The Kitchen: Tomato, asparagus, and potato pie......

I have a confession to make, I'm a lazy cook. Yes, I occasionally get the bug where all I want to do is make these intricate little creations and watch the smiles appear on my loved ones faces (or maybe they're wincing and reaching for the bucket, who knows), experiment with these wild and wonderful creations and thank my Mother for her creative trait. Most of the time (like, 90% of the time) I would settle for quick, easy, cheap, and cheerful - minimal washing up please!

Bring on the potato pie!

I was craving something easy to rustle together on Sunday as part of my food prep. I'll admit, this week we were a little slack on the food prep side of things. We managed to slow roast a chicken and rustle up a few bits and bobs alongside this creation, but otherwise it was relaxed. In fact, I think we spent most of the day tidying up and then celebrating over a booked holiday (I'm heading to Turkey in 3 weeks). It was getting a little late in the day to be cooking for the week but I'd already got my pen and paper out and minimal ingredients out on the side and I needed to just give it a go! 

This is a recipe suitable for the low FODMAP diet if you're out of the elimination stage. It's wheat free, lactose free, and relatively FODMAP free too... Just watch out for asparagus! I tolerate it well (thankfully - I love the stuff) but it contains moderate levels of fructans. Some sources say avoid completely, some say <3 spears are low FODMAP but use your own judgement here and omit if unsure.

Ingredients

300g Maris Piper Potatoes - grated with liquid squeezed out (so approx. 250g grated potato)
 4 medium eggs (50g each)
 100ml milk (I used semi skimmed Lactofree)
 2 spears of asparagus (woody ends removed and thinly sliced / peeled)
 1 sliced tomato (100g)
 About 5g melted butter to grease your dish
 Plenty of salt and pepper to taste

Method
 1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
 2. Grease your pie/small quiche dish.
 3. Whisk together eggs and milk.
 4. Layer half of your grated potato on the bottom, season well, and add your peeled asparagus.
 5. Pour over half of your egg/milk mixture.
 6. Layer the remainder of the potato, season, and press down. Add the rest of your liquid mixture.
 7. Pop into the centre of your preheated oven and bake for between 45 mins to 1 hour until golden brown and fully set.

Enjoy!

Serves 3.
Calories per serving: 309 || Carbs: 33 (3g sugar) || Fat: 17 || Protein: 13

Portion it up when cool and add a side salad for a perfect lunch.

 

On a side note (and completely unrelated as per), it's been lovely these past few days (ok - intermittently lovely). Since I've been upping my fitness levels (and dying thanks to day one of the pre-training week of BBG - yes, day one!) I thought I should make the most of this beautiful afternoon and go for a little walk after work. A quick pootle around the block turned into a 3.3 mile wander past the fields and farms near me, but isn't it beautiful?!

Little Fish, xo

wheat free

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The Kitchen: Low FODMAP kale pesto

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...! ♡

wheat free

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The Kitchen: Baked carrot cake oats (gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free)

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! ♡

wheat free

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LittleFishFood // a simple quiche for happy tummies

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)

wheat free

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LittleFishFood: How do you like your eggs in the morning? [Low FODMAP baked eggs]

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! ♡

wheat free

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LittleFishFood // Smoothie bowl lovin'.....

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 - - - ♡

wheat free

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Little Fish Food || Nearly-FODMAP vegan-friendly pesto.

During my university years (and oh how long ago that feels now...) one of my firm staples that fitted the student budget was pesto and pasta. I absolutely adore pesto, the garlic-basil-pinenut-cheese combo was heavenly, and although I knew back then that pasta didn’t do me much good the alternatives were too expensive and the now-popular vegetable based ‘pastas’ weren’t really around for the regular folk like me...

Since tweaking my diet somewhat to cut out the nasties and reduce those FODMAPS, I can no longer divulge in a massive plate of the stuff. I thought I was waving goodbye to those happy memories and quick fixes (although gratefully accepting a happier tummy!) until I stumbled across low-FODMAP pesto from Sarah’s blog - A Saucy Kitchen - and her instagram (check her out @asaucykitchen).

Now, I had to make a fair few adjustments since my pine-nut supply had diminished somewhat and I needed something to make the flavour pop a little but I think it really worked and I’d love to share it. Just a quick note that technically cashew nuts are high on the FODMAP scale hence the 'nearly-FODMAP' status (heartbreaking I know, I do love them) but this recipe only uses 1/3 of a cup so there’s only a small amount per serving. You know your body better than I do (and you’ll know whether you can tolerate cashews)! 

I also didn't use any parmesan so this recipe is vegan friendly though you could easily add this as per the original recipe, just make sure you add this in before any addition of salt because the cheese will add a natural saltiness anyway.

This recipe makes about 4 servings depending on how much pesto you like. I mixed this with coodles (courgette noodles, how cute!) but this would work perfectly well with your favourite pasta or spaghetti (whether you're gluten-free or not!)

The ingredients:

• 1 cup (approx. 50g) chopped chives
• 2 cups of loosely packed basil
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of cashews (or pine nuts if you have them)
• A good squeeze of lemon (to taste, I used about 1/2 lemon)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Natural vibrancy!

The how to...

