Salmon with Pasta in Creamy Broccoli & Organic Potato Sauce

An interesting article which was shared by another mummy revealed that the leaves & stalk of broccoli are actually more nutritious than the florets. Thus, I decided to include them in my dish this time round.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler & 1 adult):

100g of Alce Nero Organic Spaghettini

100g of salmon

100g of broccoli including leaves & stalk

1 glove of garlic, halved

1 purple onion, quartered 

4 small organic potatoes, quartered

1 sprig of rosemary, stalk removed (can replace with 1/8 tsp of dried rosemary)

4 tbsps (sauce) + 2 tbsps (topping) of organic cheddar cheese

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Some pasta water

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in a pot of simmering water till al dente. Drain & leave aside, leaving one cup of pasta water.

2. Steam the remaining ingredients, except broccoli & cheese, for 10 minutes (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender).

3. Add in the broccoli & steam for another 5 minutes. Remove salmon & some broccoli florets, add in 4 tbsps of cheddar cheese then blend. Stir in 1 tbsp of pasta water at a time till you get the desired consistency. Pour over cooked pasta, top with remaining cheese & EVOO & serve warm.

Simple, nutritious & yummy too!

Beneficial Combinations:

Garlic + Onion = Detoxification & anti-cancer effects

'Breaded' Cheesy Zucchini Sticks & Stuffed Cheesy Potato

Recipe for the chicken can be found here.The only difference here is that I added some dried rosemary as well.

It was my first attempt at baked potato & I'm pretty satisfied with the result eventhough I didn't add in bacon bites (my fave but not a very healthy choice of topping). The only other less savoury factor is that it takes more than an hour to bake it.

Ingredients:

1 small organic potato

1 tbsp of milk (I used the milk leftover from the zucchini recipe below)

2 tbsps of grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C & bake potato for an hour or till tender.

2. Remove from oven & when it's cooled enough to handle, make a vertical cut halfway through it. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl, leaving a thin shell.

3. Mash the pulp, mik & 1 tbsp of cheese. Spoon the mixture back into the potato shell & top with the rest of the cheese.

4. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes till the cheese turns a nice golden brown.

This was real gooooooood! The inside was oozy & creamy while the roasted cheese on top complemented it perfectly. It was such a pity that i couldn't make more as the other 3 potatoes had sprouted (from underneath which I had no way of knowing since it was sealed in the packaging and hence not quite visible) & so I had to throw them away most unfortunately.

'Breaded' zucchini fries with a twist! Instead of using the usual breadcrumbs, I substituted them with wheat germ which is more nutritious.

Ingredients:

1 organic zuchhini, cut into fries

1/2 cup of wheat germ / breadcrumbs (easier to coat than wheat germ)

2 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese

Some freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of fresh milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Spread out wheat germ onto a folded aluminium tray (for easier washing later) & bake for 1 to 2 minutes (must keep a close watch as mine was slightly charred & I had to scoop away & remove the blackened bits).

3. Remove from oven & pour into a bowl with the cheese & pepper. 

4. Pour milk into another bowl & dip the zucchini sticks into it.

5. Then, coat each with the wheat germ mixture.

6. Place them on the aluminium tray & bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your sticks, till they turn "toasted brown" in colour.

They're such a healthy alternative to French fries, and the best part is that they taste just as good too...juicy & sweet on the inside, with a crunchy coat & slight tinge of saltiness from the cheese!

Beneficial Combination:

Milk + Potato =  Supplement nutrition & enrich nutrients

Hearty ABC Soup for Luncheon!

Nothing new to most people & loved by most, it comes as no surprise that this is a soup commonly served in my kitchen. Hence, I'd like to share this recipe for the benefit of either first-time mummies or mummies who are new to the entire cooking experience.

Ingredients (serve 1 toddler + 1 adult):

2 pieces of probiotics fed chicken drumsticks

2 small carrots, sliced thinly

3 small organic potatoes, sliced thinly

1 handful of frozen peas

750ml of water

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil then add in carrots & potatoes. Simmer for 1 hour.

2. Add in the chicken & cook for another 1 hour.

3. 2 minutes before time is up, add in the peas. Serve warm.

I didn't serve this with rice as i know that my boy loves all the various ingredients & they would be pretty filling on their own. True enough, he finished everything to the last drop!

Beneficial Combination:

Carrot + Chicken = Promote the absorption & utilisation of protein

Chicky in Creamy Potatoes with Asparagus Soup

I recently bought some organic Dutch Cream potatoes. &, as the name suggests, they've a creamy yellow flesh. Thus, it struck me that I could try cooking a creamy potato soup. 

