Thursday 28 April 2016


To those who know me, I adore pesto. I could quite literally eat the stuff out of a jar with a spoon - tasty but not especially healthy nor good for me (hello FODMAPs). I've experimented making a low FODMAP pesto before (see my vegan and (nearly) FODMAP pesto here) which was exceptionally yummy and full of goodness but with a bag of kale in the fridge soon to perish and a rumbling tummy (that couldn't bare the thought of slaving over the hob for hours on end) I needed something quick, something fab, and something filling.

Bring on the kale pesto.

I did have an idea to throw some avocado into the mix since it would act as an excellent base (think of all those good, healthy fats!) but since avocados contain polyols (a FODMAP) then we're told to restrict our consumption - at least in the elimination stage anyway (off the top of my head you're 'allowed' 1/8th of an avocado per serving to keep it low FODMAP). With this in mind, and the fact that I'm avo-solutely addicted to avocado, I decided to omit avo and keep it kaley and totally within my limits.

You will need...

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts (30g)
  • 2 loose cups of kale (about 30g)
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil (2 tbsp of which has been infused with garlic)
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan (try nutritional yeast if you're vegan)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Handful of chive and parsley
  • Plenty of salt and pepper (to taste)
Blitz everything bar the lemon and salt/pepper until it, well, looks like pesto. Add your lemon juice, blitz, and taste. Add your salt and pepper depending on how much you like...



Just look at that colour! All natural, no filter, no editing, just green goodness.



I served mine with some gluten free spaghetti but I'd love to try it with my edamame spaghetti once I know that edamame is a safe food for me. Whilst the spaghetti is cooking throw in a handful of kale and some peas, drain once cooked, mix in your pesto (I made 3 servings from the above recipe), and serve. It's as simple as that.

From fridge to plate in about 20 minutes.

Enjoy...! ♡


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Monday 18 April 2016



Saying I love breakfast is an understatement... I absolutely adore it. It sets you up for the day ahead, all of those nutrients and vitamins breaking your fast from the night before. With our hectic lifestyles, breakfast is often overlooked. As a student I regularly skipped it. My brain just didn't function as I hoped it would, I'd feel tired and dependent on a regular supply of coffee, and then when I did eventually eat my blood sugar would spike so much and I'd end up on a temporary high and experience a pretty long crash. Great hey?

So. Breakfast IS important. Really important. After a night of rest, our blood sugar levels that our body need to function (brains and muscles!) are usually low so you need a nutritious and filling brekkie to really get you going. Even if you just grab a banana and a handful of nuts as you're running out of the house you'll be doing yourself some favours.

Put down the refined sugar ridden Poptarts and seemingly healthy cereals (the amount of sugar in those things is astronomical!) and have a go at making something that you can whip up on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy all week... such as my baked carrot cake oats. A fabulous concoction of oats, plant based milk, carrots and spices that taste wonderful all week long.



Ingredients

  • 2 cups of oats
  • 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (I use Alpro)
  • 2 tsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup grated carrot (approx. 1 medium carrot)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Method
Add your oats, almond milk (or any other dairy free milk!), and chia seeds to a bowl. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I left mine for an hour).

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Grab your bowl out of the fridge - most of the liquid should've been absorbed - and add your carrots and other dry ingredients.

Mix well and add your maple syrup (add as little or as much as you'd like. I'm not a fan of super sweet things so I found 2 tbsp to be perfectly ok).

Grab your Pyrex dish and grease well with a little melted coconut oil. I used one that's about 8x8 inch.

Flatten your mixture down and sprinkle generously with nuts and seeds of your choice. I used a combination of chopped almonds and pumpkin seeds.

Bake in the centre of your oven for 30-35 minutes. Bake longer if you'd rather have a less-soggy middle but otherwise it's all up to personal preference.

Now you need to portion them. I wasn't having mine straight away so I left to cool completely and then split into 6 portions. If you're planning on eating straight away I'd suggest leaving to cool for 10 minutes and spooning out your desired amount.



Enjoy! ♡
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Wednesday 6 April 2016

With the weather starting to warm and the blue skies starting to show (I swear this is happening in other places other than rainy Warrington, I'm still holding out for spring to appear for more than a few hours), what can be more perfect than sitting outside tucking into some delicious grub with a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc (Malborough Estate please, New Zealand), serenaded by the late afternoon birds...

Idyllic right? 

Before I slip into a full-blown poetic dream about how perfect spring and summer can be with your loved ones near and food on the table (the best way to my heart is good food - fact), I'm going to say that when I ventured into the FODMAP elimination phase I thought - "that's it, my social life is over, I'm never going to be able to go out and enjoy the naughtier things in life - goodbye wine, goodbye beer, goodbye life". I can see you grabbing your little violin between your fingers.

Alcohol is naturally a gut irritant as I'm sure I don't need to explain to you. Take home message? If you suffer from IBS or other related issues then a simple change to make would just be to just avoid the stuff outright. Don't get me wrong, I don't need alcohol to have a good time but sometimes - just sometimes - I enjoy a tipple with the friends or mothership, particularly when said good weather hits and said Sav Blanc has been chilling all day. To keep tummies happy, maybe it'd be best to just restrict yourself to one glass (no more than two glasses) of the nectar and keep it dry, too.

So, weather and wine aside (intermittent sunshine doesn't call for lazy afternoons in the garden and I don't have any Sav, just a Rioja that for some reason I can't stomach at the moment), how about we just settle for some truly tummy-friendly, low-FODMAP, vegetarian quiche?



