Vegan Asian Noodles

One of my goals for this month is to try a new recipe each week. Several weeks ago, I pinned this Simple Sesame Noodle dish and have been dying to try it since. I'll admit though, Lauren was pretty hesitant to try it at first. Luckily though, as part of our shared meal prepping/cooking deal, we have to at least try the other person's creation, within reason of course.

I loved the simplicity of this recipe, and the fact that I already had most of the ingredients on hand. The entire recipe was already vegan, so I didn't have to come up with any substitutions! However, I wanted this dish to serve as a complete meal, and felt it needed a little more veggies. I used her recipe as a great starting point for my completed Asian Noodle dish.

Ingredients:
(serves about 6, as a full meal)
- 1 pound whole wheat spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Sriracha sauce
- 5 whole green onions
- 1 bell pepper (I used half of two different ones, for more color)
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- 1 cup frozen edamame
- 1 large carrot

1. Cook the entire package of spaghetti according to the provided directions. I cooked mine for about 11 minutes in boiling water. Then drain, and rinse noodles in cold water to prevent them from sticking together. Toss the noodles in a large bowl.

2. Slice tofu into cubes, bell pepper into thin strips, and mince the garlic.

3. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot, toss the tofu cubes into the pan, and cook until all sides are golden brown. With the tofu still in the pan, throw in the bell peppers and half of the minced garlic. Continue to saute, but make sure not to overcook the bell peppers. Remove pan from heat and let cool. When completely cool, add the contents to the bowl of noodles.

4. Defrost the frozen edamame and add to the bowl of noodles.

5. Shred the carrot and add to the bowl of noodles.

6. Chop the green onions and add to the bowl of noodles. I like to save the bottoms of the green onions and regrow them!

7. Make the sauce. In a separate smaller bowl, mix the soy sauce, remaining olive oil and garlic, water, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and Sriracha sauce. Pour over the bowl of noodles and mix the entire bowl thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving to let all of the flavors soak in.

* This dish can be served either chilled or hot, but I prefer it on the colder side!