I developed this recipe for all of my breastfeeding mamas out there. My health-conscious niece recently had a little girl and was looking for recipes she could make to benefit her and her baby while breastfeeding. This inspired me to create a series of recipes incorporating foods that support the nutrients women need when breastfeeding.
Breast milk contains all the nutrients your baby needs, minus vitamin D, for the first 6 months of life. Eating nutrient-rich foods is essential for your overall health and the breast milk you feed your baby.
Creating breast milk is a demanding task for the body and can increase a woman’s energy needs by an extra 500 calories per day. The need for protein, vitamins A, B12, C, D, selenium, and zinc increases during this time. From my roasted butternut and black bean chimichurri bowl you are getting Vitamin B1 from the black beans and pumpkin seeds. Vitamin A from the butternut squash. Selenium from the pumpkin seeds and whole wheat pasta. The black beans are also loaded with folate, calcium, iron, copper, and zinc. Here is a list of nutrient-dense foods that are perfect to incorporate into any diet.
Roasted Butternut and Black Bean Chimichurri Bowl
Equipment
- Food processor
- baking sheet
- cutting board
- Chef's Knife
Ingredients
- 1 package pre-cut butternut squash
- 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles
- 2 cloves garlic skins removed
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds or other nut or seed of choice plus more for serving
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- 1 bunch cilantro
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 15 oz cans black beans drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Toss your butternut squash with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake squash until golden and tender, about 30 minutes.
- Bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil and cook your noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles and place them back in the pot.
- To make the chimichurri add the garlic, pumpkin seeds, parsley, cilantro, vinegar, olive oil, and pepper flakes to a food processor. Puree until a thick sauce with some texture forms. Taste for seasoning.
- Toss the noodles with ⅓ cup of the chimichurri and divide among the bowls.
- Divide roasted squash and black beans among the bowls and top with more chimichurri and pumpkin seeds.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @anothervegan.foodblog on Instagram and hashtag it #anothervegan.foodblog.