Gluten-free diet – Page 5 – Clinical Alimentary

Christmas carols and canapes

It’s that time of year again – although it’s unusually warm outside this year! I purchased some gluten free frozen puff pastry and it is also Low Fodmap so here are some canapes to have with Christmas carols and shots – so invite your friends round and celebrate! They are simple to make, although a little fiddly to say the least. See below for the recipes. I could have made my own pastry – but life’s too short to be making puff pasty this time of year!

First cut the pastry into two and using the first block roll it out as thin as you can with plenty of flour to prevent sticking – I used rice flour. Use a small circular cutter and cut out as many circles as you can. Bring the trimmings together and roll out again. I made about 35-40 disks. Brush each with a little beaten egg. Use the following as toppings:

Basil, walnut and Parmesan

A handful of chopped walnuts, 2-4 freshly chopped basil leaves, a handful of pine nuts and 10g of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix these ingredients together with a teaspoon of olive oil and spoon a small amount on the top of each disc. Top each with half an olive cut lengthwise.

Serrano ham and manchago cheese

Place a small square of Serrano ham on each disk, top with a thin slice of cheese.

Smoked mackerel and potato

Thinly slice small new potatoes and spray with oil- roast for 10 minutes in an oven and top each disc with the cooked potato and a small amount of shredded mackerel.

Rosemary and Parmesan pinwheels

Using the other half of the pastry roll it into an oblong block as this as you can brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped fresh rosemary leaving a thin strip away from you without cheese. Roll adding further egg wash as you roll it up and stick down once rolled. Slice into 1cm circles.

Place each disk on a baking tray and cook in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until cooked. Serve with your drink of choice. Remember alcohol can, for some people make symptoms of IBS worse, so do take care. Your friends and guests will hardly be aware that these are gluten free. These canapes are also high in fat but one or two are all that are needed, moderation is always key – even at this time of year! They make a delightful change to the usual peanuts or crisps served with party drinks.

I do hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

December 20, 2015

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Chapati and low fodmap curry – yum!

Chapati

150 g of gluten free plain flour

1 teaspoon of garlic infused oil

1/2 teaspoon of Xanthan gum

20 g of well chopped coriander

Salt to taste

Water to form a dough

Method

Weigh out the flour in a bowl and add the xanthan gum and mix well.

Add the oil, salt and coriander and water.

Add water slowly and bring the flour together to form a dough – the more you work this dough the better the results will be!

Roll the dough into a sausage shape and divide to make approximately 8 small disks

Roll these into a ball then roll out evenly as thin as possible.

Cook on a flat griddle till the flour turns a little opaque then hold the chapatti in a flame to finish the cooking add some spray oil to the pan if needed.

Serve immediately – they don’t keep well and are best eaten fresh.

Curry

2 aubergines

200g spinach

200g of potato

1 red chili chopped small

1 inch of ginger chopped

1 teaspoon of coriander seeds

1 teaspoon of cumin

3 cardamon pods, split

1 red pepper chopped

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida

salt to taste

Method

Roast the aubergines till soft and remove the skin and chop.

Add the spices and chopped chili (you can omit this if it affects symptoms too much) to a pestle & mortar and grind.

Add the oil to a pan and fry the spice paste to release the aroma.

Add the aubergine, chopped potato to the pan and cooked till tender.

Add 4-5 pieces of frozen spinach and chopped red pepper at the end of the dish and cook for ten minutes.

Serve!

Turmeric potatoes

These small potatoes are easy to make, use 3-4 potatoes per portion of salad potatoes. I roasted them in the oven in their jackets till soft them sliced them and using 1/2 tablespoon of oil fried turmeric and coriander seeds to release the flavour and added this to the potato with salt to taste. You could use this recipe with older potatoes if you wished.

December 7, 2015

Jules_GastroRD1 Comment

Cinnamon and lemon thyme roast chicken

It is the first cold snap of the season today and what better to warm the cockles than a roast chicken? This is a very simple roast, sprinkled with cinnamon and thyme.

Ingredients

1/2 roast chicken

2 teaspoons cinnamon

5-6 springs of thyme

salt and pepper to taste.

Method

Do not wash the chicken before you use it.

