Are you ready to ring in another new year? If so, grab your party hat because this weekend you can join millions of people from around the world to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit.
The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the most important festival in China.
This spring festival, which is celebrated for 16 days, begins this Saturday with a New Year’s Eve dinner and ends on February 5th.
Although there are a myriad of rituals and elaborate celebrations that honor this important holiday, the food that is prepared for the New Year’s Eve dinner is by far the highlight of the whole event.
The menu for this traditional feast is often an elaborate smorgasbord of foods that symbolically represent different wishes for the New Year.
Every dish is thoughtfully prepared with ingredients that symbolize luck, prosperity, abundance and longevity.
One food that you will always see on the menu is noodles because noodles represent a wish for a long life. In addition to symbolizing longevity, eating noodles can also bring you prosperity as well as good luck!
Although noodles have long been a staple in Chinese cuisine, I was surprised to discover that they were originally something quite different.
In the beginning, noodles were called “soup pancakes” because people would tear off pieces of dough and toss them into their soup. It wasn’t until the era of the Tang Dynasty that people began rolling the dough into the noodle shape that we know and love today.
I don’t know about you but I love the idea of eating foods that have a symbolic meaning so this weekend, in honor of the Chinese New Year, I’m making the recipe below. It is a satay noodle dish that I’m pretty sure will cover all of my wishes for the year ahead. 😉
In addition to the noodles, I’m adding in some mushrooms for prosperity, zucchini for wealth, carrots for good luck, scallions for intelligence and cilantro for compassion. See, I told you I was covering all my bases!
There is one thing to keep in mind when making a dish with noodles – the noodles should never be broken or cut by the cook. The reason being is that it is believed that the longer the noodle, the longer your life.
So, in order to ensure that I don’t cut my life short (lol), I’m using Eden Organic Buckwheat Soba Noodles. I have found that these noodles are the easiest to prepare without breaking.
If you are on a gluten free diet like me, rest assured that buckwheat is naturally gluten free.
As far as the sauce, most satay recipes use peanut butter but I’m using Organic Sunbutter instead. Sunbutter is made from sunflower seeds which are anti-inflammatory and they are also really good for your brain.
Whether we realize it or not, the symbolic meaning of food has played an enormous role in our lives.
So, as we honor and celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, let’s remember that our food not only nourishes our body but our food also nourishes our soul.
Wishing you many blessings today and every day this year.
Sunbutter Satay With Longevity Noodles
1 bag Eden Organic Buckwheat Noodles
1 organic zucchini, spiralized
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tbsp. fresh diced ginger
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp. hot sauce or to taste
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. Bragg apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/3 cup Coconut Secret coconut aminos*
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/3 cup Organic Sunbutter
Cilantro and sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
1. Make the satay sauce first. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and saute until golden brown. Reduce the heat to low and add in the remaining sauce ingredients. Continue to cook, stirring constantly for about 7 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
2. While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta according to the box directions and spiralize the zucchini.
3. Drain the pasta and combine the pasta with the zucchini noodles.
4. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss until well combined. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.
Notes
* I prefer to use this instead of soy sauce because it is lower in sodium but feel free to use soy sauce if that’s what you prefer.
