Easy, delicious dinner for everyone. (Maybe not all the kids will eat all the different parts, but you don’t have to mix it all together until the end, so you can personalize each bowl, and everyone will at least eat some of it!) I’ve served this to lots of guests, and haven’t found anyone yet who doesn’t like it. The sauce is so very yummy. It might seem a little bit complicated the first time you make it — and there are a few steps — but it actually comes together really easily. And the roasted broccoli — I could eat it every single day.

If you haven’t eaten buckwheat soba noodles, they are a worth looking for. You can make this with any noodles, really, but buckwheat soba noodles take it to another level. Ditto with the other ingredients that you may not have in your pantry. I think you will find the little extra effort it takes to source them will be worth it, and you’ll end up making this dish enough times that you will end up using them all.

This recipe is just slightly adapted from the wonderful book Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

3 T toasted sesame oil

2 T tahini

2 T agave nectar

Grated zest and juice of one lime

3 T soy sauce

Small piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

Other ingredients:

1 bunch broccoli

Extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

Pinch of sea salt

1 package of firm tofu

300 gram/10.5 oz package of buckwheat soba noodles

3 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

2 T sesame seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F/215 C.

In a small bowl or jar, mix together the sauce ingredients until smooth.

Cut the tofu into cubes, gently mix with a few spoonfuls of olive oil, spread onto a lined baking tray, sprinkle with salt, and place into the oven. Turn the cubes over every 8 minutes or so, until all sides are browned — about 20 minutes.

Cut the broccoli into florets. Don’t be afraid to include the stems. Pour a few spoonfuls of olive oil over the broccoli and stir, then spread the broccoli onto a baking tray. Sprinkle the sea salt and garlic over it. Place the tray into the hot oven and roast for exactly 15 minutes. When you take it out, roughly rough with a large knife into smaller pieces.

Meanwhile, boil a large pot of salted water, then add the buckwheat soba noodles and cook according to the package instructions.

Chop the spring onions and cilantro.

In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together: the noodles, tofu, broccoli, sauce, green onions and half the coriander. Divide into bowls, sprinkle the remainder of the coriander and the sesame seeds on top, and serve.

Or, toss together whichever ingredients people will eat and personalize each bowl. In my house, two kids will just eat noodles with sauce and tofu, one kid will eat the broccoli as well, and their dad will eat the noodles, sauce and broccoli, but not the tofu! I think the mixture of everything together is heaven. Bon appetit!