Ingredients:

1/2 of a corn-fed chicken thigh fillet

2 small organic Dutch Cream potatoes, skinned & cut into 2cm chunks

1 medium-sized yellow onion, cut into quarters

3 stalks of thick asparagus, 'skinned' & cut into 2cm long sticks

1/4 cup of Farmhouse Fresh Milk

Organic cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Steam the chicken, potatoes & onions (I'm using my Avent Combined Steamer & Blender) for 10 minutes.

2. Add in the asparagus & steam for another 10 minutes.

3. Remove chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

4. Pour in the milk & blend with the cooked ingredients. Stir in cheddar cheese, top with chicken & serve warm.

It turned out pretty successful for a first attempt \(^_^)/ The cheddar cheese actually added a different dimension to the overall taste. This recipe is definitely a keeper & by reducing or omitting the quantity of milk, it can probably even double-up as a pasta sauce too. As usual, my lil' connoisseur drank up every last drop of it!

The Good, The Bad & The Evil

I remember I used to marvel at the soup bases that mummies shared on the 'Healthy Food for My Baby' Facebook group when I was prepping myself for BB's weaning. So many ingredients were used in preparing the soup base & they would add in even more ingredients when they use it to cook porridge for their lil' ones. 'The porridges will definitely taste delicious!' was the thought that went through my head.

As I was following the 3/4 days rule for BB, it seemed to take forever to introduce new foods to him. Gradually, I was able to add in more ingredients to his porridge after he passed the respective allergy tests. Unfortunately, my parents weren't too supportive of it eventhough I was only using no more than 3 to 4 vegetables then. They were concerned that some of the combinations may bring more harm than good. Despite me explaining to them that a lot of mummies are doing the same or even more than me, they still weren't convinced. To put their mind at ease, I told them that I'd do more research on it. I then decided to look for a book shared by one of the mummies which shows foods with a list of other foods which when consume together, will either bring about some health benefits or harmfulness. To my dismay, it wasn't carried by Popular. While continuing my search for it, I chanced upon a similar book at a small book sale in Bedok Mall's FairPrice Finest so I bought it. 

After reading through the book, I realised that my parents were indeed right. For example, ABC soup, a very common soup cooked by mummies, usually contains carrots, corns, yellow onions & potatoes. However, carrots should not be eaten together with onions / corn & corn should not go with potatoes as illustrated in the following 2 pictures. I've since formed a habit of referring to this book before cooking any meals for BB. 

For mild cases, nutritional values are reduced or indigestion may develop. For examples,

Tomato + Zucchini = Reduce nutritional values

Beef + Rice = Indigestion

For more serious cases, diarrhoea or vomitting or even adverse health effects in the long run may be experienced or in worst cases, even poisoning! 

Prawn + Pumpkin / Kiwi + Milk (especially for mummies who eat overnight oats) = Diarrhoea

Chicken + Sesame = Possibility of poisoning if consume frequently

Without a doubt, the soup or soup bases will be very sweet & flavourful by adding more ingredients. However, in this context, more doesn't always necessarily mean better. On the contrary, some foods actually complement each other so do try to pair them up. For examples,

Chicken + Mango = Increase nutritional values

Apple + Corn / Cabbage + Carrot = Boost immune system

Cod + Pumpkin = Prevent flu

Lettuce + Pork = Energise 

Moving forward, I'll indicate at the bottom of each post the nutritional benefits, if any, for the dishes I've whipped up. I'll also add them on for those recipes that I've already posted previously. Cheers to healthy eating!

Baked Frittatas

As a continuation to the post on Cheeses, I'd like to share one of my favourite snacks to bring out for BB on days when we're gonna be out for many hours - Frittatas! There're so many different flavours you can create from one basic recipe. Here u go!

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks or 1 egg (if your LO has passed the 3 or 4 days rule for egg white)

Any combinations of vegetables or meat you desired, finely diced or shredded

Shredded cheddar cheese

Virgin coconut oil (VCO)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together, leaving some cheese for later.

2. Apply a thin layer of VCO on the muffin tray & pour the mixture into each individual hole, ensuring that there's sufficient egg to cover the ingredients. Top with more cheese.

3. Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes till golden brown.

Tips: 

- the smaller they're, the nicer they'll taste.

- do not use muffin liners as they'll cause the frittatas to become soggy (refer to the last picture).

These are some of the varieties that I've created so far ;)

Organic potato, asparagus, carrot & onion

Carrot with organic spinach

Organic pea sprouts & parsnip

Salmon & peas

Organic cherry tomatoes & onion