Low FODMAP Spaghetti with Sausages

I made this sauce today to go with some leftover gluten free sausages and it went down quite well. I pureed the sauce with a hand blender because my son will eat better his vegetables if he can't see them ;)


Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 courgette, chopped
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt and pepper

Method:

Heat the oil and cook the vegetables until soft but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and season to taste. Bring to the boil and then simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Puree with a hand blender.

Add sliced cooked gluten free sausages and warm through.

Serve with gluten free spaghetti.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Gluten & Dairy Free Lemon Madeira Cake

 Delicious and super easy to make. My kind of cake!

Ingredients:
- 175g dairy free spread
- 175g caster sugar
- 175g gluten free self-raising flour
- 75g gluten free plain flour
- 3 eggs
- Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon


Method:
Grease and line a 1kg (2lb) loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 160C. Mix all the ingredients in a food processor. Bake for 1 hour  or until well risen, firm to the touch and golden brown.
Cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, then turn on to a wire rack and leave until cold. Do not peel off the lining paper but wrap the cake as it is in foil or in an airtight container until required.

www.meandmuibs2.blogspot.com

 

Low FODMAP Parsnip and Potato Soup

 A lovely rich and creamy soup perfect for cold autumn days. I think the next time I will add some fried cubed pancetta on top, mmmm...

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 600ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and black pepper

Method:

Put the stock, potatoes, parsnips and oregano in a saucepan and season well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Blend the mixture until smooth, taste and add more seasoning if necessary.

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Gluten and Dairy Free Butterfly Kisses

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

This recipe is taken from the free app "Olympia Delicious Desserts".

I must admit I didn't use the "mock cream" for the fairy cakes because for some reason mine curdled. This has happened before and I don't know why, is it because the type of the brand I use or because the spread was cold? Any ideas, please?  I used just plain icing sugar mixed with a little water to "glue" the wings and it seem to go down very well with my guests...

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

• 100g dairy free spread
• 1/2 c caster sugar
• 1 c gluten free self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 c rice milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing

• 1 c icing sugar
• 2 tblsp dairy free margarine
• 2 tblsp rice milk

 For the topping

• 5 tsp strawberry jam

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cream together the sugar and the margarine, add the egg, the egg white and vanilla essence and beat for one minute. Sift the flour and baking soda together. Gradually add the flour and milk to the wet mixture and stir well. Pour into a 12 cupcake tin lined with paper cases and bake for 15-20 minutes.
While the cupcakes are cooking, beat together the icing sugar, margarine and rice milk. When the cupcakes have cooled carefully slice the tops off and cut them in half. Place a tablespoon of the icing on the base of the cupcake and place the two tops as wings on top of the cream. In the centre of the wings add a dollop of strawberry jam.

Low FODMAP Mince and Chive Kebab

This is super quick to put together and super tasty, perfect for a barbecue or a grill pan. I used metal skewers but if you are using wooden skewers soak them in cold water to prevent them from charring during cooking.

 Ingredients:

• 8 metal skewers
• 500g minced beef
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives or parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Method:

Mix the cumin, parsley and mince and season with the salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into eight portions and make into sausage shapes with wet hands. Stick a skewer lengthways into each sausage and brush lightly with oil. Cook on a grill pan, under a hot grill or barbecue turning the skewers several times as the meat cooks. Serve with a green salad and new potatoes.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Meditate while sweeping

I found a little article on the Irish Daily Mail "Life & Soul" pullout last week.  It was called MEDITATION made easy: find serenity while sweeping. I think it's an extract from "The meditation bible" by Madonna Gauding.

I found it so simple and so worth giving it a try that I had to write it down in my blog for future reference.

TO START: Think of any past negativity  you would like to purify, or any mental debris you would like to clear.
STEP 1: Pick up your broom - this meditation is better when sweeping than when using a vacuum - and stand in the area you plan to clean.
STEP 2: Examine the area to be cleaned for dust or dirt. See this dirt (noticeable or subtle) as negativity residing in your own mind and heart.
Imagine that, as you sweep, the negativity will be sweapt away, too.
If you have been unkind to your partner, or hurt a friend, see the dirt as these past actions.
STEP 3: Start sweeping. Focus only on the dirt, the broom and the area to be cleaned. See and feel your negativity leaving your mind and heart.
Sweep away both your potential future negative acts, and your present doubts and fears.
STEP 4: End your meditation by throwing the dirt away into the bin. See your negativity go with it.

Quick sardine pate

For a super quick low Fodmap snack mix a tin of sardines (drained), 2 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise and a handful of chopped chives and serve on rice/corn cakes.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Gluten & Dairy Free Vanilla Cookies

I just read an article from the "Naturally Good Health" magazine about gluten free products. In it Dr Hart says "... methyl cellulose (E461) is used to add fibre and bulk to gluten-free breads and as a thickener in dairy-free ice creams, but this compound is indigestible and can cause gut symptoms."

Now, that is something I didn't know! I have started checking the ingredients on pre-packed gluten free breads and nearly all of them seem to have methyl cellulose. Something else I have to watch out for...

On another note this recipe comes from a free app called "Olympia Recipe Collection: gluten free *dairy free * low fat* low fructose" - Delicious Desserts.

It doesn't have a lot of recipes and I find it a little difficult to read on my mobile, maybe the layout works well for a tablet but I am constantly zooming and adjusting the picture on my phone, which it's a bit annoying. Nevertheless the recipes seem easy and based on the Low FODMAP diet. This is the first one I have tried so far and I have to admit I didn't follow the method shown. I just wanted something sweet, fast, so I tossed all the ingredients in my food processor and the cookies came out lovely. I made 20.

Ingredients:

• 100g dairy free spread
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Beat all the ingredients in a food processor until mixed. With your hands wet roll the dough into little balls and place onto 2 baking trays lined with baking paper, leaving some room for the cookies to expand. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden brown. Cookies will harden when cooled.

 www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com