Gluten and Dairy Free Muffin Doughnuts

This recipe is from the foodnetwork.com website, courtesy of Ina Garten from the show "Barefoot Contessa".

I had a real craving for doughnuts the other day. I looked for a baked doughnut recipe on the Internet and this was one of the easiest. The results were just great. I'm going to make them again and I will try them without the cinnamon and nutmeg, dipping them in icing and sprinkles or in melted dark chocolate. Yum.

The recipe yields 12 doughnuts and you are meant to use 2 doughnut pans but since I don't have any I used a muffin tin and made about 10 muffins. The doughnut pans are going in my "wishing list" along with the ice cream maker (Santa take notes...).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten free flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cups almond or rice milk
• 2 tblsp dairy free margarine, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 8 tblsp dairy free margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a muffin tin with a little sunflower oil. Into a large bowl, , sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted margarine and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the muffins out.

For the topping, melt the 8 tablespoons of margarine in a pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each muffin first in the margarine and then in the cinnamon sugar.

Enjoy.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Nevaditos (Spanish Christmas Sweets)

Yes, I know it 's very unseasonal but I tried another recipe for them at Christmas with disastrous results and for some reason I had a craving for them the other day.

Don't be put off by the lard, these are actually very delicate and light. They melt in your mouth. I found this recipe in a Spanish website: cocina.facilisimo.com and changed a couple of things.

Ingredients:

• 200g lard
• 20g icing sugar
• 75ml white wine or water
• zest of a lemon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 350g gluten free flour
• half teaspoon gluten free baking powder

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except for the flour and baking powder. I used the food processor to soften the lard and then mix them in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Then add the flour and baking powder and mix again. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 180C. Roll out the dough and cut into shapes 2cm thick (oval and round work well). Cover a baking tray with baking paper and bake for 40 minutes. Once cool sprinkle icing sugar.

Herbed Pork Fillet with Roast Vegetables

I wasn't sure about labelling this dish low FODMAP because of the apple... Anyway I got this recipe from the www.bbcgoodfood.com website but substituted the butternut squash for potatoes and omitted the onions. It's really easy and tasty and you could serve it with green beans on the side.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthways
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 500g lean pork tenderloins (fillets), in one or two pieces
• 1 medium Bramley apple
• 400ml hot chicken stock

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C. Put all the vegetables into a roasting tin. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss everything together. On a plate, mix together the zest and herbs. Roll the pork fillets in the mixture, then put it on top of the vegetables. Roast for 40 minutes. Peel and core the apple and cut it into chunks. Scatter the pieces into the roasting tin, then pour in the hot stock and cook for a further 15-20 minutes. Slice the pork, arrange on a platter with the veg, then spoon the pan juices on top.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Elimination Diet Link

A friend of mine passed me this link before Christmas. He suffers from IBS and goes into this elimination diet from time to time. He cuts sugar and any other foods likely to cause allergies and then re-introduces them. He suffered from adult acne (like me) but since he started on these "detoxes" his skin cleared up.

I really was not in the mood to start any diet right before Christmas and I'm afraid to say that I still ain't. I think you have to be mentally prepared to embark on an elimination diet and stick to it. But
if you are this link is a very good starting point.

Dr Joe Fitzgibbon has a clinic in Dublin. I have never been to it but you can download and print the elimination diet from his website for free. It guides you through it step by step.

http://www.joefitzgibbon.ie/dp.php?c=resources

Low FODMAP Easy Meatballs

Sometimes I make a big batch of meatballs, freeze half and serve the other half with tomato sauce and spaguetti. They couldn't be simpler to make...

Ingredients:

• 800g mince beef
• 1 1/2 or 2 cups dry gluten free breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp dried herbs
• 1/2 cup water
• salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix all the ingredients together by hand. Make little balls, more or less the same size so the cook evenly, and place them on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

 

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

 

Gluten and Dairy Free Applesauce Muffins

I have to admit that I wasn't very good at Christmas. I ate a few things that I'm not supposed to, not many mind you, but I was wandering if I could re-introduced some types of food since I have been on this diet for nearly two years. Well, I am done experimenting for the time being...

I tried to go back to soya milk, mainly because of the cost, a 1 litre carton of hazelnut milk cost over €2 while I can buy 1 litre of soya milk for 85 cents. I was OK for the first day but I got extremely bloated after each meal afterwards. I stopped two days ago and I feel much better already.

I also had a few Brussels sprouts on Christmas day. Oh my, never again! Then to top it up I went out to dinner with friends. Of course the only thing that I could eat was salad and I decided to blow out and suffer later. It was two weeks later when I started to feel normal again.

Onion, garlic, dairy, cruciferous vegetables, peppers and gluten are the main problem foods for me. I also haven't eaten legumes in a year and a half.  Of course there are other foods that I avoid but I still feel that I haven't mastered this diet. I think it's time for me to do some  more research and update my list...

I am not sure if people on a Low FODMAP diet can tolerate applesauce but I can  have a couple of these muffins without any symptoms afterwards. But everyone is different...

I got this recipe from "the vanilla.COMpany" website. It's a socially conscious site dedicated to the promotion of pure, natural vanilla and the support of vanilla farmers worldwide and it's run by Patricia Rain, author of The Vanilla Cookbook.

I have to say this is the nicest muffins I've had in a long time. My son and my husband love them and they are very easy to make. The recipe is supposed to make 24 muffins but I think she means cupcakes because I only had enough dough for 12 muffins.

