tofu stroganoff

You'll need:
1lb of pressed, frozen/thawed tofu*, cubed
2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms (or other dark, meaty mushrooms, cut into small pieces)
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I use Better Than Bouillion)
4 shallots, diced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons corn starch or arrowroot powder (flour can be substituted)
olive oil
seasoning salt (Lawry's or similar)
freshly-ground pepper (I prefer a four peppercorn blend)
1/2 pound egg noodles (dry weight)
1/2 cup sour cream

Use a big skillet for the stroganoff preparation! If you are using a nonstick pan, the tofu will not stick as badly; if you are not using a nonstick pan, you're going to need a metal spatula to scrape as you're browning the tofu.

While you're cooking the tofu, start a pot of water for the egg noodles.

Put some olive oil into the skillet and heat it up on medium-high. Once it's good and hot, toss in a little salt and the tofu. Cook the tofu until it is slightly darkened, scraping it and turning it every so often so it cooks evenly.

Once it's cooked a bit, toss in the paprika, shallots, and mushrooms. Continue to turn the mixture over with the spatula until the mushrooms and shallots are well-cooked.

Stir in the corn starch, folding it into the mixture until there are no lumps.

Add in the stock, red wine, and tomato paste and stir thoroughly. If you're using Better Than Boullion, it's okay to just pour in the water and spoon in the bouillion mix without pre-cooking it (so easy!). Turn the heat to LOW and allow the mixture to simmer.

Put the egg noodles into the pot of water that should be boiling by now and cook them according to directions.

Once the noodles are cooked, the stroganoff mixture should be ready to serve. Grind in some pepper, and give it a taste test to see if it needs more salt.

Serve stroganoff over the noodles, with sour cream on the side. I find that I like it better without the sour cream, but tastes may vary.

* To prepare the tofu:
Squeeze out as much water as you can without crushing the block.

Set the tofu block on top of something screened, like in a colander, or a splatter guard placed over a . Put something clean on top, like an upside-down plate, and then pile something heavy on top, such as books, or a brick. Let the tofu sit like this for about half an hour.

Toss the tofu into the freezer and allow it to freeze solid. Then, allow it to thaw. Freezing changes the texture, making it firmer and more spongey.