First make your pastry, if you aren't following a FODMAP diet - great - feel free to use your favourite shortcrust recipe. Since we are officially wheat free (far easier to just say I'm avoiding gluten!) we decided to use the shortcrust recipe on the back of the pack of Doves Farm packet.

Whilst chilling (about 30 minutes) proceed to make your filling and preheat your oven to 180C.

  • 150g grated Lancashire cheese
  • 6 medium free-range eggs
  • 300ml (lactofree) milk
  • Handful of chives, chopped
  • 4 greens of the spring onions, chopped
  • Salt/white pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients together - season well.

Line your quiche dish (we used a 24cm fluted quiche tin with a loose bottom) with some butter.

Roll out your pastry. If using the GF pastry it will be a bit crumbly and hard to work with. Roll to about 5mm thick and don't worry if it tears when adding to your quiche dish - ours did and we just patched it up (shh, don't tell Mary Berry)

Prick the base, line with parchment and baking beans, and blind bake for 15/20 minutes

Just to make sure it was sealed we did an egg-yolk wash and bake for a further 5 minutes (without the parchment this time)

Carefully fill the baked base with the filling and bake until set (about 20 minutes) then take out and top with sliced cherry tomatoes and a few slices of brie (optional, we had some left over and I can't stand waste) and bake for a further 10 or so minutes until the brie is melted. 

Remove from oven and leave to stand to cool a little. Remove from the dish. Serve and enjoy!

(Psst. It also tastes so much better the next day)




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Monday 4 April 2016

Sunday is supposed to be the day of rest, right? Not in my house. Sunday is characteristically spent doing all of the little odds and ends that Saturday just didn't produce.... Namely the cooked goods. I wholeheartedly take part in what I call 'Domestic Sundays', I break away from the mould and ensure my Sunday is as productive as can be. Face it, the following day is *whispers* Monday (terrible word - I know - and today feels like it has been the slowest Monday on record) and nothing gets me ready for the bustling week ahead than getting my life together on that last day. What better way to attack the day than to rise and shine, coffee at hand, and a bowl (I told you I'm obsessed with bowls lately) of some truly nourishing and filling grub.

I absolutely adore baked eggs. I remember chowing down to two delicious dishes - one with a creamy base and the other a tomato base - at a little cafe in Hobart, Tasmania called Raspberry Fool. I've recreated them both a number of times (and they were utterly delicious) but now I'm an officially FODMAPer (started the strict elimination diet on 02/04/2016) I definitely won't be indulging in a) cream or b) the onion and garlic filled tomato one. What a pity.

Yesterday, to prep myself for the busy day again, I rustled up a hearty bowl of baked eggs teaming with goodness, protein, and a good kick of chilli and paprika. Guess what? No onion/garlic in sight...

Baked eggs: FODMAP edition.



· 1 tbsp of garlic infused oil
· 2 spring onions (green only)
· 1 leek (green only)
· 1 can of tomato (plus ¼ of the can with water)
· 5 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
· ½ of a red pepper, chopped (1cm chunks)
· Small bunch of basil and parsley, finely chopped
· 1 tsp paprika
· 1 tsp chilli powder
· 4 medium free-range eggs
· Plenty of salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the spring onions and leeks, add the chopped red pepper and halved tomatoes and cook until softened.

Add the can of tomatoes and fill the can with some water to create some extra juice (make sure your tomatoes are just plain old tomatoes, no added onion or garlic)

Add your chilli and paprika and stir well, throw in the chopped herbs and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes on a medium light to let it thicken.

Make four little wells in the sauce (if you can – I failed miserably here) and crack in your four eggs. Simmer for a little while on the hob and either add a lid (if your pan has one) or throw in the oven until your eggs finish cooking. The whites should be cooked but your yolk still runny. Mine ended up a little on the hard side so this is all going to be a bit of an experiment with timing...



I served mine with some chopped chives and half of a gluten-free pitta bread.



Enjoy! ♡
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Friday 1 April 2016

If there's one thing I've learnt recently it's that everything (and I seriously mean everything) tastes better in a bowl. I don't know why, I mean I can hardly pluck some scientific fact to evidence this but you'll just have to trust me. I think there's something so comforting about huddling around a bowl and nomming away as you tuck into your favourite comfort grub.

Maybe it's that hit of nostalgia hey? Those childhood memories of digging around in the garden collecting bugs and getting covered in soil before running in to a bowl of your grandmother's homemade soup, crusty bread, and what seems like half a block of butter. Ok. Maybe I'm on my own there for the first bit (I didn't exactly conform to society's 'little girl' image and my love of nature started young) but I'm sure we can all resonate with the sheer home comfort associated with freshly made soup.

Now, soup's chilly cousin - the smoothie - has been flooding instagram by storm. No longer in a glass or drank with a straw, the slightly thicker aptly named 'smoothie bowl' is a treat and jam packed full of nutrients and yumminess that makes this breakfast bowl a true treat.



Now doesn't it look pretty?

This one was rustled up in a matter of minutes, it can of course be made with whatever you'd like but here's mine...

......PB and banana smoothie bowl.......

[Gluten/wheat free // Dairy free // Vegan // Fodmap friendly]

Blitz together the following ingredients:

  • 1/2 frozen banana
  • 2 tsp peanut butter (I use Meridian as it's just pure peanut - no sugar, salt, or added palm oil)
  • 10 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (Alpro here!)
  • A small handful of oats.


Add more liquid/oats to get your desired consistency.

Add to a bowl and add your toppings. I used chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and a few almonds.

Enjoy - - - ♡
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