Easy Ice-Cream Your Tummy Will Love

If you're looking for an incredibly easy, lactose-free and low FODMAP ice-cream. Here it is!

Hi again Fodmappers

You are not going to believe how easy it is to make this yummy ice-cream. And you might be surprised to learn that all it takes is one banana. Yes, this really is completely lactose free ice-cream which means it's also vegan, as well as being FODMAP friendly. And despite there being no added sugar it's sweetly satisfying. Great for an after dinner treat or for children's parties.

And it takes no time at all to whisk together.

Ingredients

1 small banana per person

Method

1. Slice the bananas into approx. 1" pieces.

2. Freeze for at least 2 hrs.

3. Remove banana from freezer and put into a mini-chopper. Pulse. (You may find you'll need to loosen it from the sides of the chopper with a spoon.)

4. Continue for a couple of minutes until the ice-cream becomes soft and creamy.

5. Enjoy.

I added choc chips to mine (though I added them a little too soon and ended up with speckled ice-cream) and topped it all with coloured sugar stars and one large chocolate star for extra fabulousness. Alternatively, you could try adding a little peanut butter, coffee essence or chopped nuts to the mix.

If you fancy making your ice-cream a little fruitier, remember that to stay within the safe limit of FODMAPs you need to restrict fruit to one portion per meal. By all means add a little raspberry or strawberry but remember to reduce the overall portion size accordingly.

Guess what I'm going to be eating this summer?

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous.

Low FODMAP Vegetarian Kedgeree

Hi again Fodmappers - I hope you've had a great week?

Today I want to share a tasty low-fodmap vegetarian recipe that's already a favourite in our house. It was inspired by one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipes in River Cottage Veg Everyday, we've simply tweaked it to make it low-fodmap. It's easy to make and it's fantastic as a week day supper.

For a vegan variation, simply use tofu instead of egg. Or alternatively, replace the rice with quinoa.

Interesting fact: Did you know kedgeree was traditionally eaten as breakfast as a way of using up the previous night's left-overs. Now there's a thought.

Low-FODMAP Vegetarian Kedgeree (Vegeree)

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients

2 courgettes
1 red bell pepper (seeded)
1 yellow bell pepper (seeded)
1 aubergine
1 chilli pepper (seeded)
Some spring onion greens
Garam Masala
Olive Oil
Basmati Rice
4 eggs
Fresh coriander

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/400F
2. Chop all the vegetables into large chunks and spread in a baking tray. Don't be tempted to skimp on the veg. It will look a lot initially but cooks down considerably during roasting.
3. Pour olive oil over the vegetables and generously sprinkle with Garam Masala.
4. Roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Prepare the Basmati rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain.
6. Boil the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove from water and run under a cold tap to cool. Remove shells.
7. Add the vegetables to the rice stirring through thoroughly.
8. Serve the vegeree topped with chunks of boiled egg (or tofu) and fresh coriander.

Enjoy.

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous!

Three Ways to Enjoy a Low-FODMAP Pancake Day

Hi again Fodmappers - Can you believe it's almost Pancake Day? It doesn't seem long since Christmas! And it's almost a year since I started my low-fodmap diet! I think that's a cause for celebration!! But pancakes? Why not?

A low fodmap diet isn't about cutting things out, it's just a matter of replacing high fodmap ingredients with low ones. For pancakes that's about choosing a non-wheat flour over wheat, and replacing the milk with a lactose and soy free variety.

Of course you also need to think about what you're putting into your pancakes, so to help you I've come up with three suggestions - one breakfast idea, one main course and one dessert. And because I prefer eating to cooking, they're all very easy.

I've used buckwheat flour for the pancakes (if you've been following my blog a while you'll know that buckwheat isn't wheat) as I like the earthy, wholefood hippiness of buckwheat. But if that's not your style just use a gluten-free flour blend instead. Or maybe try mixing the two together and create a low-fodmap flour blend of your own!

Buckwheat Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 egg
1 cup of lactose free milk of your choice
A little oil for cooking.

Method

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg.
Slowly whisk in the milk.

(After mixing the batter, I poured the batter into a clean plastic milk carton to use as needed.)

Heat the oil in the pan.
Pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
Cook until lightly browned, turning once.

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Pancake Fillings and Toppings

Breakfast - Peanut Butter and Banana

Speaks for itself! Enjoy your pancake spread with peanut butter and topped with sliced banana for a protein packed start to the day.

Main Course - Provencale Pancakes

Lightly fry, or roast, some spring onion greens, courgette, bell pepper and tomatoes with a little basil.
Spoon into the centre of each pancake and roll up.
Top with grated cheese and serve with a side salad.

Dessert - Lemon Meringue Pancakes

Warning! This is particularly yummy!

Combine a crushed meringue nest with lemon curd and some plain lactose free or coconut yogurt. (I used CoYo.) Spoon onto cooled pancakes and top with syrup or a squeeze of lemon juice.

