I found this recipe ages ago, and I thought I shared it back then, but looking back, it seems I didn’t! Many apologies, because this is a winner. It’s super fast, super easy, and most importantly – super tasty! And quite good for you, with all the kale.

Everyone has their go-to meal – something that’s easy, fast, and most importantly, delicious. This is currently our go-to meal, it gets put on our meal plan just about every week! I found this recipe on Olives for Dinner, a great site whose creator is so creative with food and has a fantastic photographer, too (and you can spend hours on the site just perusing all the beautiful recipes). In making it so often, we’ve made a couple slight variations from the original recipe, and that’s what I am sharing with you below.

Serves 2.

Yummy Sauce

• 1 T dark sesame oil
• 2 large cloves garlic (or 1 elephant clove), grated on a microplane
• equal amount of fresh ginger (as the garlic), peeled and grated on the microplane
• 2-3 Thai chilies, thinly sliced (more/less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1/3 C mirin
• 1/2 C vegetable broth
• 2 t rice vinegar
• 1.5 T agave, honey, or brown sugar

In a small saucepan, heat the oil with the garlic and ginger. When sizzling, add the chilies and cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, bring to a simmer, and cook 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

The Tofu

• 1 package firm tofu (I like the Wildwood Sproutofu in this one)
• 2 T grapeseed oil

Drain the tofu and pat dry. Slice into 12 pieces. In a very large skillet (nonstick preferable), add the oil. Start heating the pan, and spread the tofu in the skillet, trying not to let them touch. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook over medium heat about 10-12 minutes, then gently lift the lid (don’t tilt it or it will spurt and get you with crazy hot oil). Turn the tofu over and cover again. Let it cook again another 8-10 minutes. Remove the lid again and check to see if the tofu is cooked to your desired crispiness. If so, then take the tofu out onto a plate (otherwise continue cooking until you’re happy).

The Kale

• 2 large heads kale (we like a lot of kale)
• 1 elephant clove of garlic, minced
• 3-4 T tamari
• 1/2 t crushed red chili flakes

After removing the tofu, add half of the kale to the skillet (there should be enough oil remaining; if not, add a touch more). Add 2 T of the tamari and cover with a lid. Let steam about 1-2 minutes. Remove the lid and add the garlic and chili flakes. Toss around. The kale should be wilted enough to add the rest of it without overflowing the pan. Add the rest of the tamari, cover, steam a few minutes, then stir it all together. Remove from the pan and divide into the serving bowls.

The Ramen

2 servings of ramen noodles (in my case, 2 cakes of the Lotus Foods Rice Ramen), cooked according to the package directions, and divided into the serving bowls.

The Whole Shebang

• 1 T cornstarch dissolved in 3 T cool water
• 1 t each of black and white sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1-2 T roasted peanuts
• Sriracha, to taste

In the skillet, after taking out the kale, add 1/2 of the sauce mixture (the other 1/2 can be saved for next time, and even frozen if you’d like, but it never makes it to our freezer). Bring to bubbly and add the cornstarch and stir until incorporated and thickened. Turn off the heat. Add in the tofu and coat with the sauce. Divide the tofu among the two serving bowls, and top with any remaining sauce.

Finish with a sprinkling of the sesame seeds, peanuts, and Sriracha. Add some minced green onions, too, if you have them! Then dig in with reckless abandon.