Minestrone With Tofu - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb firm tofu, frozen and thawed
2 -3 tablespoons tamari
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 zucchini, peeled and sliced (or 2 small)
4 cups water
2 cups low-sodium tomato juice (I use V8)
2 -3 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 tablespoon black pepper
salt, to taste
3 ounces whole wheat spaghetti, broken or 3 ounces other pastas, shapes
1 cups low-sodium kidney beans (I cook my own) or (19 ounce) can kidney beans

Preparation

Gently squeeze excess water from the tofu. Dice it into small-ish cubes, and transfer to a large bowl. Pour in the tamari, 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring to coat evenly. Stir with a wooden spoon to avoid breaking the cubes.(All the tamari will be soaked up- this is fine.) Sprinkle on the garlic powder and stir again.
Place the cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake around 325 F for 10 minutes. Turn the cubes and bake about 5 more minutes, till golden brown on all sides (don't they smell good!)Set aside.
Meanwhile, soften the carrot, onion and zucchini in a little water, in a large pot. When onions are softened, add all the other ingredients EXCEPT the pasta, and beans if canned.
Bring to a boil, and add the pasta. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. About 5 minutes before serving, add beans.
Sprinkle each bowl of soup with a handful of tofu cubes.
When storing leftovers, put the tofu in a seperate container and warm the cubes briefly in a toaster oven (for crispiness)or microwave before adding to the soup.