Meatless Monday... Spicy Tofu Noodles!!

Meatless Monday.... spicy tofu noodles with cabbage, carrots and edemame! Full of lean protein and tons of flavor! Start with tofu... I LOVE tofu's lean protein, but I don't like mushy food... so I always do this to my tofu... park it on paper towels for 10 minutes... And then I weight it down with a big book, to get all the moisture out! Then, I bake it (350 degrees for at least 30 minutes)... but first I gotta give it some flavor! Tonight's flavor... courtesy of these guys! One of my favorite flavor profiles! Start with 1/4 cup of soy, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes, and copious amounts of fresh chopped garlic and ginger (about 2 tablespoons of each)! After chopping my garlic and ginger, I reserved half, and added the other half to the sauce I just made! After mixing my soy sauce mixture, I added about half to the cubed tofu, and let it marinate on the counter for 10 minutes (or up to 30). Next, I added 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the leftover soy sauce mixture and saved it to flavor and thicken the noodles! Next I cooked my pasta (thin spaghetti tonight) according to the directions, and then IT HIT ME!! Edamame would totally be AWESOME in this, so I added it to the pasta to cook for 5 minutes... and I'm glad I did! For some crispy, crunchy nutrition, I added about 1 cup of carrots, half a shredded cabbage, and 6 scallions! Wok time!!! I got my wok-ish pan good and hot and added a tablespoon of canola oil, and then, I added my veggies with the reserved garlic and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes while the pasta and edamame finish! Don't forget about the tofu! It's been baking in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes! Now it's firm, meaty, and full of flavor!! After the veggies get started, add the cooked noodles, and the reserved sauce with the corn starch. I also kept some of that pasta liquid (about a cup... just in case)... and added a little to the noodles to help combine all the flavors of the veggies, noodles, and garlic and ginger! Delicious, nutritious spicy tofu noodles with cabbage, carrots, and scallions! If there's not enough heat in those noodles for you, add a bit of sriracha... like I did. Great on their own! Nothing better for meatless Monday... UNLESS... Your beautiful wonderful neighbor pops in for a visit, and shares some delicious noodles with you! Meatless Monday just got better... with Penelly and edamame... and that's just the way we like it!!