Low FODMAP Garlic Bread

I made this at Christmas time but forgot to post the recipie then.

Ingredients:
1 large Gluten free baguette
1/4 cup Garlic infused olive oil (I use colbram estate)
1/2 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Mixed herbs/Italian herbs

Method
1. Melt butter for 20-30 seconds in the microwave until it is somewhat pliable, but not until it is liquid.
2. Add the garlic infused olive oil and mix it well. 3. Add your herbs and mix thoroughly.
4. Cut baguette into thick slices and place on oven tray with alfoil under it.
5. Generously spread between each slice of bread.
Wrap the alfoil up and place in an oven at 180°C for 15 minutes or until crisp on the outside and soft in the centre.

Enjoy!!!

Cornflake Cookies

Makes approximately 24 Biscuits

Ingredients:
200g sugar
250g butter (or for dairy free/vegan use nuttlex)
5 cups of cornflakes (check that they are gluten free). You can use Kellogg's, Woolworths home brand, or freedom foods
2 no egg (egg replacement - I use Organ no egg)
300g of gluten free SR flour (I use Organ)
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Method:
1. In your thermal cooker blitz the sugar for 5 seconds on speed 5 to make caster sugar.
2. Add the butter and vanilla extract and mix on speed 4-5 for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides.
3. Add the no egg (4 teaspoons of the powder to 4 tablespoons of water) and mix on speed 4-5 for 30 seconds again.  Scrape down the sides again.
4. Add the flour and salt and mix for 45 seconds on speed 4-5 scraping the sides with the spatula as you go.
5. Once it is well mixed in add the cornflakes and mix on speed 1 for 10 seconds.  If it needs further mixing you may need to do it by hand so you don't crush the cornflakes.
6. Using a dessert spoon to portion the biscuits roll them into round flat balls in your hands and put on a tray lined with baking paper. (You will need 3 trays.)
7. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 minutes.
8. Allow to cool on the tray and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool and harden.

I hope you enjoy making this recipe like I did rediscovering it. :)

Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding

Recently I realised that I have not eaten chocolate pudding since before I had to go gluten free.

I wanted to rectify that, but didn't want a pudding for 20 people!!!

So I found a mug cake recipe, and as I do, changed it a lot!

Ingredients

Pudding:

3 tablespoons of GF SR flour
1.5 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of milk of choice (e.g. dairy, rice,  soy, nut)
1/2 teaspoon cocao or cocoa

Sauce:
1 tablespoon Brown sugar
1 teaspoon Cocao/cocoa
1.5 tablespoons Boiling water

Method:

1. In a mug measure your dry pudding ingredients.
2. Mix well with a fork to ensure that there are no pockets missing something or clumps of flour or sugar.
3. In a second container (I use another mug) mix the dry ingredients for the sauce. Mix them together well with the fork being extra sure to get all the lumps out of the brown sugar.
4. Add the milk to the pudding and mix well.
5. Smooth over the top.
6. Gently sprinkle the dry sauce ingredients over the top.
7. Add hot water to cover the top. If you run out of water and still have some of the pudding uncovered add a little more.
7. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute.  (If you have added extra water you may need an extra 30 seconds.)
8. Wait for it to cool a little before eating it.

It tastes beautiful with cream. (Or coconut vanilla ice cream if you are dairy free.)

Spaghetti Bolognese

I love low prep cooking if you hadn't guessed, which is partly why I make this dish most weeks.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 jars of Passata
2 Carrots
1 Capsicum
2-4 frozen serves of baby spinach
3 tablespoons of Mixed Italian herbs
15 Sun dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons of Olives
2/3 of a bunch of Spring onions (green tops only for low FODMAP)
Optional: 3 - 6 stalks of parsley

750g beef/lamb mince
Garlic infused olive oil
(If FODMAPs aren't an issue substitute for 2 cloves of garlic and blend in with the spring onion. Fry the mince in normal olive oil.)
Cheese

Spaghetti Squash/Pasta/Konjac

Method:

Blend spring onion and parsley (+/- garlic) for 20 seconds, speed 8, sharp blade.

Peel, wash and roughly chop the carrot.

Wash and cut out the head/stem of the capsicum.

Blend the carrot and capsicum speed 8, 15 seconds, sharp blade.

Add baby spinach, sundried tomato, olives and Italian herbs.

Cook on speed 2, reverse/ blunt blade/sharp blade (if you're like me and cannot be stuffed changing blades), for 20 minutes temp 90°.

Fry mince with olive oil and set aside.

Mix it into your sauce by hand

If you are making pasta I set it up and the put it on in the last ten minutes, so it doesn't stick or go gluggy.

Spaghetti Squash Method:
If you are using spaghetti squash keep in mind that cooking times can vary greatly. Depending on the size of it, cooking times have been from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, with the cut side facing down on the oven tray. Put into an oven set to 180°. Set a timer and check it in an hour. If it is soft on the outside when you press down with little resistance, it is cooked. If not, give it another 15-20 minutes before checking again. If it needs longer still put it back in until you hit the total time of 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Once it is cooked shred it with a fork so you get lovely strings.

