal any given day where all the choice is up to you. I sometimes secretly get excited when Justin tells me he is going to a friends house for "Guy Night" or on Saturday's when he has to work and I don't.....yeah I miss him, buuuuut him being gone for a short amount of time means I get to have whatever I want for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Justin and I don't see eye to eye on all food choices, he is pretty open to most things but I have a tendency to get strong random cravings for certain dishes when he could take it or leave it. 

However, I was really surprised when he was bummed that he missed out on this noodle bowl - I totally thought this would not be "his thing" and I ate it all and didn't save him even a taste {sad face}.

When I have meal time to myself I go from one extreme to the other- sometimes I create new recipes // eggs bene, grain salads, soups and other times I go all out comfort // mac n' cheese, grilled cheese, leftovers remade into something new + tofu scramble.

This dish was a combination of both // comfort + new, and let me tell you, it was amazing and so simple to make.

For the most part you could use any vegetable you have in the crisper // some suggestions:

baby spinach

soba noodles

rice noodles

thinly sliced peppers

carrot ribbons

green beans

broccoli

bok choi

4 ingredients make an amazingly simple broth- I was actually taken back by how flavor the broth was with so little effort on my part.

I use a vegan umami paste, however white miso works well in addition to tamari, sesame oil + chili paste.

I opted to pour boiling water over all my ingredients in the serving bowl to partially cook while the tofu was being prepared. I then finished off the entire dish in the pan with the tofu. You can skip this step if you wish and just throw everything in the pan at once after the tofu has been cooked, but I found the first method cooked everything perfectly.

With prep time this dish is ready in under 15 minutes. Not bad for a piping hot bowl of goodness with ingredients I am sure most of you already have in your pantry + fridge.

Do you have any guilty food pleasures that only you enjoy and look forward to cooking when you are alone? 

Crispy Tofu Noodle Bowl

makes 1 // easily doubled - more method than exact recipe

you will need:

1 tbsp tamari 

 1 tsp white miso paste // umami paste

1 small clove of garlic // minced

1/4 tsp Chili paste {I used Huey Fong Sambal Oelek Chili Paste)

  

handful of rice noodles

1 small Carrot peeled into ribbons

1/2 small  head of broccoli cut into florets

baby bok choi

2 cups boiling water*

1 tsp sesame oil 

1/3 block extra firm // firm tofu - cubed

assembly:

In a deep soup bowl add tamari, miso/umami paste, minced garlic, chili paste, rice noodles + all the veggies. Pour boiling water into the bowl, making sure the noodles are covered with the water. Allow to sit while you prepare the tofu.

(noodles will begin to partially cook in the boiling water and the steam from the water will begin the cooking process of the veggies- alternatively, you can skip this part and just add everything to the pan after you saute the tofu with 2 cups water- you will need to cook and additional 5 or so minutes in the pan. )

In a medium saute pan, heat the sesame oil over medium/high heat. Add cubed tofu and saute until all side of the tofu cubes are golden brown- about 5 minutes. Dump the contents of your soup bowl into the saute pan cook for 2-3 additional minutes until noodles are soft + cooked through to your liking.

Transfer back to the soup bowl and enjoy with chopsticks or a fork.

Enjoy!

*Note: boil your water while prepping your veggies + tofu

Yum