I can see and feel the change in the seasons rolling through. Finally, there's some relief from the hot summer days as we get cooler weather here in Texas. Whoohoo! I think the high here today is only 88 degrees F. In honor of the cooler weather, I thought it would be nice to make a warm pot of ramen soup.

Ramen soup can often come in many shapes and forms. Usually it involves Chinese noodles, some sort of broth, and an assortment of vegetables. Today I wanted to keep my soup meatless, loaded with vegetables, and piled up with seared tofu.

I kept this soup lighter and better-for-you by using an unsalted chicken stock and lots of fresh vegetables. This soup is really an all inclusive meal in a bowl and doesn't really need anything served on the side of it.

It can sometimes be a challenge to get much flavor infused into tofu, so I was sure to marinade it overnight in a mixture of bold sauce and spices; giving it all plenty of time to soak in and marry well together. Cooking it over a high heat gives it a nice 'crisp' sort of texture, so if you're generally put off by the bite of tofu - this is a good way to try it in another form!

If you wanted to keep this vegetarian, all you would have to do really is swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock, easy-peasy!

As for the noodles, I really just went down the international row in my grocery store until I found ones that looked similar to the ones out of the pre-packaged 'ramen'. They were just called 'Chinese Noodles' and came in a 10 oz. package with no flavoring or anything.

Hoisin Marinated Tofu in Miso Ramen
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 8 • Size: About 1 1/2 Cup • Calories: 324.2 • Fat: 6.4 g • Carb: 43 g • Fiber: 1.3 g • Protein: 25.2 g • Sugar: 11.3 g • Sodium: 1577.5 mg

Ingredients:
16 Oz. Extra Firm Cubed Tofu
2/3 C. Hoisin Marinade (I used Soy Vay 'Hoisin Garlic' Marinade.)
1 Tsp. Chinese 5 Spice
8 C. Unsalted Chicken Stock
10 Oz. Dry Chinese Noodles, Cooked Accordingly
8 Oz. Sliced White Mushrooms
5 Oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
1/4 C. Miso Broth Concentrate
4 Hard Boiled Eggs, Halved

Directions:

The night before, marinade the cubed tofu in the hoisin and Chinese five spice.

I turned mine over about halfway through the day to be sure it was all marinated evenly.

Lightly coat the inside of a medium skillet with non-stick cooking spray and heat over high.

Once the pan is hot, add in the tofu and sear it in the hot pan; tossing it around until nearly all sides are browned.

Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Place the chicken stock and mushrooms in a large stock pot, bring it all to a boil.

Once boiling, add in the cooked noodles and allow to return to a boil.

Turn off the heat and add in the spinach and miso concentrate; stir to combine and allow the spinach to wilt.

Divide evenly among bowls and serve right away with a garnish of the tofu and egg.

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