On Thursday (?) we ordered Chinese food.  Jon got General Tso’s Tofu and I got steamed veggies and tofu (yes, I am one of those).  Of course we didn’t finish it all, so we had a bunch of left overs.  Today we reused them- we stir fried the steamed veggies and tofu medley with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil to add some flavour and texture, and threw themin some broth composed of veg broth, garlic, fresh chives, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  If I had srirarcha sauce.. I would.  Then we added in some soba noodles and called it a day.  Jon pan fried his General Tso’s tofu, and it heated up very nicely!  Oh yeh, and I had a fried egg on top.

Soba Noodles with Veg and Tofu
Serves 2
Leftovers: Broccoli, sugar snap peas, tofu- whatever veggies you want to use up, kale and mushrooms and baby corn would work nicely.
Soba Noodles
Vegetable Broth- 3 cups
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, grated and peeled
1 Garlic Clove
Fresh Chives
Sesame Oil

Sautee left over veggies and tofu in Sesame Oil, add garlic and ginger, and cook until flavours are absorbed (Note: If you are using tofu that has already been coated in sauce and fried, set this aside and cook on its own in a pan over high heat), set aside. Cook soba noodles, drain, and set aside. Cook broth- throw in veg broth, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and chives. Cook for about 10 mins so flavours meld together. Add in tofu, veggies, and noodles. Fry an egg in some oil, and baste with veg broth, cover and cook a few minutes. Arrange noodles and veg in a bowl, top with egg, and garnish with chives.

When I was in college, Freshman year to be exact, I ate cup noodle (or is it pot noodle?) for dinner almost every night.. and so did everyone else in my dorm.  Nothing will ever be as comforting as a cup of noodles that takes a few minutes to create, but here is a healthier version, with better ramen noodles and King Oyster Mushrooms (below), both of which we purchased from the wonder that is H-Mart (the one in Burlington is massive).  Another note, this was by far the best tofu brand I’ve had (pictured below). We were so tempted to eat it by itself dipped in some Hoisin Sauce.

Pot Noodle for Grown-Ups
Serves 2

Noodles for 2
Tofu (About 1/2 the packet)
Vegetable Oil for frying
1/4 cup of Flour
2-3 Spring Onions
Red Cabbage
Peas
King Oyster Mushrooms (these were massive so 1 was enough)
12 Baby carrots
Spinach or Kale
1 clove of Garlic
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of Water
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha Sauce, to taste

First, get the tofu over with. Cut into little triangles, coat with flower, and fry in vegetable oil at a medium high heat, flipping every minute or so until golden. Set aside.

In a large pot, saute white parts of Spring Onions (chopped up) and ginger in sesame oil. Add in minced garlic, carrots, and oyster mushrooms (sliced). Add broth, water, and cabbage. Cook for about 30 minutes until condensed. Add soy sauce, some more sesame oil, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, and greens (peas, spinach/kale). If the broth isn’t to your liking, add whatever you think it needs (more soy sauce? some miso paste if you’ve got it? etc). If it’s done, strain out the vegetables and add the noodles to the broth. Once cooked add the veggies back in and mix well. Dish out and top with tofu, garnish with the green parts of the Spring Onions as well as some more Sriracha sauce.

Hello Beaners! Jon and I decided to look into the healthiest diet in the world, and apparently it is the Japanese diet.  While we were inspired enough to think we could do a Japanese diet for at least a month, to see how we felt, we quickly realized various pitfalls, namely that we don’t eat seafood.  Nevertheless we decided to give it a try, and while I can’t say if our meal actually could be considered Japanese cuisine,  I will settle for saying that it was Japanese Inspired.

The day before I had made some veggie broth (see How To Section), which we mixed with vegetarian miso, and cooked with some fresh ginger, spring onions, and a bit of kim chi.  Once the broth had cooked for a bit, we added in our vegetables, allowed to cook, and served it over rice topped with sesame oil, sesame seeds and soy sauce.  It was good and a very comforting dish for a cold night.  You can really use whatever veggies you want, or use some udon noodles if  you prefer it over rice.

VEGETABLE RICE BOWL
Serves 3-4

1 litre Vegetable Broth
1 sachet of Miso Soup (we used Red)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
6 or 7 baby carrots, chopped
6 or 7 baby corn, chopped
4 Spring Onions
Romanesco Broccoli and Regular Broccoli- 2 cups worth of florrets
Handful of kale, chopped into ribbons
A good handful of mushrooms- flavourful ones such as shiitake, porcini etc
Bean Sprouts
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Soy Sauce
Kim Chi
Rice

Cook rice, set aside. Boil Broth and add packet of miso soup. If necessary, add some boiling water. Bring to a boil and add a bit of red chili, ginger, and a bunch of chopped spring onions. Let cook for a few minutes and start added the veggies. Throw in the broc and carrots first as they will take the longest to cook. Add in a bit of kim chi for flavour. Once the vegetables are cooked, give it a taste. Add whatever you think is missing- soy sauce, more kim chi, sesame oil etc. Serve over rice and drizzle with a bit of sesame oil. Garnish with sesame seeds.

P.S. Romanesco is a type of broccoli I got at the farmer’s market this weekend, it reminds me of a cross between broccoli and cauliflower.  The texture was sort of cauliflower-y and I decided that I loved it.  I will post a pic of it later.