Place the chicken in a roasting tin on a rack to drain the fat as it roasts and add the thyme and cinnamon plus seasoning.

Roast for 3/4 hour.

I added some carrots to the roasting tin to add colour to the dish.

Enjoy!

November 21, 2015

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Pumpkin soup – gluten free, wheat free, milk free, Low Fodmap

During the 1970’s when I was growing up – (you now have some idea of my age!) a pumpkin in the UK was a rare thing! We usually used swede to make our Halloween lanterns and cooking with pumpkins was unknown around our small Lancashire town. They are now widely available and relatively cheap but I have added some swede to remind me of times past. We also had lots of fun around the 31st October but no trick or treats for us! Just dressing up in Halloween costumes and a local party with parkin, toffee apples and parched peas (a very local delicacy with lots of malt vinegar added) sometimes we would have a double celebration with Guy Fawkes bonfire night being 5 days later than Halloween. See another recipe for this time of year here:

https://clinicalalimentary.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/remember-remember-the-5th-of-november-bangers-and-roots/

Ingredients

Half a small pumpkin

Half a small Swede

Garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of coriander Seeds

2 cm of ginger grated

1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida

1 litre of water (you can add more if needed)

1/2 teaspoon Chilli powder*

Method

Add the oil to a pan and add the spices to release the flavour of the spice.

Cut the swede and pumpkin into small pieces add to the pan with the water and cook in the water till soft.

Blend the mix to a smooth soup

*If you tolerate chilli add it – you can omit it if needed.

October 11, 2015

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Cheese Souffle low lactose, gluten and wheat free (low Fodmap)

This is my first attempt at a souffle – I have always been scared of making them due to listening to the difficulties people report in getting a rise and the consistency right. More of a challenge then to use free from ingredients to achieve the same effect? It is October – Halloween month so time to get scared and have a go! See what you think.

The photograph below was taken after some minutes out of the oven and the rise has reduced but the above photograph was taken within a few minutes of leaving the hot oven. I am not sure if the strange shaped rise was as a result of the small dish or the fact that this is a free from bake. The recipe below makes around 8 small souffles, really tasty to eat them fresh from the oven but it is also possible to double bake the majority to warm them through and although the texture was a little different the souffles were just as tasty.

Ingredients

4 eggs

250ml of lactose free milk

20g plain gluten free flour/corn flour

20g of margarine

170g of cheddar cheese (lactose free if you are very sensitive)

olive oil to coat the ramekins

pepper to taste*

Method

Oil the 8 ramekins well and pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 – 220 deg C

Separate the yolk from the white of the egg – ensure no egg yolk is in the white or it will not whip to the correct consistency.

Melt the margarine slowly in a pan and add the flour – this will thicken. Cook for a few seconds and slowly incorporate the milk until it makes a smooth sauce. Simmer to cook the flour. Don’t be afraid to sieve the sauce if it contains lumps. Cool slightly and add the egg yolk and pepper, melt in the cheese.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites till they form stiff peaks. Add a 1/3 of the egg white to the sauce to slacken it. The fold in the rest of the egg white into the sauce carefully so all the whites are incorporated. Once they are incorporated STOP MIXING – you need to have as much air as possible in the mix and over mixing may mean your souffles will not rise.

Add the mix to the ramekins and cook for approximately 12 minutes – remove from the oven and serve immediately.

*I omitted the salt as the souffle has plenty of cheese to give a salty flavour in my view

Yum!

October 9, 2015

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French toast for breakfast? – gluten free, low fodmap

This is a great Sunday morning treat and is very easy to prepare and to relax and enjoy! French toast is not sweet but when combined with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple or golden syrup the sweetness is added – you only need a drizzle and the breakfast is complete. Posted just in time for you to enjoy tomorrow morning.

Ingredients

2 eggs

70 mls lactose free milk

4 drops of vanilla essence

4 drops of orange essence

spray oil

2-3 slices of gluten-free bread (depending on the size of eggs used)

Maple syrup for drizzling

Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries – a small handful.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and mix with the milk, vanilla and orange.

Slice the bread and soak in to the egg mix until it is soaked through ( a minute or two)

Spray oil into a frying pan and fry the bread for 1 minute each side or until golden.