Staffordshire Oatcakes with a vegan filling

So, for those people following the low FODMAP UK method kidney beans are now allowed and I would advise you to use tinned and rinse them well prior to using them. Beans are an excellent source of iron and fibre for vegans. Plus I was very surprised at how well these pancakes turned out with no eggs or milk added – just oats and water. If you like a savoury breakfast these pancakes are just the ticket!

Ingredients

  • 85g Oats (use gluten-free for people with coeliac disease)
  • 85g gluten free plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • A pinch of salt
  • 350mls luke warm water
  • 250g tinned rinsed kidney beans
  • 250g chard or spinach works just as well
  • 1 teaspoon of Moroccan spice
  • 50g pumpkin seeds

Method

  • Toast the oats for 5 minutes in a non stick frying pan.
  • Add the oats to lukewarm water and mix with a hand blender for a few seconds, then add the salt.
  • Add the gluten-free flour sugar and yeast to the mix and leave to rise for 1 hour – or until you can see bubbles forming in the mix.the sugar is to feed the yeast and cannot be detected in the final mix.
  • Make pancakes with a small spray of oil and a hot pan. The amounts make approximately 5 pancakes.
  • Keep them warm.
  • Use another spray of oil in the pan and fry the dry spice mix. Then add rinsed kidney beans, chopped chard and pumpkin seeds and fry until cooked.
  • Add the beans mix to the pancake and serve.
  • Makes five servings.

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Vegan nut roast Low FODMAP

We are nearly in Veganuary and what could me more perfect than a vegan nut roast? Some people miss meaty flavours when they venture into meat free eating and this roast is stuffed full of umami flavours meaning you won’t miss meat flavour at all! The dish also contains low FODMAP fibre and this is great for people with IBS-C, who need good gut friendly meals that have fibre to help the bowel keep moving. This dish is stunning enough to use at a dinner party – can I tempt you to a vegan New Years celebration lunch?

Ingredients

  • 10g of dried oyster mushrooms
  • 15g white miso
  • 1 tablespoon of golden linseed’s
  • 150g walnuts
  • 200mls of water
  • 2 sprigs of Thyme
  • Small handful of Thyme
  • 100g pureed chestnuts
  • 80g of chestnuts
  • 140g gluten free breadcrumbs (fibre based if possible)
  • Seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon of hazelnut oil.
  • 100g oyster mushrooms
  • 1 carrot to decorate

Method

Boil the water and add the dried mushrooms, miso and golden linseed’s and allow the mix to soak for 15 minutes – this is the stock for the dish. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired

Make the breadcrumbs and chop the nuts and herbs.

Fry the oyster mushrooms in the hazelnut oil then combine all the ingredients together.

Coat a loaf tin with oil and add the carrot (sliced length-ways) to the bottom of the tin (this will form the decoration on the top of the loaf.)

Heat and oven to gas mark 6, 200 degrees C and cook till the ingredients are well combined – this took approximately 1 hour. At the end of the cooking time turn the oven up to gas mark 7, 220 degrees C and remove the loaf from the tin and place it on the top shelf to brown the outside.

Enjoy – serves 6-8.

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Pecan and maple syrup marzipan – low fodmap

Ok, so why do we need a marzipan based on pecans? Well, marzipan is based on almonds and these are limited on the low fodmap diet, it also contains honey – it would be very difficult to know how much FODMAP sugars are ingested with most Christmas marzipan containing dishes – so I thought I would see if I could make an option where amount consumed doesn’t matter (from a FODMAP content anyway!) Now, although Italians probably would balk at this statement but I think my version is actually better than the original. It is really tasty and a good treat for a Christmas winters evening whilst avoiding the winter weather. Or gift wrapped for friends or family – everyone likes a home made treat.

This dish is certainly not a healthy option – despite being high in nuts and containing a natural sugar – maple and ‘brown sugar’ – it is a sweet and should be treated as such. Too many people on Instagram post recipes for ‘energy balls’ and state they are healthy because they are based on natural ingredients – sugar is sugar – despite the source. Eat sparingly and Christmas is a good time to partake.

Ingredients

  • 200g finely ground pecans
  • 100g icing sugar
  • 100g soft brown sugar
  • 3 Medium egg yolks
  • 2 tsp liquid glucose
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp glycerine
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Grind the pecans in a food processor until smooth and place them in a bowl with the sieved icing sugar – then mix together.

In a saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, egg yolks, glucose, maple syrup, glycerine and vanilla, then cook over a low heat whisking constantly until pale, light and boiling. Take care as this is HOT.

Pour the above liquid over the pecan mixture and stir well to make a smooth paste. Leave to cool, then wrap in cling film.

Makes 20 balls – I have coated them in gold and silver powder to make them great for a gift. They are just as nice eaten with a bit of hygge – curled up in front of a roaring fire with a good book . Enjoy.

