Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Page 9

Easter chocolate orange cake treat – low fodmap

Ingredients

Cake

150g self raising gluten free flour

150g margarine

150g golden castor sugar

Grated rind of 1 orange

Juice of half an orange

2 eggs

15g cocoa powder (check gluten free if needed)

1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder

Orange marmalade

Chocolate frosting

50g Dark chocolate

15g Margarine

2 Tablespoons of warm water

175g of sifted icing sugar

3 Drops of oil of orange flavouring.

Method

Cream together margarine and sugar till smooth.

Add orange rind and juice of orange, mix well.

Add one egg at a time and beat well to avoid the mix curdling.

If it does start to separate add a tablespoon of flour and mix in well.

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder and baking powder) till fully incorporated.

Cook at gas mark 6 for 1 hour till risen and cooked through.

Whilst the cake is cooling make the icing.

Put the chocolate, water and margarine in a bowl held over a pan of boiling water.

Melt and mix, add the oil of orange and icing sugar and beat till smooth.

Cut the cake in half and spread the orange marmalade over the bottom layer, then a thin layer of frosting.

Add the rest of the frosting to the cake.

The cake is also decorated with half kumquat segments.

Serve – remember a small serving is probably a good idea, a great treat for Easter perhaps!

April 12, 2017

Jules_GastroRD2 Comments

Turkey in a mustard and pepper sauce

This is a recipe to make for dinner parties or special occasions it has lots of flavour and doesn’t require any stock as the vegetables and mustard provide the flavour in abundance. Most people with IBS will be fine having lactose free cream but if you have problems with foods higher in fats you may wish to avoid this dish.

Ingredients

400g turkey steaks

1 tablespoon of oil

1 miniature bottle of whiskey or a shot measure

Half a carrot

30g of celeriac

1 heaped teaspoon of whole black peppercorns

3 tablespoons of grained mustard (check ingredients list are fodmap free)

1 teaspoon of milled black pepper

200ml of lactose free cream

Method

Slice the celeriac and carrot thinly and add to a frying pan with black peppercorns, black pepper and the oil. These vegetables will give a stock flavour. Fry to release the flavour.

Add the brandy and burn off the alcohol.

Slice the turkey into strips and add to the pan and fry till cooked through.

Add the cream and warm through

Serve with roasted red cabbage and potato wedges or rice.

Serves 4

April 2, 2017

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Pancake recipe for Shrove Tuesday

Here is a savoury choice instead of the sweet varieties of pancake often eaten on Shrove Tuesday. It is a Moroccan themed meal.

Ingredients

Pancake batter

2 large eggs

150g of plain gluten free flour mix

75g of maize flour

500ml lactose free milk

Salt to taste.

Filling

Spinach (1 bag)

1 flat spoon of Moroccan spice mix (check for fodmaps)

1 teaspoon of oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

Topping

6 carrots

Handful of coriander leaves

Salt

2 cooked chicken breasts

Method

Mix all the pancake ingredients together till smooth

Leave in the fridge of at least 2 hours

Fry thin discs of the batter in a frying pan.

Filling

Wilt the spinach in boiling water.

Fry the spice in the oil to release the flavour and add the lemon juice and salt.

Drain the spinach in a colander and blend with the spice mix in a blender.

Topping

Slice and cook the carrot till soft.

Drain and add coriander leaves and salt to taste

Blend till smooth.

Making up the pancakes:

Take a pancake and add some spinach, lay on the top sliced cooked chicken and some of the carrot mix.

Wrap the pancake up and add to a heatproof dish.

Repeat till the dish is full and spread the rest of the pureed carrot on the top.

Warm through and serve with a small amount of pomegranate seeds and alfalfa leaves.

February 26, 2017

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Lactose free soft cheese

This recipe was adapted from Gerard Baker’s ‘How to make soft Cheese’ recipe for Halloumi.

Unfortunately I would not describe it as halloumi it is more like a standard soft cheese – but lactose free. It is very easy to make as long as you follow a few steps to avoid contamination.

Ingredients

1 pint of lactose free full fat milk

30ml of white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Method

Wash your hands.

Make sure all the equipment is sterile, scald a muslin square and pour boiling water over a stainless steel colander and pan, chopsticks and large bowl. You will also need a soft cheese mould and baking tray.

Makes approximately 100-150g of cheese.

Place the milk in a pan and heat slowly until it reaches 95 degrees C using a thermometer.

Add the vinegar and turn off the heat till the curds have formed (leave for five minutes.)

Skim off the solids and add to the muslin laid over the colander. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can at this stage.

Add salt

Transfer to the cheese mould and turn upside down on the chopsticks over a plate or the baking tray, to drain.

Place the cheese in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 days.

February 19, 2017

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How to survive the holiday season without too many gut problems

The holiday season means many different things to different people, it is supposed to be a period of joy but often it really doesn’t live up to all those expectations that we often have. The media portray images of idealistic families around the Christmas tree having all their dreams come true. For some people the reality is somewhat different, Christmas can be a traumatic time and managing with all the family can be challenging, but it can also be a time when some people are alone too. Here are some tips to help you navigate your way through the period and avoid your gut spoiling the fun.