If you go with the Konjac just follow the instructions on the packet and serve immediately.

Serve the spaghetti squash hot, and your sauce and of course cheese!

Enjoy!

Mint Jelly

I don't know about you, but I can never find gluten free mint sauce or mint jelly for Christmas. In the last few years I've made my own, which has been quite successful.

Ingredients:

375ml white wine vinegar
One gelatin sachet
125 ml boiling water
3/4 cup fresh mint about 3-4 sprigs from the garden
2 tsp caster sugar*

1 large sterile jar (big enough to hold 2.5 cups)

*If you are diabetic you can leave the sugar out.

Method

Assemble your items. Once you pour the boiling water you will need to move quickly.
Chop your mint finely. Once you are happy with the size I put the kettle on to boil with the minimum amount of water allowed, as you will be only using 1/2 a cup.
Have your gelatin sachet and caster sugar ready to go straight in!!!
Pour your boiling water into the heat proof mixing bowl and add the gelatin, stirring with a whisk until it is dissolved.
Add the caster sugar and mix in well.
Once that is dissolved add the finely chopped mint and and white wine vinegar.
Mix thoroughly and then pour into your glass jar.
Seal it and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

I hope you enjoy that. I find it very quick and easy to make. :)

Quinoa Porridge

This recipe is great for a Gluten Free porridge that is warming and yum and very healthy.

Ingredients:
150g Almonds (alternatively you could make a combination of other nuts such as walnuts, pecans or Brazil nuts*)
30g Flax seeds
80g sunflower seeds
100g pepitas
60g chia seeds

1 cup of quinoa flakes
Optional: 1 tablespoon of soy protein powder (this makes it more filling)

685g of fruit e.g. peeled banana (works out to about 1.1kg of unpeeled bananas), stewed or steamed apple and/or pear**, or tinned peaches (drained)

500mls of a non-dairy milk such as soy, almond or coconut milk.

Method:
Weigh in the nut and seed mix to your Bellini/Smith and Nobel/Kogan/Thermomix/Cheapomix/Povomix/Thermofake machine and blend for 30 seconds on speed 8. (For those without in-built scales put your jug on the scales, calibrate it then weigh your seeds and nuts.)

Scrape down the edges with a spatula.

Blend again for 30 seconds on speed 2.

Take 1 cup of the nut and seed mix to cook in this batch and set the rest aside.  Put that 1 cup back into the jug.

Add your cup of quinoa flakes to the thermo jug. Also add soy protein powder here if you are including it.

Peel and add your banana.

Blend on speed 7 for 20 seconds.

Add 2 cups of milk of choice (I currently use So good lite Soy milk because it is low FODMAP).

Cook on speed 2 at 100° for 20 minutes.

Once it's done it's ready to be eaten.

This can be stored in the fridge for a week and reheated in single serves. It's best eaten hot, with cold (soy) milk poured over it.

The left over seed and nut mix keeps well in the fridge for weeks, so next week you can skip the first few steps, or just eat it with yoghurt if the weather has warmed up again.

Special thanks to Kyra who was the master mind behind this recipe. I just tweaked it a little and measured it out.

*If you are on a low FODMAP diet remember that there are restrictions on the amounts of some nuts you can eat, so don't eat a lot if you are making it solely with Almonds. Walnuts, pecans and brazil nuts are the lower FODMAP nuts, but half size serves i.e. 10 almonds or 10 hazel nuts are okay.

**Careful on the fruit too if you are trying to make it low FODMAP as only banana is low FODMAP of the fruits suggested.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Recently I fell in love with rhubarb again. It is a lovely low FODMAP fruit and it pairs beautifully with other low FODMAP fruits, not just apple - which leaves me with nasty IBS symptoms for days.

My favourite is strawberries because I can sometimes get away with no added sugars because they are so sweet.

Having said that, they usually do need sugar so I use rice malt syrup.

Ingredients:

1 kg of hulled strawberries
750 g - 1kg of rhubarb
1/2 cup rice malt syrup
1/4 cup water

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 C.
Wash fruit thoroughly.
Trim and dice rhubarb into stalks about 2 inches long and ensure that you remove all the leaves.
Cut strawberries into quaters.
Place fruit in a deep oven safe dish (I use Pyrex glass dishes) ensuring that you have at least an inch clear as the fruit tends to bubble over when it is hot.
Melt rice malt syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Add rice malt syrup and water.
Cover the dish top in aluminium foil and put it in the oven.

Set a timer for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes is up check if the fruit is bubbling and falling apart a little. If it is take it out. Mix the fruit around so the top bits don't burn and then put it back in the oven WITHOUT the aluminium foil for another 30 minutes.

After the time is up remove it from the oven again and recheck. If the rhubarb is falling apart it is done. Turn the oven off and leave the fruit to cool for a while. Once it has cooled sufficiently you can try a little to ensure that it is sweet enough. If it isn't, add some more rice malt syrup.

Serve with custard and/or ice cream. Yum!

You can also turn it into a crumble or eat it with your soy yoghurt for breakfast.