40

Who knew 40 would feel so fantastic?  I am quite pleasantly surprised really.

My husband and I celebrated my birthday this past weekend, but saved the cake for today which is the day.  We enjoyed some quiet and relaxed child-free moments over a sumptuous feast on the weekend, so tonight I was totally okay with making dinner on my birthday.  

I have quite a thing for buckwheat soba noodles lately.  Don't be surprised if you see them making frequent appearances on our table, as they did yet again today slathered in a zippy tamari almond butter sauce.  To be honest I would have used peanut butter if my children actually liked it.  What child (aside from those with allergies of course) doesn't like peanut butter?  I also would have liberally dosed the sauce with sriracha if the kiddos could handle that too.  I am glad they don't like scallops though, because that left more for us!

SCALLOP & SOBA NOODLE STIR-FRY with Almond (Peanut) Butter Sauce

Sauce:

6 Tbsp organic almond (or peanut) butter

5 Tbsp water

5 tbsp organic wheat free tamari

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp avocado oil

2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 Tbsp organic apple cider or brown rice vinegar (or lime juice)

1 clove organic garlic
 1 knob of organic ginger, peeled

1/2 cup organic cilantro

1 organic red pepper, sliced

1 organic onion, chopped

1 head organic broccoli, chopped

2 organic carrots, chopped

2 pounds organic buckwheat soba noodles

1 package wild Nova Scotia scallops, drained on a paper towel

sea salt and pepper

avocado oil

Method

Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a blender and whiz until creamy.  Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  While you wait, sear the scallops in a wok drizzled with avocado oil.  Be sure to dry the scallops well first, and add to a hot pan to get a nice brown crust.  Cook about 1 minute on each side - set aside.

Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes.  While you wait for noodles to cook, saute the vegetables in the remaining oil in the wok until tender.  

Drain the cooked noodles and add to the wok, along with the sauce.  Stir to combine and top with scallops and some more chopped cilantro for garnish.

And this gorgeous cake is my favourite go to birthday cake lately - it's a grain-free delight from Dolly and Oatmeal called Vanilla Bean Ice Box Cake.  No, I did not make my own birthday cake, though I have been known to do that before.  I am pretty excited about freezing it and eating it like an ice cream cake.

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