I have cracked the gluten-free muffin recipe! Yes, seriously. These muffins were just as moist the day after and taste super delicious - that kind of delicious where you have to have another one. I have used yet another vegetable and I am convinced that these mashed vegetables are the key to success. Sweet potato was the lucky choice this time and it worked a treat. I have popped a rather delicious icing on top so those on a low FODMAP diet must only have one or maybe, at a push, two a day, or that fructose load will get too high. Speaking of which, I now have a low FODMAP page on this blog so those of you who get confused by this term can click on it and be enlightened. I was able to get this page up and to do a bunch of other things because I have had this last week off work. It has been a little bit of blissful heaven even though I have worked my butt off. The interesting issue is whether I would feel this way if this was a permanent situation or whether I feel this way because I … [Read more...] about Ginger & Potato Muffins – gluten-free & low FODMAP
Polenta Triangles and Tuna Salad – gluten-free and low FODMAP
On a low FODMAP diet, the choice of foods you can safely include in your recipes is limited and so it's necessary to use a little imagination when preparing meals or you will quickly become bored. So this dinner has the same good old staples of polenta, courgettes, tomatoes and fish but I have presented them differently on long plates as separate elements. This makes the food more appealing than the usual mash up of everything mixed together. This was an easy meal to create though I did make my own mayonnaise as it simply tastes so much better than anything you can buy ready-made. I am off work this week for a break and I am busy catching up on a million and one things related to this blog and to my writing. One of the things I did yesterday was to start a new Facebook page for my novels. I would love you to drop by and like the page to help it on it's way. You can find it here: Suzanne Perazzini - Author Polenta Triangles and Tuna Salad - gluten-free and low FODMAP Print … [Read more...] about Polenta Triangles and Tuna Salad – gluten-free and low FODMAP
Oatmeal Whoopie Pies – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
I don't need to do nearly as much baking at the moment with Adriano away so I only made these cookies this weekend and they were pretty simple. They are quite plain so I joined them together with a cream cheese mixture to keep them interesting. Last night, Dario stayed over at his girlfriend's house so I was alone at home which is a rare occurrence and one I am not used to. Every creak and crack of the house made me jump and I checked the doors more than once. It made me realise how vulnerable we are in our houses here in New Zealand. In Italy, where I lived for nine years, the doors have multiple locks and the windows have shutters which get shut at night and when you go out. Here, we lock up of course but our locks are often inadequate and our windows are easily broken. Most home invasions are because a window is left open or because someone opens the door to a stranger but that is not always the case. As a nation, we are not nearly as violent as many countries but we are not … [Read more...] about Oatmeal Whoopie Pies – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
Bacon and Tomato Pizza – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
I know this pizza looks good and the toppings are great but the base once again did not live up to the hype on the blog where I found it. I imagine the recipe worked for that blogger but there are too many variables for it to work for another cook. I will take the blame because I did replace millet flour with buckwheat flour. I don't really know millet flour because I have never used it so maybe buckwheat flour was not a good substitute. Anyway, despite using yeast, the dough was stodgy and tasted bad. I still love this gluten-free pizza base I made a little while ago so I should just stop trying different ones. So, sorry but there is no recipe today. However, I had taken the photos before I realised how bad it was so I thought I would post about it anyway to show you that we all fail in our quest for great food. The toppings were tomato, mozzarella, bacon and toasted pine nuts and they tasted good. At least we had something to eat. Fortunately, Adriano is not here or he would have … [Read more...] about Bacon and Tomato Pizza – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
Salmon & Courgette Stacks – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
Adriano got an upgrade to business class for most of his flight to Italy, a new prince has been born, our capital - Wellington - is shaken to the core by quakes and this is day two of being at work without my boss or co-worker and I am as busy as ever and have had a headache all day. Good and bad things happen and life goes on. It's probably the sore head that is making me feel philosophical. And now the question is - will a glass of wine help or worsen the situation? I am sure my headache is from tight neck muscles and wine is a muscle relaxant so wine it is. The recipe tonight has no specific ingredient amounts because it's not really necessary to be precise. I have a special fondness for stacked food. Like with tarts and layered sweet treats, it is that visual thing - stacks look pretty. I love polenta as a base because it is FODMAP friendly and cuts out beautifully to form any shape you want. I then fried up a few courgettes and added some cream cheese I had in the fridge which … [Read more...] about Salmon & Courgette Stacks – gluten-free & Low FODMAP
Trifle Cakes – gluten-free and low FODMAP
The recipe for these cakes have been rumbling about in my head for a while. You all know I love tarts but layered goodies come in a very close second because of their visual beauty and the delicious burst of flavours that mingle in the mouth. However, I think it's important to keep those flavours in a family so to speak so there's not too much confusion. My trifle cakes are based around citrus fruits which are great for those of us who need to be on a low FODMAP diet because of their low fructose content. I kept all the elements of a trifle - the sponge layer, the custard, the jelly, the fruit but I changed the cream into a marshmallow layer so the cakes would stay together and behave themselves. These sorts of cakes take a while to prepare but each of these layers was pretty simple so it was possible to multi-task and get a couple done at once - the base and the custard. Then while the custard is setting, the jelly can be made and cooled. These layers actually set pretty quickly … [Read more...] about Trifle Cakes – gluten-free and low FODMAP
