Let Me Upgrade You: Ramen Noodles

Ay, ay ay! I forgot to post last week. Silly girl, I know. Well, I hope to make it up to you all by posting twice this week!

For those of you who follow me on twitter, remember how I posted about that Martha Stewart Ramen Noodle Upgrade? Well, I had already started thinking about way to make it more meal-like than the original dish. You know, make enough to serve more than just me. Sometimes I try to not be anti-social. Thoughts of tofu, veggies, and sesame oil crossed my mind. I finally put my thought into action and created this yummy, filling version which makes enough for 3-4. Per usual, Martha knows best– I just made some improvements on what “best” could be.

Drool worthy.

The original recipe calls for only chicken flavored ramen, chunky peanut butter, Sriracha, and (optional) scallions. Sounds great if you are still a few days out from getting paid (hey, it happens, don’t judge!), but what about when you have some fresh, yummy veggies in your crisper? Well, you improvise and improve upon Martha’s directions. She’s not perfect. Yeah, I said it.

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz. package firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares
• Enough soy sauce to cover tofu chunks
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 Tablespoon teriyaki sauce (like Mr. Yoshida’s)
• 2 packages chicken flavored Top Ramen (with sauce packet!)
• 2-2 1/2 cups water (eyeball enough to cover the ramen noodles)
• 2 carrots, sliced (I did them thinly and they were slightly overcooked)
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 broccoli crown, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 zucchini, cut into half moons
• 3 Tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons red pepper sauce (like Sriracha)
• 2 green onions, chopped

A cheap base for a very tasty meal!

Delish veggies are prepped to save time and sanity.

An unexpected, but very welcomed combo.

Like I wasn’t going to add garlic!

Directions

1. Place tofu squares in a bowl and cover with soy sauce. Add the garlic and teriyaki sauce. Set aside but be sure to stir occasionally. (I started marinating the tofu about an hour before I started prepping anything else, but I just like heavily sauced tofu!)
2. Begin heating the water for the ramen. While you’re waiting for the water to boil, toss in the carrot slices. Once the water is boiling, add the ramen noodles and sauce packet. Cook for approximately 3 minutes.
3. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil and heat through.
4. Throw in broccoli pieces. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until crispy.
5. Once the ramen is done, drain out the broth and set the noodles and carrots aside.
6. Drain the tofu, but reserve the marinade. Add the tofu to the broccoli and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the zucchini to the broccoli and tofu, cover.
8. Mix together the reserved marinade with Sriracha and chunky peanut butter. Pour over zucchini, broccoli, and tofu mixture. Add ramen noodle and carrots. Stir well.
9. Top each serving with green onions and dig in!

Carrots take forever to cook. Boiling them with the broth and noodles saves heaps of time! Just be sure to not over cook them.

Separated for now, but they’ll be reunited soon.

I could have eaten this as is.

Add this weird looking mixture to the reserved marinade.

Not exactly pretty, but darn good.

While I’m sure you’ve figured out I really like tofu (it is SO easy to use and is able to be infused with any variety of flavors), you could use chicken, beef, pork.. whatever! Just be sure to cook it first– duh. I also really like the fact that you can substitute any veggies in this recipe. So don’t feel like you have to go out and buy broccoli, zucchini, and carrots if you have others in your crisper. Although you should buy them, because those are the three best vegetables ever. Along with Brussels sprouts, but I digress.