1. Tis the season to be jolly – really? You have my permission to be a Grinch too if you wish. You should not be expected to see people and be jolly, especially people who you never get along with during the rest of the year. If you don’t get on with someone then Christmas is not a time that somehow the ‘magic’ will make a difference, and likely if your inhibitions are lowered with the odd glass of Advocaat (add your choice of tipple here!) it will not end well! Suggest that you have other plans this year, make your apologies for not seeing them if you wish.

2. Scenes on TV cookery shows promote the domestic goddess, but don’t forget all those well choreographed scenes take time and lots of other people to help, likely months of planning too. Not so much of a goddess then! So don’t try to live up to this myth of being able to manage it all, you will only end up frazzled and this will likely make symptoms worse. You could have a Jacobs join – were everyone brings a different part of the dish. Or you could ask people to bring dishes from around the world, and think of others or you could go out to eat on Christmas day. Consider inviting someone who might be on their own on Christmas day. It really doesn’t have to be a traditional day – make new traditions!

Click on here to see what Nigella really thinks — Click on the image to see what Nigella really thinks.

3. Ensure you eat regularly on Christmas day – leaving hours between meals will not help, plan to have a light breakfast before your Christmas lunch – this doesn’t mean grazing all day either. Manage your portion sizes – use a smaller plate if you like your plate full and you will be just as satisfied and not over full and unable to move!

4. Don’t slouch on the sofa eating snacks whilst watching those Christmas movies, let gravity help you gut and try to sit up when eating – or don’t snack, you will eat more than you realise if you are not being mindful about what you are eating. Alternatively plan how much you are going to eat and put it in a bowl so you know when you have had enough. Your body will thank you for it.

5. Include some light activity mid afternoon if you are able – a gentle walk in the park perhaps or some games to get you moving around.

6. Family dynamics can be a rich source of conflict during the season, this can lead to arguments in the period leading up to Christmas and especially on the day itself. Arguments at mealtimes are really not advisable, this will do nothing to help your digestion. Stress causes your body to produce adrenaline, the fight or flight hormone, this is a response to conflict or dangerous situations, originally utilised so you can escape from predators. Your body is therefore NOT concentrating on digesting lunch. In the distant past a dose of indigestion was a very small price to pay to avoiding being eaten. So you might need to be assertive and lay down some ground rules for everyone to follow so that the meal can be as calm as possible.

7. Budget as much as you can. Planning is the key here and Christmas is for thinking of others, but not at the expense of experiencing anxiety at not being able to live up to their expectations. Again tell people in advance what you are planning, say that you are only going to be able to afford to do certain things – you may find that people are relieved that they don’t have to meet these expectations either.

8. Stick rigidly to your Low Fodmap foods (or other tolerated foods) before the day, so if you eat something that you react to, you possibly won’t have as severe symptoms as you would have with eating as you please for the full season.

9. Drink plenty of fluids through the day – a least six to eight cups of non carbonated drinks and if you do drink alcohol, match every alcoholic drink with a non alcoholic one – this will mean you drink less and stay hydrated at the same time. Drinking whilst eating slows the absorption of alcohol into the body. Stay within the healthy drinking guidelines (no more than 2-3 units per day) and watch mixers for fodmaps and fizz. Make a glass of water the final drink before going to bed to counteract the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Remember alcohol is a gut stimulant and hangovers won’t help your IBS symptoms although some people can tolerate small amounts. Try not to over indulge – intoxication can remove your resolve and you might be tempted to have more than you planned. Check out Drink Aware for details of how much alcohol is in your favourite tipple. https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator

The true toll of Christmas tipple how excess plays havoc with mind and body

10. The best tip is – remember to enjoy yourself – it is not money that makes the difference but being in the presence of friends, family and company on the day – spending time with others.

Happy Holiday!

December 1, 2016

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Chicken liver and rosemary stuffing – low fodmap Christmas recipes

Sage and onion stuffing is a classic accompaniment to Christmas dinner, however for people following a low fodmap diet this is not an option because it does contain lots of onion. Perhaps this recipe might be a good alternative and uses up some of the parts of meat that often go to waste, such as liver. I do save gluten free bread to freeze when I have the odd slice, or perhaps the bread crumbles because it is a little stale. Although freezing and reheating can increase the resistant starch content. Most people who get improvements on the low fodmap diet don’t seem to have problems with resistant starches – but if resistant starch does affect you, it might be better to use fresh breadcrumbs and only have a small piece, perhaps.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pack of chicken livers

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of asafoetida

100g of celeriac (gives a flavour of celery)

100g of chopped white cabbage

200g of gluten free breadcrumbs

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Salt to flavour

Method

Trim the chicken livers (remove the tougher membrane that runs between the livers lobes). Add oil to the pan and fry the asafoetida and livers till cooked. Process the cabbage, rosemary and celeriac till a fine texture is achieved and then add the cooked liver and gluten free breadcrumbs. Process till smooth. Add to a loaf tin and cook for 1 hour at gas mark 5 or you could make stuffing balls or sausages depending on your preference but his will affect the cooking time. This stuffing tastes between a stuffing and pate and goes particularly well with Turkey.

I do not put my stuffing mix in the turkey body as this will not reach the temperature needed to cook either the stuffing or the turkey. Do take care when cooking Christmas lunch – do not wash the turkey and ensure any juices from the turkey run clear. Prevention of food poisoning during the festive season is really important!