The Big Day

Today my baby turned one. What a significant day for a mother! I spent the week organizing photos from this past year, which has really put things in perspective. Yes, it flew by, but I'm happy to say I really have savored my time with Siena. She has come so far this year and we have done so much, and I was by her side. I'm one proud mama!

We celebrated the occasion with a low key party with people who have been present in Siena's life. We provided an allergy-free lunch and cake. All dishes were healthy, easy to prepare, and tasty, too-- even to people without allergy-free palates!

Brown Rice Fusilli Pasta with a
Hearty Vegetable Marinara Sauce
and optional Italian Sausage

Mixed Spring Greens with a
Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Allergy-Free Applesauce Spice Cupcakes with
Powdered Sugar Glaze

We cooked brown rice fusilli pasta according to package instructions. We prepared the sauce by sauteing garlic, onions, and sliced crimini mushrooms. We added shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, and canned marinara to make a thick, hearty sauce and simmered it to blend the flavors, adding salt and pepper to taste. We sliced and cooked spicy Italian sausages in a separate pan in order to accommodate vegetarians. The sausage could have been cooked with the onion and garlic if desired, in which case sausage adds flavor throughout the sauce.

For the salad we used packaged mixed greens and added sliced Persian cucumbers (like English cucumbers but smaller) and largely diced red and yellow bell pepper. We made our own dressing by adding a splash of lemon juice, some chopped basil and garlic, and salt and pepper to balsamic vinegar. We then whisked in the olive oil and tossed the dressing throughout the salad.

I recently came across this recipe from Mothering Magazine for Applesauce Cake: http://www.mothering.com/recipes/applesauce-cake. It sounded like a good idea for Siena's birthday cake, so I decided to alter it to be allergy-free. I made the recipe three times, all of which were good. In my favorite version, and the one Siena ultimately enjoyed, I substituted one cup oat flour and one cup barley flour for the two cups wheat flour, and I doubled the baking soda. I found that maple syrup added great flavor that was lacking with agave nectar. Raisins and nuts are optional; I eliminated them both for Siena's consumption. I used cupcake pans and cooked them for 21 minutes. I drizzled zigzags of glaze, made from mixing powdered sugar and rice milk, to decorate.

Good food, good friends and family, and an amazing one-year-old daughter. What more could a woman want?