Udon Noodles w/Broccolini & Spicy Tofu

I seem to keep going back to my May 2011 Cooking Light Magazine… probably because I’ve been eating much healthier – minus the food truck meals ;). The Udon Noodle with Broccolini and Spicy Tofu shared the page next to the Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing recipe. Scoring two excellent recipes in one magazine is great! I continue to have good luck on vegetarian options in Cooking Light.

The Ingredients:
8 oz. Water-Packed Extra-Firm Tofu – I used Wildwood Organics High Protein Super Firm Tofu – no water, easy to use
5 Tablespoons Peanut Oil – divided
2 Tablespoons Lower-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce – I used low sodium soy sauce
1.5 Teaspoons Sriracha – divided
Cooking Spray
6 oz. uncooked dried udon noodles – I used what I had, Hakubaku Organic Soba, Japanese Buckwheat Noodles (a thinner noodle)
6 Cups Water
1/5 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
8 oz. Broccolini
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar – I only had seasoned, so I used that.
1 Tablespoon Grated Peeled Fresh Ginger – I used my frozen Dorat brand.
1 Teaspoon Dark Sesame Oil
1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Radishes
2 Tablespoons Chopped Dry-Roasted Cashews – toasted – I didn’t toast mine (just forgot)

Directions:
I skipped the first step of pressing my tofu to let it drain – since I got the “no water” easy to use kind. If you are using the other kind, allow 30 minutes to drain between pressed paper towels before cutting into cubes.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 2 tablespoons peanut oil, soy sauce or tamari, and 1 teaspoon Sriracha in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add tofu cubes to mixture and toss gently to coat. Let sit in bowl for 15 minutes.

Remove tofu from bowl with slotted spoon, reserve sauce mixture in bowl. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake tofu at 350 degrees F. for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Mine took about 15 minutes.

Cook noodles according to package. I ended up cooking my noodles in the water that I cooked my broccolini in and that worked great. I was afraid it would turn green, but it didn’t.

For the broccolini – Combine 6 cups water and salt in a large pot/pan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Add broccolini to pot and cook for 3 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain and plunge broccolini into ice water.

Drain well and then chop broccolini. Add remaining 3 tablespoons peanut oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, rice vinegar, ginger, and sesame oil to reserved tamari/soy sauce mixture in bowl. Stir mixture well and add the baked tofu, noodles, broccolini, and 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes and gently toss to coat. (I skipped the additional Sriracha – I tasted it and thought it was spicy enough for me – I added a little more rice vinegar instead. It should be noted… I’m a spice whimp).

Sprinkle dish with cashews and serve. Yields 4 – Serving Size = 1 and 1/4 cups noodle mixture and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cashews.

If you aren’t a tofu fan or you have family members that wouldn’t touch the stuff – this dish would taste great with shrimp or chicken as well. I love that it’s a basic recipe that can be switched up. Next time I’m thinking of adding grilled bok choy.

Questions: Are you a tofu fan? If so, what is your favorite type/brand? How do you like to cook it?