Category: recipes

Snack time – spicy paprika crackers Low FODMAP, wheat free, dairy free, gluten free

I have been meaning to look into snack ideas for the low FODMAP diet and wondering how to make crackers. I have been reading on the internet and the methods people use seem simple enough. This is my own recipe – but thanks to those whose recipes I have read – too many to mention individually. However special thanks goes to Jonathan Itchon see the link at the bottom of the page – for providing a ratio to make the crackers. Here is the recipe:

200g of plain gluten-free flour mix

150g of water

50g of olive oil

2 tsps of chilli powder (not a blend of spices, chilli ONLY)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp of asafoetida

1 tsp of smoked paprika

1/2 tsp of salt

Add the oil to the water, place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the spices, mix well. Add the water/oil to the flour and mix till it has bound together, too wet and add a little more flour, too dry and add water – although the mix did come together very well. Place dough on a large piece of cling film and add another piece of cling film over the top. Roll the dough till it is VERY thin – thinner dough makes crisper crackers. Cut out with a pastry cutter. This is the most time-consuming bit. the dough is quite brittle so take care – or you can always add 1/2 tsp of xantham gum to make the mix more elastic. Place the crackers on an oiled baking tray and cook on gas mark 7, 220 degrees for ten minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

With 2 teaspoons of chilli powder these crackers are hot hot hot! Reduce the amount or exclude it altogether if you find that chillies don’t agree with your digestive system, or if you are making these for children – use animal cutters! Also the whole house was filled with the smell of asafoetida – just be warned! 😉 Also I don’t tend to use much salt in my cooking so they are perhaps less salty than you may be used to. If you have coeliac disease and are following a gluten free diet you must ensure that the spices you buy have not been contaminated with gluten containing grains – wheat, barley, rye. But these crackers were easy to make and has made me feel like trying different flavours – excellent, since ready-made flavoured gluten free crackers are rather expensive. Make some for your food intolerant friends today!

http://thecanaryfiles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ratio-rally-gluten-free-vegan-grain.html

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Saturday – Chicken Curry Low FODMAP

Last night I cooked a chicken curry here is the recipe.

Ingredients

6 skinless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil

1 aubergine

2 large tomatoes

3 teaspoons of cornflour

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

4 split cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida

1 teaspoon of chilli powder (Omit this if it makes your symptoms worse)

1/2 yellow pepper

1 Green pepper

200 mls of water or home-made chicken stock (without garlic and onion)

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

Cut up the aubergine into small pieces, also cut the tomato

Add oil to pan and heat

Add spices to the pan and cook for a minute to release the aroma

Add chicken

cook for 5 minutes

Then add stock and the aubergine and the tomato, add cornflour (mix with a small amount of water to blend first and make a smooth paste)

cook for 20 minutes. (10 minutes in start to make rice – see below)

Add chopped pepper and cook for 5 -10 minutes.

Rice – 300g basmati rice (2 cups) place in a pan and cover with water 2cm above the rice, add salt to taste then add 4 cloves, a 2cm piece of cassia bark, 4-5 black peppercorns and 2-3 green cardamom pods, curry leaf. Bring to the boil for 15-20 minutes remove spices prior to serving. This tastes a little like pilau rice – add colouring to make this more authentic if you wish.

Serves 4

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Midweek Low FODMAP special veggie chilli – A warming meal for chilly nights!

Wednesday evening – midway through the week and always a night to have something different. So I decided to trial a Quorn meal using Quorn mince. Here is the recipe

1 400g packet of Quorn

4 red bell peppers

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of cornflour

1 teaspoon of cumin

2 teaspoons of chilli powder (hot, hot, hot) if you prefer it less so, use less chilli! Watch this if you find spicy food tends to make your symptoms worse.

salt to taste

Slice the pepper roughly and spread on the oil, roast for 10-15 mins and then add to a food blender with a little water and blend till a smooth sauce is achieved.

Add this to a pan and then add the Quorn, spices and salt. Mix well

Cook for five minutes then add the cornflower directly to the pan.

Cook for 10 minutes and add salt to taste.

Serve with fresh boiled rice.

We are mid month and moving rapidly towards Halloween, and then plans for Christmas. Time seems to go so quickly and the nights are drawing in. It will soon be time to turn the clocks back and you really are aware that we are truly in Autumn. https://plus.google.com/118333009720408143699/posts/h1bkMSMDZt1

I remember how to do this by the rhyme – fall back spring forward, fall is an American word for Autumn but it does seem to work in reminding me which way to change the time. The date is 28th October this year – learn about time changes here:-

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/clock-changes/

I thought this card was very funny! From www.someecards.com

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The non Moroccan eat – FODMAP free

My first eating out Low FODMAP and I chose a Moroccan restaurant next to the hotel. Felt this might be a challenge – but I’m always up for that! My choices were a little restricted but I chose a plain meat dish, I asked the waitress what the fish dish of the day was, to which she replied there wasn’t one, so a steak was the choice to have, she informed me that this would be served with plain salad leaves and chips.

