Tofu Noodles

Noodles, mushrooms and veggies.  Throw them into some flavored broth and viola - an Asian noodle dish in a flash.  Talk about fast vegetarian.
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup shredded, or sliced carrots
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 quart chicken broth
1 Tbsp nam pla Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 lb dried noodles
2 links vegetarian Italian sausage - about 6 oz, sliced
5 oz smoked, pressed tofu, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp dried shitake mushrooms, rehydrated, sliced
2-3 cups baby kale (or kale), finely sliced

First soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water.  When soft (about 10-15 minutes), squeeze gently of water and slice.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of canola oil in a soup pot and sauté the onions, carrot and pepper for 8-10 minutes, until the veggies soften and begin to color.  Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes.  Add the chicken broth, fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil and bring to a gentle boil.  Add the noodles and cook, stirring often, until the noodles soften, about 5-8 minutes, depending on the type of noodle.  Add the sausage, tofu, mushrooms and kale and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes.

Serves four.

Cook's note: I love Trade Joe's vegetarian Italian sausage, but you can use your favorite Italian or meat sausage.  If using a meat-based sausage, be sure to sauté it in a skillet until fully cooked through before adding to the noodles. You can find smoked baked tofu in Asian markets, or some supermarkets.  I used Asian pressed tofu above and used Trader Joe's baked pressed tofu below.

Above, I used baby kale leaves, which is a great new green I am finding in the markets. In Asia I often see choy sum used as a green, which I used below.

It softens up very quickly in the hot soup, so add it towards the end.  You want fast?  Don't use dried mushrooms, use whatever cool fresh mushrooms you can find.  Below, I used delicious, fresh Japanese Brown Beech mushrooms I found in a local Asian market.  I also added some sweet peppers.