Black Bean Soba Noodles with Mushrooms & Cabbage

Exhausted after my first day back in the pool since the bout of tonsilitis, I came home looking for a simple meal. I've been eyeing a recipe from BBC's Good Food 'Vegetarian Christmas 2010' edition, here's my adaptation - black bean sauce is a little salty, but paired with the cabbage and mushrooms was quite a yummy meal...  

Makes 4 generous servings.

 

450g package of firm or extra-firm tofu

1-2 cloves garlic, pressed 

       (omit if the garlic in the sauce is enough for your taste)

2" piece of ginger, minced

3 cups quartered cremini mushrooms

5 cups shredded Savoy cabbage

300g soba noodles (enough for 4 people)

6 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
5 green spring onions, sliced and divided

Cut tofu in 1/2" cubes, and toss with 2 Tbsp of the black bean sauce. Allow to marinate while preparing veggies, longer if you have time. Over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the tofu on all sides until nicely browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil, and sautee the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms and cabbage. Toss the veggie mixture every minute or so, adding a sprinkle of water if the bottom of the frying pan begins to scorch. Nibble on the cabbage every so often, until you're happy with the tenderness - I happen to like it rather crunchy.

Heat a pot of water, and boil noodles according to package directions. In the meantime, add the remainder of the black bean sauce to the frying pan and the majority of the spring onions, keeping just enough aside as a garnish for each serving. Add tofu back into pan, and sautee for another minute, tossing as needed to prevent veggies from sticking to the bottom. Drain the cooked noodles, add to frying pan, tossing to blend everything together. Divide into 4 bowls, garnish with remaining spring onions, and serve!

Per serving: 497 cals, 14g fat, 73g carbs, 1744mg sodium, 6g fiber, 28g protein.  (PRO98.4/20%,CHO270/54%,FAT129/26%)