Tag: food intolerance

Adventures with Quinoa Flour

Due to a fortuitous reduction in the price of Quinoa flour at a local health shop I have purchased some to try baking with it, for you. I decided to bake some blondies – ginger ones, or may be I should call them gingies! I love the flavour ginger – in fact ALL things ginger. Now THIS particular quinoa flour, according to the packet, is sugar-free, saturated fat-free, cholesterol free, trans fat-free, sodium free, low-fat, (as is all flour – nothing new here, then ) non-gmo, gluten-free AND ‘caution extremely organic’ – but not that funny – or clever! What they forgot to tell me was wheat free, milk free, egg free but unfortunately no mention of nuts. Really great then? The protein content of the flour is not really that high at 4g /100g but quinoa has a good amino acid profile as a grain, although the flour is a fine milled white flour (- contains some fibre though at 3.5g/100g,) so it cannot be assumed that the amino acid profile is exactly the same as the raw grain. It has not been tested for fermentable carbohydrate content although quinoa grain itself is completely suitable for people following a low FODMAP diet.

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So how easy was it to use? My first attempt was a bit of a culinary disaster. I added some zanthan gum and 2 teaspoons of ginger and a small amount of chopped stem ginger. This resulted in a very gloopy texture and after baking, on tasting, the slice was really strongly flavoured, not that pleasant in fact. The taste reminded me of the taste of chickpea flour, again this is fine to use, but I would suggest that as both these flours impart a very strong flavour to baked items it might be better to use them for very strongly flavoured dishes. My second attempt was better and as I increased the ginger flavouring the taste was very much improved.

IMG_1570As part of a flour mix this flour would be suitable, as other free from flours, such as rice or gluten free flour as these should reduce the flavour. So was it worth the purchase – at full cost, or even discounted? I feel that the ‘benefits’ of this type of flour should not command such a high cost. Most people will not be able to afford to purchase and include it in their diet on a regular basis, so nutritionally you are not likely to see the benefits of the amino acids; gut ‘calmness’ wise – there are other options to choose, which do not impart strong taste or flavour. So I will not be buying this flour on a regular basis. However for your enjoyment I have included the recipe for you – you could try it with other flour mixes! Also as this recipe is high in fats and sugars the gingie is really just suitable for an occasional treat. The random images in the post are my whistful desire for summer – it’s really cold today.

 

Ingredients

135 g Quinoa Flour (or other free from flour)

120 g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

100 g of dark muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon of crystallised ginger liquor

3 teaspoons of powdered ginger

40 g of chopped crystallised ginger

Pinch of salt

Chopped dried ginger to decorate

Melted dark chocolate with ginger to decorate (milk free if needed.)

 

Method

Add the flour, ginger & salt to a mixing bowl

Melt the margarine in a pan with the sugar, and chopped crystalline ginger and ginger liquor, warm slowly do not boil.

Cool the melted mixture slightly, add the two eggs and mix well.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients then add the mix to a paste. Add this to a tray and bake at gas mark 5 for 25 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack and melt the chocolate and pour this over and sprinkle with finely chopped dried ginger pieces.

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Haddock Florentine with mustard roasted carrots (gluten free, low lactose, Low FODMAP)

IMG_1776It’s grim ‘up north’ today, the weather is grey and dismal at February’s threshold, still winter then? Few frosty mornings have occurred to evidence winters grasp on the landscape, just sodden foliage and waterlogged boggy moor – a relentless morass. The trees are coated in a thin layer of moss and everything is damp and dismal – great weather for ducks, but pretty uninspiring to everyone else! The ‘mood’ of the woods brings to mind one of my favourite poems by Rudyard Kipling, evoking feelings of nostalgia at its reading. It’s haunting theme I feel is more about sadness and loss, and I am often reminded of it whilst wandering in the woods around West Yorkshire –

The Way Through the Woods

They shut the road through the woods
Seventy years ago.
Weather and rain have undone it again,
And now you would never know
There was once a road through the woods
Before they planted the trees.
It is underneath the coppice and heath
And the thin anemones.
Only the keeper sees
That, where the ring-dove broods,
And the badgers roll at ease,
There was once a road through the woods.

Yet, if you enter the woods
Of a summer evening late,
When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools
Where the otter whistles his mate,
(They fear not men in the woods,
Because they see so few.)
You will hear the beat of a horse’s feet,
And the swish of a skirt in the dew,
Steadily cantering through
The misty solitudes,
As though they perfectly knew
The old lost road through the woods …
But there is no road through the woods.

http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/bookmart_fra.htm

Summer is some way off – need something warm and tasty bring comfort and lift the mood? This is a really nice fish recipe for using up any stale or spare gluten-free bread (if you have any that is!) Otherwise you could use shop bought gluten-free or rice crumbs, which is more easily available to you. It is warm and filling and not too hard on delicate malfunctioning digestive systems. Fish is not cheap these days but this dish works well with smoked river cobbler too which will help with the cost, tinned spinach is also a useful standby to use. If you suffer from bloating from resistant starches you could make the dish without the breadcrumbs if you wish.