I omitted the pecans and the frosting and instead I sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the muffins.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper cases. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside. Blend oil and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, applesauce and then the dry ingredients. Stir in nuts if using. Sprinkle the muffin tops with a little sugar and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

One-pan Roast Chicken, Potatoes, Carrots and Cherry Tomatoes

This is what we had for dinner today. No need for parboiling the veg, just throw everything in...


Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 kg chicken
• 1 lemon, halved
• 50g dairy free margarine
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 7 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 400g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tblsps cyder vinegar
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Place the chicken in a big roasting tin without strings. Put the lemon into the cavity. Rub the margarine, herbs and seasoning over the chicken. Arrange the potatoes and carrots around it, drizzle everything with oil, season and toss together. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200C/180C fan and roast for 45 minutes more. Mix the vinegar and oil with the cherry tomatoes and stir into the tin, then return to the oven for 15 minutes more.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Gluten and Dairy Free Clementine Cake

Happy New Year everybody!!!!!!

 I hope 2014 brings happiness, love, health and prosperity to all. 

I had a nice, quiet Christmas. My little boy wasn't sick and enjoyed Christmas day immensely, I can say without a doubt that Christmas is his favourite time; summer, Halloween, Easter...they don't come even close!

My first recipe for 2014 is from the Nigella Lawson website. She uses ground almonds in lots of her recipes which is quite handy for those of us who avoid gluten. She made the cake using a 21cm tin. I
used a 23cm, the same that I use for her olive oil and chocolate cake (one of my favourites). Because this is a dense, moist cake and I didn't want to risk burning the top and under cooking the centre I tried not to make it too thick.

Now, I have a confession to make: I'm not sure if what I used were clementines or satsumas but I can tell you they worked! By the way, I made the marmalade you can see in the picture. My first time making jam!! I cheated, though, I made it in my breadmaker machine which has a jam programme. I had to run the programme twice to get the right "jelly" consistency but it came out perfect. And you guessed it, it's clementine marmalade! I bought lots over Christmas and I had to use them up...

Back to the cake, if you are in a hurry to eat cake this isn't going to be for you. You have to boil the clementines for two hours! But I think it's worth the wait and what I like most about this cake is that it's flourless and has no oil or butter, all the moisture comes from the fruit.

Ingredients:

• 375g clementines (approx. 3 medium-sized ones)
• 6 large eggs
• 225g white sugar (my husband thought it needed more sugar, I thought it was fine, up to you to increase the amount...)
• 250g ground almonds
• 1 tsp gluten free baking powder 

Method:

Put the clementines in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the pips. Blitz the fruit (skins, pith and all) in a food processor.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Oil and line a 23cm Springform tin. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and mix.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for and hour. Cover it with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, on a rack, but in the tin. When the cake is cold take it out of the tin.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate and Banana Muffins

These muffins lasted a day in my house. Great success. I found the recipe in the Tesco website (www.tesco.com/realfood).  It is a very handy recipe, something else to bake other than banana bread with overripe bananas...

Ingredients:

• 50g cocoa powder
• 125ml boiling water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g gluten free flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150ml light olive oil
• 4 ripe bananas

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C. Place the cocoa powder in a bowl and mix in the vanilla extract and boiling water. Set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl mix the bicarbonate of soda and flour. In another bowl beat the sugar, oil and eggs together. Add the cocoa mixture to the sugar mix, then add the flour. Mash the bananas and stir into the mixture. It will be very wet and runny but the muffins will rise nicely. Pour it into a lined 12 muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com

Roast Chicken with Roasted Cumin and Coriander Carrots

I haven't posted any recipes for a while, I am just not having a great month. My son was in hospital  again last week. We only spent two nights there, thank Goodness, but that is already too much time for a little boy who has been in the emergency department three times in five weeks. He's on his fourth course of antibiotics for a throat infection and while he is well on them he gets very sick once the course is finished. He's got seven more days left on this course and I'm praying everything will go well this time...

I checked the blog today wondering if anybody is still looking even with the lack of recent posts and to my surprise I had a comment awaiting moderation. I always thought people stumbled upon this blog and moved on... Thank you Sarah!! You've made my day.

Anyway I wasn't even going to post this recipe but I had my brother and his family over for the weekend and when I cooked this dish for them he told me to put it up on the blog...

It's such a simple and easy recipe that it feels silly posting it. When they were over I didn't want to spend my time with them cooking in the kitchen. I cooked the meals that I normally cook during the week: easy, simple, cheap and child "friendly"...

Ingredients:

• 2 small chickens, around 1kg each (cleaned and ready to roast)
• 500g carrots, halved lengthways
• 500g parsnips, halved lengthways
• light olive oil
• 1/2 tblsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tblsp ground coriander
• 1kg frozen roasting potatoes (I buy Tesco everyday value, no gluten, just potatoes and oil)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Pour some oil on top of the chickens, add salt and pepper and rub with your hands all over until well mixed. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes in a big roasting tray. In the meantime put the carrots in simmering water for 10 minutes until they are just tender. Drain well and tip into a roasting tin. Add 2 tablespoons of light olive oil, cumin and coriander, plus plenty of seasoning, and toss together.
When the 45 minutes are up add the frozen roasting potatoes in the chicken tin and toss with the chicken juices. Put it back in the oven with the carrot and parsnip tin and bake everything for a further 45 minutes or until the chickens are cooked and the vegetables are starting to brown at the edges.
Serve with green beans or a salad.
.

www.meandmyibs2.blogspot.com