Dofu Cai Mian (Tofu Vegetable Noodle Soup, Two Versions)

A warming, nutritious, and quick throw-together soup. Like a wonderful lo mein, but with less oil and in stock -- plus, this has a sweet-spicy and a hot-spicy variation here!

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 2
• Yields: 1-3 Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package  frozen leaf spinach or 1 (12 ounce) package  chopped spinach
• 3⁄4 cup  frozen broccoli florets
• 1⁄2 cup  sliced frozen carrots
• 1⁄2 cup  sliced mushrooms
• 1⁄4 cup water chestnut
• 1⁄4 cup bamboo shoot
• 12  ounces lite silken extra firm tofu or 12  ounces firm tofu, pressed and drained
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh garlic
• 1⁄2 tablespoon  grated fresh ginger (optional) or 1⁄2 tablespoon  pureed fresh ginger (optional)
• 1  teaspoon Chinese five spice powder or 2  tablespoons  szechuan sauce or 2  tablespoons  chili paste
• 2  teaspoons  sesame oil or 2  teaspoons  chili oil
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 2  cups  vegetable stock or 2  cups  oriental  vegetable stock
• 2  cups  cooked whole wheat noodles (linguini, ho fun, egg noodles, whatever)

Directions

1. Bring stock to a roiling boil.
2. Add spices to taste. For a hotpot style soup, use ginger, garlic, szechuan sauce or chili paste, and chili oil. For a darker, sweet-spicy taste, use ginger, garlic, five spice powder, sesame oil, and some extra soy sauce.
3. Add noodles and cubed tofu, simmer a few minutes to allow flavors to blend and noodles to cook partway while you get vegetables together.
4. Add all vegetables, excluding spinach.
5. Simmer.
6. Add spinach, simmer until just tender.
7. Serve hot.