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Christmas Eve tear and share Low FODMAP

Christmas eve is a time to start the celebrations but it is often very busy wrapping presents, last minute gift purchasing and perishable food shopping. I would usually do my food shopping perhaps a day before Christmas Eve as the supermarkets can be just too busy for me. However, every year I plan to have it all finished by Christmas eve and I have never achieved my goals. So, if you are entertaining guests you perhaps might need a stunning dish that’s easy to prepare? The pastry can be made earlier and frozen and then all the preparation is in rolling out the pastry and decorating the top. Which means chopping vegetables and grating cheese – what could be easier?

Ingredients

  • 200g Plain flour
  • 150g Butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 Teaspoon baking powder
  • 50mls water
  • Salt
  • Flour to roll out the pastry
  • 100g cheese
  • 2 Heritage carrots purple and orange (or standard ones will do just fine!)
  • 1 small parsnip
  • 30g pine nuts
  • Spray oil

Method

  • Sieve flour, Baking powder, xanthan gum and salt into a bowl, mix.
  • Weigh out the butter and divide into three.
  • Rub 1/3 of the butter into the flour and then add the water.
  • Bring the ingredients together and roll into a rectangle, mark out into three sections – to the bottom 2/3 and add blobs of butter to the dough.
  • Bring the bottom 1/3 of the pastry over the middle third and then fold over the top third. Rotate a quarter turn, roll and repeat the above at least three times.
  • Rest for 30 minutes before use. Or freeze at this stage if planning to use the pastry later.
  • Roll out the pastry into an oblong and score around the edges with a sharp knife taking care not to score through.
  • Where you are planning to place the vegetables prick the pastry with a fork.
  • Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the pastry.
  • Wash and slice the carrot and parsnips thinly.
  • Arrange the carrots on the pastry and spray with oil.
  • Cook in an oven at 220 degrees C or gas mark seven for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Five minutes before the end of the cooking time sprinkle the pastry with pine nuts.
  • Serve.

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Low FODMAP sausage rolls

Christmas party food is important for people who need to follow a free from diet. Here is a popular choice for most parties and the pastry worked out really well and was fairly easy to make.

Ingredients

  • 200g Plain flour
  • 150g butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 50mls water
  • Flour to use to roll out the pastry
  • 500g low fat pork mince
  • 2 Sprigs parsley
  • 2 Sprigs thyme
  • 1 Sprig rosemary
  • 2 sprigs oregano
  • Egg
  • Salt to taste

Method

  • Sieve flour, Baking powder, xanthan gum and salt into a bowl, mix.
  • Weigh out the butter and divide into three.
  • Rub 1/3 of the butter into the flour and then add the water.
  • Bring the ingredients together and roll into a rectangle, mark out into three sections – to the bottom 2/3 and add blobs of butter to the dough.
  • Bring the bottom 1/3 of the pastry over the middle third and then fold over the top third. Rotate a quarter turn, roll and repeat the above at least three times.
  • Rest for 30 minutes before use.
  • Add the pork to a bowl and season.
  • Chop the herbs and add to a blender with the pork mince,
  • Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out. Add a line of pork mince and fold over the pastry.
  • Cut the pastry and wash with egg wash before using.
  • Cook in an oven gas mark 6, 220 degrees C.
  • Better served warm.

Enjoy!

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Oyster mushroom soup low FODMAP

Mushroom soup is really very tasty and oyster mushrooms are the only suitable mushrooms for the low FODMAP diet. I love mushrooms and I went on a foraging course to help identify them but I haven’t picked any as yet – to nervous about picking the wrong ones I suppose. I would love to come across an oyster mushroom in the wild and they may be sold as wild mushrooms but I suspect they rarely are – I found the ones I used in this recipe in an Tesco store and they weren’t too costly.

I have written about the umami flavour before here and I have just read a really interesting article in the Guardian newspaper online here. I was astonished to read that glutamate the flavour that is responsible for the meaty rich flavour is also found in human breast milk and our tongue has a specific receptor for it – no wonder we like it! So much for MSG and the reports of it being ‘toxic’ according to some who like to say all ‘chemicals’ are bad – spoiler alert – all food are based on chemicals!

Ingredients

  • 300g of oyster mushrooms.
  • 2 teaspoons white miso (check the label for other high fodmap ingredients).
  • 2 teaspoons of Tamari sauce.
  • 1 teaspoon of ginger.
  • 1 tablespoon of oil.
  • 2 tablespoons of lactose free cream.
  • 1 and a half pints of water.

Method

  • Chop mushrooms and add oil to a pan.
  • Fry the ginger and add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes.
  • Add some hot water to the miso and dissolve then add the water, miso and Tamari sauce to the pan.
  • Cook for 10 minutes
  • Blend till smooth

Serve with cheese on toast floats for an additional umami flavour! It really couldn’t be easier.

Here is a picture of me and my mum on our foraging course in the Lake District – lots of mushrooms here but they were foraged by an expert!

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