This is an excellent stir-fry dish. The key is to have all your ingredients prepared beforehand. The tofu used here should be marinated and baked before you begin. When serving a large crowd, consider making two separate dishes- one dish without the hot peppers for the children and one nice and spicy for adults.  

• 1 pound Baked Tofu (page 229), marinated and cut into bite-sized pieces   
•     4 cups shredded cabbage       
•     1 cup sliced mushrooms       
•     1 cup grated carrots 
•     ¼ cup red bell pepper strips       
•     3 baby bok choy, chopped    
•     1-2 jalapeños or other hot peppers, to taste    
•     ½ cup sliced green onions 
•     ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari 
•     ¼ cup vegan Worcestershire sauce       
•     3 tablespoons ketchup 
•     3 tablespoons mirin 
•     2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil       
•     2 tablespoons chili paste 
•     Dash hot chili sauce, to taste
•     1 teaspoon minced ginger (optional)    
•     1 (12 oz) box soba noodles 
•     1 tablespoon oil or ¼ cup vegetable broth, for sautéing 
•     Cashews, chopped, for garnish (optional)  

Prepare all vegetables before you begin. Tofu should already be baked and ready to use.  Prepare cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, bok choy, jalapeños, green onions and toss together in a large bowl.  Combine soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mirin, sesame oil, chili paste, hot chili sauce, and ginger, together and set aside.  Bring large pot of water to boil to cook the soba noodles. Right before you put noodles in to cook, start heating the wok or cooking pan to medium- high heat. Do not put oil or vegetable broth in yet. Cook soba noodles for 4 minutes, check for doneness, drain, rinse and set aside.  The next part goes very fast, so be ready! Add 1 tablespoon of oil or vegetable broth to hot wok and then add all the vegetables together at the same time. Using tongs, toss veggies continually about 2-3 minutes. The vegetables should be tender crisp not limp or rubbery. Add noodles, soy sauce mixture and tofu to stir-fry mixture in wok. Toss all together. Turn off heat. Serve in warm bowls or plates and top with cashews.

Hints:

One pound of tofu might not be needed; it depends on how many are being served. Adjust accordingly and save the remaining tofu in the refrigerator for further use on salads or sandwiches.

You can buy tofu with different textures from silken to super-firm. Buy extra-firm or firm to use in a stir-fry and for sautéing or grilling. Silken tofu is great for sauces or pies.