Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup

Today I had a craving for chicken noodle soup. Having been a vegetarian almost 17 years now, I don't get these cravings for foods from the first half of my life very often. I threw together some ingredients I had laying around and made the most incredible faux chicken noodle soup ever. It seriously tastes like I remember. Even my meat eating husband commented on its authenticity. I want to get the recipe down, simple as it may be, before I forget. With 3 kids running around, I forget things quickly and frequently.

Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 Not-Chick'n bouillon cube (I use Edward & Son)
• 1-2 T olive oil or butter (or both)
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1/2 package Quorn Chik'n Tenders
• 4 oz. of egg noodles (I used these that I found at our local Asian market)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put water and bouillon cube together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium heat with 1 T of olive oil/butter. Add onions, celery, and carrots and sautee until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot mixture) to the saucepan.
3. Using the same frying pan over medium heat add the remaining 1 T of olive oil/butter. Add the 1/2 bag of Quorn Chik'n Tenders, no need to de-thaw first. If the oil/butter runs dry too quickly then you can add 2 T of water to the pan and cover for 1-2 minutes. This will help keep the Quorn Tenders from drying out. I added the salt and pepper to the Quorn while they in the frying pan, but you can easily add it to the broth if desired. Once Quorn Tenders are cooked through, about 5-7 minutes, add them to the saucepan. 
4. Add the egg noodles to the saucepan, turn heat to medium low, and cook until noodles are tender.