Broiled Salmon with Zucchini Pomodoro

Ok, this was a hit! I threw it together in 30 minutes flat while putting away groceries and refereeing playroom mischief.

First, while preheating the broiler, I drizzled a filet of wild caught Alaskan salmon with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. I created a tin foil pouch around the salmon and broiled the fish until cooked through. Then I let it rest uncovered.

After removing the salmon from the oven, I placed two pints of rinsed, whole fresh cherry tomatoes in a greased baking dish. I popped the tomatoes under the broiler for a few minutes until they began to blister and burst.

Meanwhile, I used my spiralizer to create zucchini “noodles” from 5 fresh zucchini. I drizzled a large pan with olive oil, then cooked the zucchini for a few minutes, gently stirring with tongs, to release the water. Next, I drained the zucchini in a mesh strainer before returning it to the pan.

I started boiling a handful of angel hair pasta until al dente. As the pasta cooked, I took the tomatoes from the oven and poured them right into the zucchini pan, juices and all. Next, I tore leaves of fresh, washed basil and tossed them straight into the zucchini pan.

I stirred in salt, pepper, nutrional yeast, brewer’s yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then, I used tongs to pick up and move the al dente pasta from the boiling water to the zucchini pan. This way, a bit of the startchy pasta water made it into the zucchini pan. Finally, I lowered the heat and cracked two eggs into the pan, mixing well. Once the egg evenly coated the zucchini mixture, I turned off the heat and served.

Broiled Salmon with Zucchini Pomodoro

Broiled Salmon with Zucchini Pomodoro

BROILED SALMON WITH ZUCCHINI POMODORO 

Ingredients:

SALMON-

1 salmon filet

Olive oil (drizzled)

Salt & pepper, to taste

ZUCCHINI POMODORO-

5 zucchini

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 small handful uncooked angel hair pasta

4Tbl nutritional yeast

3Tbl brewer’s yeast

3 handfuls of fresh basil leaves

Garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste

2 eggs

Directions:

Place the salmon in a foil pouch and position in a baking pan.

Place the salmon under the broiler on high until cooked through.

Spiralize the zucchini into a fine noodle shape.

Drizzle olive oil in a pan, then add zucchini and cook on medium heat — turning gently with tongs — to remove the excess water.

Remove the zucchini from the pan once heated and place in a mesh strainer.

Remove the salmon from the broiler once cooked through.

Uncover the salmon and allow to rest.

Place cherry tomatoes in a greased baking pan and put under the broiler.

Put the spiralized, strained, and cooked zucchini back into the pan.

Drizzle the zucchini with olive oil, then tear fresh basil directly into the pan.

Boil water and cook angel hair pasta until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, stir the yeasts, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper into the zucchini.

Once the tomatoes are blistered and bursting, remove them from the broiler and put the tomatoes and their juices directly into the zucchini pan.

Use tongs to move the al dente pasta from the boiling water to the zucchini pan, allowing a bit of the startchy pasta water to enter the zucchini pan as you transfer the pasta.

Crack two eggs directly into the zucchini pan.

Reduce the heat to low and stir the eggs in thoroughly.

Serve and enjoy!

A Day of (Dairy-free) Galactagogues

Galactagogues are foods that boost breastmilk production. Some people swear by them, others see no impact. Either way, the foods are generally healthy, filling options.

Here’s an example of what a day full of dairy-free lactogenic foods looks like:

AM Pumping Fuel:

A mug of green tea and an apple help me start the day. (If you want to really amp up the milk supply, you could substitute fenugreek tea for the green tea.)

Green Tea and an Apple

Green Tea and an Apple

Breakfast: 

A big serving of water along side a bowl of quinoa and flax hot cereal, topped with blueberries, a touch of vanilla extract, a drizzle of honey, and a hearty dash of cinnamon is a nice start on days I don’t feel like having my usual smoothie.

Quinoa & Flax Hot Cereal with Water

Quinoa & Flax Hot Cereal with Water

Snack on the Go: 

A Dark Chocolate Chunk KIND bar with water is easy, portable, tasty, filling, and (importantly for me) dairy-free.

Dark Chocolate KIND Bar and Water

Dark Chocolate KIND Bar and Water

Lunch:

Lots of water with roasted portobello mushroom stuffed with a veggie-packed grain salad topped with hummus (Veggie-ful Grain Salad ingredients: dressing- oil from the drained artichoke hearts mixed with balsamic vinegar; salad- raw chopped fennel; raw chopped English cucumber; drained, rinsed, and chopped canned beets; drained and rinsed canned chickpeas sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, tumeric, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper; julienned jarred roasted red peppers; drained (oil reserved for dressing) and chopped jarred artichoke hearts; a dollop of olive spread; Wegmans Food You Feel Good About Sunrise Blend (wheat bulgur, buckwheat groats, quinoa flakes, and red rice) prepared according to package instructions with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf in the boiling water)

Roasted Portabello Mushroom Stuffed with Veggie-ful Grain Salad Topped with Hummus

Roasted Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Veggie-ful Grain Salad Topped with Hummus

PM Pumping Fuel:

A mug of green tea, two pieces of Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut, and water, because everyone deserves a treat.

Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut and Green Tea

Bark Thins Dark Chocolate Coconut and Green Tea

 

Snack:

More water and half a sandwich (extra virgin olive oil, avocado, tomato, salt, pepper, nutrional yeast, and sprouts on one slice of Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread) is a satisfying, healthy snack. Make sure to throw back some water too!

Half of an Avocado-Sprout Sandwich

Half of an Avocado-Sprout Sandwich

Dinner:

Lots of water and smoked chicken with roasted veggie pasta (Roasted Veggie Pasta Recipe: chopped fresh fennel, red onion, zucchini, baby bella mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, and bell pepper are drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, basil, and fennel seeds. The veggies are roasted then stirred together with cooked pasta. The mixture is drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a bit of the startchy pasta water, then seasoned with fresh minced garlic, as well as garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, brewers yeast, and nutritional yeast.)

Smoked Chicken with Roasted Veggie Pasta

Smoked Chicken with Roasted Veggie Pasta

Oh!s Treats: Allergy-friendly, Easy Treats

If s’mores and Rice Krispies Treats had a baby, it would be this deliciousness right here. Crisp graham flavored cereal, gooey marshmallow, heavenly chocolate… yum! Soy-free, nut-free, and dairy-free, these treats are addictive and easy to make.

Ohs Treats

Allergy-friendly Ohs Treats

OH!s TREATS

Ingredients

– 2 Tbl coconut oil

– 1 box Oh!s Cereal

– 1 10oz bag of large marshmallows

– 1/2 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chips

Directions

– Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.

– Once the oil is liquified, add the marshmallows to melt.

– Stir the marshmallows frequently to avoid burning. Lower the heat if needed.

– Pour the cereal and chocolate into a large mixing bowl.

– Once the marshmallows are melted, add them to the bowl and stir to mix.

– Grease a large baking dish with cooking spray.

– Pour the cereal mixture into the baking dish and smooth out to fill the dish evenly.

– Use a sharp knife to carefully create a hashtag pattern in order to cut the treats into the desired number of portions. (I usually cut 12-16 pieces.)

– Let the treats cool at room temperature until firmly set.

– Enjoy!

(Store at room temperature.)

Dairy-free Anytime Sandwich

I’ll eat sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack. I love sandwiches! They’re particularly helpful when you’re a breastfeeding mom who, as a result, has an appetite that would rival a competitive eater’s and must be able to eat with one hand.

My Anytime Sandwich is healthy and versatile. It starts with your favorite bread (rye is generally dairy-free but always check the ingredients to be certain, and Food For Life Sprouted Whole Grain Bread is a tasty vegan option: http://m.foodforlife.com/product/breads/ezekiel-49-sprouted-whole-grain-bread). Slather your favorite hummus on two pieces of bread. Top one of the hummus-smeared bread pieces with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper to enhance the tomato flavor. Pile your favorite sprouts (I like clover and alfalfa sprout, but broccoli sprouts are also tasty and radish sprouts add a spicy zing) on top of the tomato, close the sandwich, and enjoy.

You can boost the lactogenic (milk supply boosting) qualities of the sandwich by sprinkling on some flax meal, chia seeds, nutrional yeast, and/or brewer’s yeast. You can easily customize this sandwich for breakfast by adding scrambled or fried egg and avocado. You can make it meatier for lunch or dinner with avocado and poached chicken. You could toss on some dairy-free cheese (Creamy Original Chao Original slices are my favorite: https://store.veganessentials.com/mobile/vegan-chao-cheese-slices-by-field-roast-p4350.aspx) or bacon. Amp up the veggie quotient with shredded carrots and thinly sliced cucumber and radish.

Make it suit you!

ANYTIME SANDWICH

2016-04-29 13.07.39

Ingredients:

– 2 slices of dairy-free bread

– 4 slices of tomato

– 3-4Tbl hummus

– 1/4 cup sprouts

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

– Spread hummus on one side of both pieces of bread.

– On one bread slice, place the tomato slices on top of the hummus.

– Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and pepper.

– Pile the sprouts on top of the tomato slices.

– Place the second bread slice, hummus side down, on top of the sandwich fillings.

– Enjoy!

Easy Dairy-free Cake

#2 is turning 3, so #1 and #2 helped me make a cake, while #3 provided moral support. Here’s what we used:

20160406_143825.jpg(We don’t drink soda, so this was all we had on hand. I would have preferred a non-diet soda had it been on hand.)

1. Empty Duncan Hines cake mix (Duncan Hines cake mix is generally dairy-free, but be sure to double-check the ingredients list of your desired flavor before purchasing) into a mixing bowl.

2. Add a can of soda to the bowl.

2. Mix and bake per the cake mix’s instructions.

3. Cool thoroughly, then frost with your preferred dairy-free icing  (most pre-packaged icings are dairy-free, but be sure to double-check your desired flavor before purchasing.)

Enjoy!