• Throw the basil and chives into your blender (I just used a stick blender with a mini-chopper attachment but any should work fine here). Don't add the EVOO, lemon juice, and salt and pepper just yet.
• Whiz it together and slowly add the EVOO, mixing after each trickle to help emulsify it.
• Once all of the oil is added and your mixture resembles pesto (like the photo above!) add your lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste!

Delicious, simple, and perfect for a weeknight.

Little fish, xo

vegan friendly

2

Little Fish Food || FODMAPs & sweet potato brownies...

For someone who doesn't particularly have a sweet tooth I do an awful lot of baking. I'm certainly no contender for the Great British Bake Off, as much as I'd love to be, but my love of baking stemmed from those baking sessions with my Gran when I was little. Yes, most of the time my only contribution was clearing up (licking the bowl) and taste testing, but once I left home for university and when my Gran was poorly, the list of ‘to bakes’ grew as I was left to bring round the sweet treats that she could no longer bake...

There’s something about baking that makes it so cathartic. From gathering up the ingredients, to the gentle hum of the oven, to the smiles on the faces of the ones you love as they stuff their faces (only to complain later when the jeans get a little tight - oops).

Whilst I still love to bake a delicious sweet treat, I’m finding myself spending less and less in the kitchen and more time browsing Pinterest for recipe alternatives. I love the odd cake or two (I am still more of a savoury bird mind!) but too much sugar brings on migraines, too much wheat brings on IBS, too many sinfully good treats and my body literally breaks down.

I’ve recently been educating myself about FODMAPs and the effect that these carbohydrates have on the body or more so the effect they have on your gut. A lot of people with gastro related issues (I’m looking at you IBS, you might be a doctor’s favourite diagnosis but you aren’t winning this time) seem to find an awful lot of relief of cutting various things out of their diet... Wheat (not strictly gluten - I’m not talking about coeliacs here) and lactose being the two main culprits!

So what are FODMAPs? FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) are basically carbohydrates that are found in foods. I’m not about to start a war on carbs here because they’re not all that bad - they have their uses for example - but unfortunately for some people, FODMAPs are poorly absorbed by some people and can cause the myriad of symptoms a la IBS. Wonderful hey?

I’m no dietician, goodness, so I’m not about to start spouting off advice on what you can and cannot eat, I will however be documenting my journey through reducing those dreaded FODMAPs and seeing how my physical and mental well being improves.

So, where were we? Ah, I was talking about baking.

As mentioned, one of the main culprits and a definite FODMAP no-no is wheat, so now is the time to put down those conventional wheat-ridden bakes and start exploring more wheat and gluten free options... That is where I present to you my FODMAP friendly, wheat/gluten-free, nut free, dairy free (remember lactose is largely a no-no too!), guilt free sweet potato brownies. I’ve used my lovely work colleagues as guinea pigs and all of the feedback was positive! Some preferred the traditional gooey, delicious, sugar-laden brownies that we all know and love but for us tender tummies who just can’t cope with more than a crumb I know where my vote sits...

Wet ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, roasted, then skin removed.
5 dates
3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2.5 tbsp pure maple syrup (or honey if you wish)
2 medium eggs (or if vegan, you could easily replaces these with flax eggs)

Dry ingredients:
3 tbsp coconut flour (also works with oat flour)
3 tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

This is a really simple recipe. Seriously, it's a case of blitzing all of the wet ingredients together (I use my Nutribullet). Then, I pour the mixture into the sifted dry ingredients, mix, and pour into a lined 8x8 tin. If the mixture is too stiff, add some liquid - almond milk (or normal milk if you're not going for dairy free).

Pop in a preheated oven (175C), middle shelf, for 25-35 minutes... and voila!

You can cut this into how ever many chunks you would like. I cut mine into 20 bite-sized portions which are perfect if you fancy a bittersweet pop of cocoa that you know isn't going to hurt you! I used the trusty MyFitnessPal app to calculate the nutritional information if you so wish to have a look (per piece)...

Most of the ingredients listed above are totally fine for a low-FODMAP diet, thank you to IBSdiets.org and LowFodmapForLife for the information. There are a few ingredients that are on the post however as below, but here's why I’m still using them:

Sweet potato - Whilst sweet potato is classed as a low-FODMAP food, eating it in excess may cause adverse conditions. Most sources advise eating no more than 1/2 a cup a day (about 3 tbsp). One large sweet potato is used in the whole recipe, meaning that per bite you’re only consuming 1/20th of a sweet potato.

Dates - Dates are considered a high-FODMAP food due to the levels of fructose. This recipe does only use 5 dates (for 20 servings) so the effect on total fructose levels should only be minimal.

Maple syrup - Pure maple syrup is a fantastic low-FODMAP option for adding a little sweetness to your food. Honey is unfortunately a no-go due to the fructose levels so keep in mind... Watch out for the cheaper maple syrups that are more ‘maple syrup flavouring’ if anything, these contain plenty of nasties...

Coconut flour - This one is a funny one and it’s all down to personal preference. Some people react to it, others don’t! The good thing about coconut flour is that many recipes (including this one!) only call for small amounts. I’ve made these brownies before using ground up oats which were an excellent alternative and a definite low-FODMAP option.

With love, Little Fish x

sweet potato brownies

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