Sunday Morning Ramen

I'm a creature of routine and habit. And if things don't go exactly as planned, I freak out a little bit. Every Sunday morning must start the same way — wake up without an alarm, let the dogs out back, feed the pets, cook ramen, and eat ramen on my couch in my PJs while watching an episode of whatever hour-long TV show I'm currently working through (right now, that's House of Cards).

Those moments spent savoring every bite of ramen is, perhaps, the highlight of each weekend. Sometimes I wake up super-early on Sundays on accident, and I can't go back to sleep because all I can think about is that bowl of ramen. This has been my routine for years, and it never gets old.

Sometimes I rely on packaged vegan ramen (either Koyo, Lotus Foods, or one of the Vietnamese brands from the neighborhood Asian market). But most of the time, I make my ramen bowl from scratch. And I generally use the same basic formula. Such was the case this morning when I made this bowl.

The recipe is so simple that I probably shouldn't call it a recipe. But I'm sharing it with you anyway. For the tofu in the recipe, I typically use this awesome super-duper firm baked tofu that I buy at the Asian store, but any firm tofu will do. Sometimes I go with plain. Other times, I opt for the Chinese five-spice seasoned tofu. When I forget to stop by the Asian market, I go with whatever tofu I have in the house.

Sunday Morning Ramen
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Yields one delicious bowl

2 cups water
1 cube Edward & Sons Not Beef Bouillon (Not Chicken or the Garden Veggie flavors work great too)
1/4th pound extra-firm baked tofu (flavored if that's what you're into), cubed
1/2 cup frozen veggies (Any combo of veggies will do. My fave is the Kroger brand Mexican style veggies)
2 oz. dry brown rice noodles (I love Annie Chun's brown rice maifun noodles!)
Sriracha
Garlic powder
Black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bouillon cube and stir until it dissolves.

Add the tofu cubes and veggies. The water will stop boiling a little when you add the frozen veggies. Let it come back to a full roiling boil, and then add the noodles. Cook for about two minutes (or however long your noodles take ... that really depends on what type of noodle you choose).

Transfer to a large soup bowl. Top generously with sriracha, garlic powder, and black pepper. Enjoy while watching TV in your pajamas.