Now this is not what I would normally choose but needs must for the experiment so I said this is what I would have. It was actually really nice and the chips were thick cut and still had their skin on adding to the fibre content of the meal. The leaves were undressed and included a full grilled tomato. The dish also included a sauce, which was served in a separate dish so could be avoided, probably would contain at least onion and garlic, but perhaps I should have asked. Now for your sake ;-), I also decided to have a sweet to see how easy this would be, I didn’t have much choice as the dishes included plenty of pastry and baklava, I chose a chocolate coated meringue. This was huge, a veritable titanic iceberg! What utensils do you think they provided to eat this with? A knife and fork, yes, really! A real effort had to be made to prevent it from being propelled across the restaurant. More went on the floor than in my mouth, probably for the best – very undignified, but lots of fun! I only managed about a third of it in fact, along with my really lovely mint tea. A nice meal, perhaps not what I would normally choose, and not Moroccan, but it was more than acceptable and would mean that I could eat out FODMAP free, should I wish too.

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Autumn thick warming roasted carrot and pumpkin soup, lactose free, milk free, egg free – vegeliscious!

Roasted carrot and pumpkin soup

600g peeled carrots, cut into 4 lengthwise

500g pumpkin

1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1.2 litres of water

small bunch of coriander leaves (depends how much you like the taste.)

Salt & pepper

coriander leaves and nigella seeds to serve

Method

Peel and slice carrots and pumpkin and place in a roasting tin, pour in the olive oil and coat the vegetables well. Sprinkle on spices and mix well.

Roast till the vegetables are soft in texture.

Place in a food processor or blender, add the other ingredients and blend well.

Warm the soup again then serve with a sprinkling of nigella seeds and coriander leaves.

Serves 6

(approximately per serving)

Kcal 67

Protein 1.2

Fat 2.9

Carbohydrate 9.0

Fibre 2.8

There is some debate as to whether pumpkin is safe for the FODMAP diet – it contains mannitol – amount varies on where it is grown, the one I used was grown within 10 miles of home. If you have problems with pumpkin, or are on a FODMAP exclusion you could replace the pumpkin with more carrot and this should work just as well.

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Exploits in English preserves – rhubarb and ginger.

A saturday in September, a real autumnal feeling in the air. I love this time of year, it’s the time of year I chose to get married and we have some lovely pictures of our day amongst trees adorned with yellow, orange and red leaves. Anyway I digress, or reminisce or whatever! Back to the Saturday.

zzzzzzz

– I woke early with the cat pawing and purring for his breakfast, a real feline bon viveur. Much to my consternation he was back asleep within half an hour of scoffing his breakfast chow. Slightly embarrassing for a dietitian to have such a portly cat, but despite our efforts if we cut his food intake he goes and gets his own outside. He has arrived home with ham, battered fish and his favourite – sausages, which I suppose is slightly better than mauled dead wildlife.

What to cook today, I mused – after a trip to the supermarket, where I purchased 2 packs of rhubarb for the price of one, I decided to make some jam. I have some preserve jars and before coming home I also bought a packet of jam sugar. This is sugar with added citrus and pectin (apple pectin to those who need have problems digesting apples) this assists setting. In the past, exploits in jam making have resulted in disappointment, my last attempt was to make LOFFLEX pear preserve. This was probably a little too much to start with, as obviously, use of citrus fruit to enhance the preservation was out of the question. The jam was fine initially but crystallised over time, I’m not sure why.

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

800g of washed sliced rhubarb (don’t eat the leaves!!!)

200 mls water

700g of jam sugar (for strawberries)

100g table sugar

2 inch (5cm) piece of peeled ginger chopped finely

Put the sliced rhubarb and ginger in a bowl and place in the microwave cook till soft, smaller pieces will reduce the time needed

Add the fruit mix to a pan with the water and heat, mash with a potato masher

Add sugar and warm till the sugar has dissolved (do not boil at this stage)

Bring the jam to a rolling boil and boil for four minutes.

Check the set by dropping a small amount of jam onto a plate, allow to cool and push the jam with your finger – it should wrinkle up, then its ready.

Put the jam in a sterilised preserve jar and allow to cool.

This took no more than 30 minutes – wow, easy!!! Apparently this is a jam not a preserve according to Wiki, something to do with the sugar content, oh well never mind  – it’s still a slightly sharp, but sweet jam and rhubarb is one of my favourite fruits. Yum, fine to have occasionally – our two jars are in the store cupboard, think I will open one at Christmas.

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