Meal in a Hurry - Quick Noodles with Veg & Tofu

A friend who have started reading my blog asked 'why don't you do whole blogs on the preparing of some actual meals using the ingredients you grow and make? I thought that was a fair request as it might balance all the time spent on growing and making with time saved in cooking.

Of course, not everything we cook and eat are home grown or made and most of our meals have a bought element. For me, the decision to buy or to grow depends on cost effectiveness as well as practicality. For instance, why grow mushrooms when organic ones are so reasonably priced, organic onions are cheap to buy and free up much needed growing space and I am no noodle maker but I do love to consume them.

Today was a busy day so a good one to record a quick meal from predominantly pre-made ingredients. We choose a tofu, mushroom noodle dish.

In a pan we sautéed sliced onions and shredded oyster mushrooms in rapeseed oil, we added a dessert spoon full of yacon syrup and a sprinkle of black salt.

We added homemade tofu and browned on both sides before turning down the heat.

We popped in three sliced chestnut mushrooms and left to simmer while prepping the rest of the ingredients.

We make a range of non-dairy seed and nut cheeses for home use and this sprouted sunflower seed and seaweed type goes particularly well with tofu. Slicable and gratable it also blends beautifully with other ingredients.

This chilli is a cross between sweet wrinkled old man and padron we have been growing for 9 years. Sweet and hot it packs a big flavour punch.

After grating 2 generous slices of cheese and slicing up the chilli we tossed them into the pan

then added 5 pre-prepared leaves of Chayote squash reserving the juice. (we prep these in batches, store the liquid in the fridge then either refrigerate or dry and store the leaves in a airtight jar so readily available)

Finally a dozen of my favorite black Aztec cherry tomatoes and the juice from the squash leaves. We simmered for a few minutes before adding fine ribbon noodles.

Quick delicious, nutritious and less than 20 minutes in the making.