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Ingredients

1/2 packet of gluten-free/wheat free bread crumbs

2 smoked haddock or river cobbler fillets

1/2 pint of lactose free skimmed milk

3 teaspoons of corn flour

10 g of margarine

1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

25 g Gruyère

12 g of parmesan

1 tin of spinach

Method

Make the sauce, melt the margarine and add cornflour mix to a paste and slowly add milk till all the flour has been incorporated and add grated nutmeg, Gruyère and salt to taste. Mix till thickened, cool.

Wash the spinach and layer in the bottom of an oven proof dish, cut the skin off the fish and add a layer on the top of the spinach. Coat the fisn layer with the cooled sauce. Add salt and pepper to the dish.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top of the sauce and cover with the grated parmesan.

Cook in a preheated oven at gas mark 5 or 180ºC. Serve with mustard carrots (roast carrots with a small amount of garlic infused oil and grained mustard.)

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Tapas

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This recipe is inspired by tapas dishes, usually filled with lots of garlic and onion – not great for people who are avoiding these ingredients. I hope you enjoy the recipe and the views of Barcelona!

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1) Spanish omelette.

This is a layered egg and potato omelette – minus the onions, but no worse because of it. It is probably best eaten warm, although if you don’t have a problem with resistant starches you could have it cold with a green leaf salad perhaps.

Ingredients

4 large eggs

4 potatoes

1 teaspoon of paprika

Oil/margarine to grease the dish, to prevent the omelette sticking to it.

Salt + Pepper

Method

Slice the potatoes thinly leaving the skins on for a little extra fibre!

Beat the eggs and add salt + Pepper

Rub margarine around your cooking dish and sprinkle around the paprika.

Par boil the potatoes and cool (don’t allow them to go too cold if you have a problem with resistant starch)

Add layers of potato and egg.

Weight the dish as it cooks so the egg penetrates all the layers.

Cook in a moderate oven till the potatoes and egg are cooked through.

2) Roasted paprika peppers

Ingredients

3 peppers – I like to use yellow and orange peppers as they look so nice but you can use any colour of pepper you feel like.

1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil

1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika (I used hot, but you can choose the heat of your paprika depending on your symptoms)

Salt + Pepper to taste

Method

Slice the top off the pepper and remove the stalk, slice the pepper. For the main body of the pepper again slice it but remove any white pithy material from the inside.

Add the oil paprika and seasoning and roast till soft – really couldn’t be simpler!

Low FODMAP, gluten free (check paprika contains no contamination) milk, lactose and fructose free.

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Stir up Sunday – ‘free from’ fun! Low FODMAP, wheat free, gluten free, milk free

By this I certainly don’t mean devoid of pleasure! it is a tradition in our household to make Christmas puddings, but for this year I have decided to make a pudding that you can make just before Christmas and is made from ingredients that are cows milk protein, gluten, and wheat free plus Low FODMAP to ensure you have a symptom free Christmas. Everyone in the household would stir the pudding and a sixpence was often hidden inside, a nice surprise for someone on Christmas day. As long as you don’t choke on it that is!

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Ingredients

120g wheat/gluten-free self-raising flour*

1 tablespoon cocoa powder** (gluten free, dairy free – see link below)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/4 freshly grated nutmeg

1 cap full of vanilla essence

100g dairy free margarine

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of treacle

grated rind of 1/2 lemon and 1/2 an orange

Juice of 1/2 an orange and 1/2 lemon

90g soft brown sugar.

2 tablespoons of dried blueberries

*this recipe does not work well with flour based on chickpea and chickpea flour is a source of FODMAPs.

Method

Weigh out and sieve the dry ingredients into a small bowl, add gluten substitute and mix well into the dry ingredients.

Generously grease a pint pudding basin

Weigh out margarine, treacle, soft brown sugar, lemon + orange rind, Lemon + orange juice, vanilla essence into a mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, mix well till the mixture is pale.

Add 1/3 of the egg and a tablespoon of the dry mix, mix well, if it looks like it is curdling add a little more flour. It will likely look like it is curdling so don’t be put off, just add some more flour. This recipe needs 2 eggs to stop it from crumbling, repeat till all the egg is used up.

Fold in the dry ingredients to the batter.

Then add the fruit and again mix into the batter. Get each of your family members to give

the pudding a stir – if you can drag them away from the tv. Add the batter to the pudding basin and cover the top with a grease proof paper lid tied with string, add a fold in the paper to allow room for the pudding to rise. Cover the whole dish with foil and steam for 1.5 hours. Serve!

