Tofu Tuesday - Sauteed Tofu with Kale & Udon Noodles

Goodness!  It's been quite some time since my last Tofu Tuesday post.  I have been eating tofu, but just haven't been posting the recipes.  :o)  For the return of Tofu Tuesday, I bring you a yummy and super easy recipe.  I don't really know what to call it, so we'll go with...

Sauteed Tofu with Kale & Udon Noodles

• 1 block of firm (or extra firm) tofu, drained
• Udon noodles
• Kale
• Olive oil
• Garlic, minced
• Steak seasoning
• Red pepper flakes

I was at the Farmer's Market on Saturday and got some Alaskan made tofu from Alaska Sprouts.  YUM!  It was just about the same cost as what you get in the grocery store, was REALLY GOOD, annnnnnnnnnnnnnd I got to support a local small business.  Yay!  I also got some sprouts from them (3 bean), which were also excellent!  Last WAY longer than the grocery store sprouts too!

So, as usual, make sure you drain the tofu.  I used my new coffee bean grinder (yes, I FINALLY bought one.  I'm trying my hand at making coffee again.  For some reason I just cannot make coffee...) and some paper towels.  I hate using so many paper towels to make the tofu...  I want to make some kind of tofu press.  I've read a lot of reviews that say the tofu xpress plastic press breaks...  and to be quite honest, they're PRICEY!  I think that I could make one with a trip to Home Depot...  If I do make one, I'll share the how to!  :o)

Ok, back to the recipe.  So, after the tofu was drained, I sliced them into about 1" squares, 1/2" thick.  Then patted on some of the Penzey's Spices Steak Seasoning I got from my Foodie Penpal Nicole (@applesandarteries) last month.  [holy cannoli that's a lot of linking!]   I'm not much of a steak person (as in, I don't ever eat it) but really liked this steak seasoning!

I heated some olive oil (1-2 T) in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add tofu and flip after a few minutes, getting each side nice and golden.

In another pan, saute kale and minced garlic in a smidge of olive oil and get the kale slightly wilty.   Then add cooked udon noodles (I had cooked these ahead of time; they only take 4 minutes), 1 cup of water, red pepper flakes (to taste), and some salt and pepper (again, to taste).  I think that vegetable broth would have been better than water, but I didn't want to open a whole box since I only needed 1 cup and would be going out of town for a week the next day...  So if you make this, I'd use veggie broth instead of water.  If you don't have it, water works just fine too!  Just maybe not as flavorful.  :o)

Put noodle mix in a shallow bowl, then top with tofu.  See, easy!