Once Upon a Dinner Party: Vegetarian

Tofu is an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals.  It is low in calories and fat and is said to be good for our hearts.  I enjoy tofu in restaurants but have had little experience in making it at home.  I had a block of tofu in my fridge for a month or so and in an effort to start using up things that I have on hand I decided to give it a try.  After a little research I came up with a simple idea, crispy tofu over soba noodles

I started with extra firm tofu

Drained the liquid

Cut into strips

Preheated a frying pan with 1 tablespoon oil.  This is very important when frying something.  If the pan is properly warmed it will fry the item quickly without the food absorbing much oil.  If the pan is not hot enough the food will soak up the oil adding more fat and calories to your meal.

I combined 1/4 cup flour, 1 packet of mrs. dash and 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper in a large ziplock bag.  I added the tofu a few pieces at a time and shook to coat.  I fried the tofu until it was crispy and brown on each side.

Then I boiled some water and cooked my Soba Noodles.  These cook very quickly, about 4 minutes.  I then added the cooked noodles to my frying pan and crisped them up slightly with the leftover oil and seasonings and added 1 tsp of soy sauce.

The finished product was delicious!  And the best part?  Start to finish I had a healthy vegetarian meal for two in 15 minutes, now that is Everyday Nutrition :)