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If you follow a gluten-free diet then ensure your spice ingredients are gluten-free – supermarkets usually ensure these ingredients are labelled appropriately.

DSCF0998modThe pudding has dried fruit – but not too much, so that a small portion should be suitable for those with fructose malabsorption. It is very light and a good choice for Christmas day pudding.

I found this really interesting blog on recipes from history with a plum pudding recipe – don’t try this at home it contains FODMAPs 😉

http://lostcookbook.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/plum-pudding/

DSCF1057**For milk free cocoa powder check out the following link

http://whatallergy.com/2013-07/can-you-buy-nut-and-dairy-free-cocoa-powder

Jules_GastroRD2 Comments

It’s a FODMAP free fishy friday

fish fridayDo you eat fish on Friday? Do you know where this tradition came from?

I think one of the most comforting foods during dank winter days is fish pie. It is warming, comforting and can be a really healthy option too. Great to come home too after work when you need something tasty and filling after a full week at work a great start to the weekend. Now our usual fare on Friday is pilchards on toast – but I will bring you this delight some other time.

Ingredients

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300g mixed fish, this can be purchased from supermarkets already prepared, use a white fish, a smoked fish and salmon.

2/3 pint of lactose free milk

1 tablespoon of cornflour

1 1/2 teaspoons of mustard

Small handful of flat leaved parsley

salt

2cm piece of freshly grated parmesan

1/3 small Butternut Squash, 1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil, 1/2 lemon

600g of potato

1 tablespoon of margarine

3 tablespoons of lactose free milk

Method

Chop the squash, drizzle with oil and lemon and roast in the oven till softDSCF0956mod

Boil the potato

Mash the squash and potato with margarine and 3 tablespoons of milk add a small amount of salt

Add milk to a pan with mustard, parsley and mix cornflour with a little milk and add this to the pan – cook till thickened.

Add fish to a dish and pour over sauce till the fish is covered, keep remaining sauce to serve with the dish later.

Spoon on the mash, level with a fork and then sprinkle on the cheese.

Place the dish in the centre of an oven at gas mark 6, 250ºC for 25 minutes.

Serve with the warmed sauce.

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Stir fry beef low fodmap

gingergrind

This recipe is suitable for a Low FODMAP diet, lactose free, wheat free dairy free and some advice later will show you how you can modify this recipe suitable for Crohn’s and colitis too. Give it a go – also check out the following tool to help you monitor your symptoms of diarrhoea it is not a diagnostic programme so if you have a diagnosis and wish to know more read on…….

A new free online health programme and app called MyRhythm has just launched and is used to track your digestive health on the go discreetly and with ease. By inputting your food and mood, the app will draw up a monthly report, identifying certain triggers unique to the user for digestive upset.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Ginger, chopped

4 tablespoons of Tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon of golden syrup

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil (to ensure it is totally FODMAP free you need to purchase this)

1 pak choy

1 courgette

1 red pepper

1 spring onion, green part only

1/2 tin of bamboo shoots

250g of lean beef – cut into strips.

20131103_34modMethod

Chop ginger and add to a pestle with the golden syrup and garlic infused oil, grind to form a paste

Add this to the beef and chopped spring onion pour on the Tamari, mix well and leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Chop the vegetables thinly and heat a wok – I use a non stick wok so I don’t need to add any further oil to this to cook the meat.

Add the meat first and cook, then add the vegetables and keep stirring till the vegetables are cooked.

Serve with boiled rice – ensure you use freshly boiled  rice and eat whilst hot to avoid resistant starches, if this is a problem for you.

20131103_53modIf you have colitis and don’t tolerate red meat you can use chicken or fish to make this recipe. If you are experiencing diarrhoea symptoms and have been advised to have a low fibre diet, you will need to reduce the amount of vegetables in this dish, 1/2 carrot and 1/2 a skinned red pepper cut finely and cooked well will be adequate (boil for 10 minutes – boil the pepper whole for 10 minutes and the skin will peel away, before you put the vegetables into a wok) and use powdered ginger instead of ginger root to make up the recipe. Discuss the iron content of your diet with your dietitian or IBD team – do not be tempted to try iron supplements without discussing this with your doctor or dietitian, they can make symptoms worse. Low FODMAP diet is suitable if you are in remission (your inflammatory markers or CRP are normal) with your colitis and are continuing to experience symptoms, your dietitian can advise you how to use the diet, to see which foods result in symptoms.

20131103_57modFor Crohn’s to make this diet suitable for LOFFLEX you can use the modifications which have been suggested for the low fibre diet.

Please note I do not endorse any medication companies but this app tool might be useful – only use medications on advice from your healthcare professional.

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