I topped mine with a drizzle of syrup from a jar of stem ginger. Lemon and ginger is just such a perfect combination! Yum!

And there you have it - three easy ways to enjoy a low-fodmap Pancake Day. Enjoy!

'Til next time - Stay Fabulous! x

Quick, Light and Low - Veggie Noodle Soup

Hi Fodmappers - How is that New Year's Resolution coming along? Discovering plenty of tasty low-FODMAP recipes? Don't panic if everything seems strange right now, you'll get the hang of it I'm sure. And to help you along I thought I'd share a recipe of my own for a very simple, fresh and healthy soup that you can make in minutes.

Low-FODMAP Veggie Noodle Soup

Suggested ingredients

Rice noodles
Carrots
The green part of spring onions
Red bell peppers
Tofu
Soy Sauce
Ginger (either a small piece of root or a pinch of ground ginger)
Salt
Black Pepper
Lemongrass
Coconut Oil (though any oil will do)
Water

Method

Finely chop the carrots, peppers, spring onion greens and ginger.
Prepare lemongrass by peeling away leaves and squashing the tip with a rolling pin to release the flavours.
Cut tofu into small cubes.

Lightly cook the vegetables in a little oil until they begin to soften.
Add boiling water, lemongrass, soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes.
Add tofu and warm through gently.

Put the rice noodles into a bowl, remove the lemongrass from the pan and pour your soup over the noodles. Allow noodles to soften in the soup for approx 3 minutes.

And that's it - quick, light and low-FODMAP. Perfect when you're pushed for time or just want something fresh and easy.

Enjoy.

'Til next time Fodmappers - happy eating!

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Veggie Savoury Muffins

 

Ooh look! Yummy savoury snacks. ;)

Hi again Fodmappers. As you can see I've been doing a bit of baking this week. But these aren't any muffins, these are fodmap friendly flour-free muffins! And they pack a bit of a surprise. These muffins are a nice source of veggie protein and they are incredibly easy to make. I confess I'm not into complicated cooking - I want to eat, not cook.

I've made these a couple of times now so they can't be bad eh? I discovered them at Everybody Loves Pretty and have pretty much stuck to that recipe so far.  However the second time I made them I used a mature cheddar rather than a mild one, and next time I'm going to try adding a little asafoetida as I felt they needed a bit of a bite. As onions are not a 'safe' food for me, asafoetida does go some way towards replacing that sharpness. (If you haven't discovered it yet, it's worth tracking down and adding to your spice collection.) But on with the recipe.

I used:

1/3 cup of quinoa grains

1/2 a cup of grated Cheddar Cheese

2 large eggs

1/3 cup of shredded spinach

A generous pinch of oregano

A generous pinch or basil

A sprinkle of salt and pepper.

(This makes 6 muffins).

Method:

First cook your quinoa. Rinse the grains well (I used my salad sprouter for this) and then toast them lightly in a large saucepan for a couple of minutes. Add 2/3 cup of cold water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 15 mins or until it has absorbed all the water.

While the quinoa is cooking, preheat your oven to 350/180.

When the quinoa is ready, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir in well.

Finally add the eggs (make sure the pan and contents have cooled slightly so that the eggs don't cook on contact) and mix in.

Spoon mixture into muffin cases or directly into a greased muffin tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

 

The finished bake has a texture part way between a muffin and a quiche which isn't as odd as it sounds. Give them a go, experiment with different flavours, and let me know what you think.

'Easy Cheesey' Low-Fodmap Omelette

 

Hi again Fodmappers. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the blog so far. Tonight I just want to post a little something to show you that low-fodmap cooking doesn't have to be complicated. Yes you do need to discover replacements for some of the things that have probably been part of your 'normal' diet for years - such as replacements for wheat! Actually I didn't realise how much wheat I was eating until I had to stop! Anyway, it's nice to sometimes recognise that some of those 'normal' foods are also low-fodmap. So, tonight's recipe is ... ta da .... an omelette.

I shan't write out a recipe on how to make an omelette as I'm sure you know the basics, but I think it's worth mentioning the ingredients. This is a vegetarian omelette (because I'm vegetarian) but you can adapt it to your preference of course. The main thing to remember is to stick to low-fodmap ingredients. Yes that might sound obvious but that means using the green part of spring onions instead of regular onions, sticking to red and yellow peppers rather than green ones, and using a hard cheese such as cheddar as the lactose in cheese reduces as it hardens. (1) You could also add tomatoes, spinach, chives or potatoes. (2)

So there you have it, a 'normal' and easy recipe idea that is also low-fodmap. You could even keep a slice for your lunch-box. ;)

1. http://cheese.about.com/od/cheesebasics/f/lactose_free.htm
2. http://fabulousfodmaps.blogspot.co.uk/p/yummy-low-fodmap-foods-to-enjoy.html