What you need: Fish of your choice (I had a mixed bag of salmon, haddock and smoked haddock – diced), Gluten free breadcrumbs, gram flour, coriander (or other favourite spice/herb), vegetable oil, a lemon and salt & pepper.

The main challenge was to make a mixture that would stick the breadcrumbs to the fish.

• In a small bowl I mixed a tablespoon of gram flour with a a pinch of coriander, salt and pepper. Then added a squeeze of lemon and a drop of water to get a slightly thick liquid.
• Coat your pieces of fish in the mixture and leave to one side.
• In a large wok heat enough oil to allow a 1 inch covering on the pan (kind of semi deep frying)
• Add a few tablespoons of the breadcrumbs to  plate
• Roll the coated fish one piece at a time in the breadcrumbs to coat them
• When the oil is ready fry the breaded fish gently a few pieces at a time in the pan, turning and browning on both sides.
• Once ready remove the fish from the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
• That’s it the fish is ready to serve.

I enjoyed my Gluten Free Breaded Fish, with peas, mash potato and a big squeeze of lemon. They went down a treat with me and my partner Phil loved them.

Gluten Free Bread Mix Ingredients

Wholemeal rice flour*, corn flour*, wholemeal corn flour*, quinoa sourdough* (quinoa flour*, rice flour*), sunflower kernels*, flaxseed*, carob bean gum*, sesame seeds*, sea salt, baking powder (rasing agent (sodium bicarbonate, cream of tartar), corn flour*), xanthan gum*.

To make the bread I simply added water to the mix, and also a glug of olive oil and placed in a pre heated oven for 60 mins until the bread was brown and crispy.

NB. As recommend by Hale & Hearty I placed an overproof bowl of boiling water in the bottom of the oven while baking the bread.

The bread had a great texture and taste too, great warm from the oven with you favourite dairy free spread, also worked really well toasted.

Buy from Goodness Direct for 3.29, also Waitrose, some Asda branches and Planet organic (see stockists)

Having something that actually looked at tasted like bread was a real treat, so give Hale & Heart gluten free bread mix a try.

All I can say is wow I love them and since reading about them I love them even more.

All their products are…“Lovingly handmade, Baked not fried, Gluten free, dairy-free, guilt free, Hand-made to traditional recipes, No Artificial or Refined Ingredients Suitable for Vegans and Supporting small organic farms holdings in India.”

Conscious Food, based in Mumbai, is one of the leading organic food companies in India. Over the last ten years they have developed and nurtured relationships with numerous small organic farms and communities throughout the subcontinent, ensuring a high level of quality and fair trade. Several of the farms are part of organic collectives which directly benefit the community as a whole through supporting schools for the poor, women’s rights, animal welfare, etc.

Conscious Food is an Indian company that has pioneered organic farming and food in India since 1992. It was set up by Kavita Mukhi because her son had a number of allergies and healthy unrefined ingredients were hard to come by.

Conscious Food in India has spent several years developing and nurturing relationships with small organic farms and communities throughout the subcontinent, ensuring a high level of quality and fair trade. Several of the farms are part of organic collectives which benefit the community as a whole through supporting schools for the poor, women’s rights, animal welfare, etc. Conscious Food (UK) Ltd in the UK is a partnership with the Indian company and its objective is to market and distribute all Conscious Food products in Europe.

In 2006 Kristina Locke discovered Conscious Food’s range of snacks whilst on a trip to India and was so impressed to find healthy gluten and dairy free nibbles that tasted good that she brought them to Europe for us all to enjoy over here.

Such a fantastic product with a great story. I loved my first taste of Conscious Food crackers they are really delicate and totally tasty, such a treat to have something alternative to oat cakes with my houmous, so if you see them give them a try (list of stockists).

“I’ve recently been diagnosed with various food allergies and intolerance’s. During my research I found your website and I’d just like to say what a relief it is to meet other people who have a similar situation as myself.

The foods I am highly intolerant to include: yeast, wheat, all dairy products (including egg), sugar, all alcohol and all E numbers, to name but a few.

I also have environmental allergens including: all pollens, pollutants, sodium lauryl sulphate, to name but a few.

I was diagnosed this Saturday just gone, using an unusual method of testing (see: http://www.allergytest-london.co.uk/).

It seems very over-whelming as it’s both food and environmental allergens which I need to avoid. Being at university it is going to be a huge change on my lifestyle.

I was interested if you had any recipes which were quick – aka on the go so to speak? Also do you have any more information on Candida as I read on your website that you thought that you had that condition? Finally, I’m going to Tenerife on a fieldtrip mid-June, I’ve read your article about travelling abroad and it was very interesting. I just wanted to know what foods can you take abroad? and if you have been to either Tenerife or Spain, did you find any supermarkets which catered for your needs?

Thanks for making such a fantastic website, I intend to make your yeast, wheat, gluten and dairy free bread during the week (see Yeast Free Bread Recipe)!”

Newly Diagnosed Food Intolerance’s Advice

So from a foodie point of view your challenge is to avoid dairy, eggs, yeast, wheat and sugar (inc alcohol).

I have very similar food intolerance’s to you – dairy, eggs, yeast, gluten, sugar, some oily fish and cashew nuts – so I understand the challenges you face.

I would be really interested to hear more about why you decided to have a Food Intolerance Test e.g what symptoms led you to going in this direction and also more details regarding the tests that you had done. (On the Candida I will come back to you about this in separate message as it can make things a little more complex. I would be interested to hear about your journey a bit more which will then help me give you more details regarding my experiences.)

There are lots of recipes and articles on getting started on Fussy Foodie including a recent one I think you will find really beneficial: Multiple Food Intolerance Advise and also Food intolerance on holiday

Travelling with Food Intolerance

Travelling with food intolerances can be a real challenge especially when on a long haul flight as you will need to pack extra food. Airlines can cater for certain foodie requirements but the challenge of certain food intolerances makes it pretty impossible for them. Airlines however do have a couple of options you could take e.g

• Vegan which will be dairy free (see Vegan Diet Explained)
• Coeliac, therefore wheat free but you might find you have dairy in the meal.

With the airline meals I normally plump for vegan and then wing it a little as the coeliac options are often loaded with sugar and egg. Alternately, just go for the normal and see what there is available as there is normally a potato and vegetable option, however be careful as there might be a few things added that you don’t know about, so always pack a few snacks in your hand luggage just in case. The best solution is to eat before you get on the plane – Pret A Manage have stores in a few airports now and they have a few salad options that are great, including the No Salad Dressing and other tasty alternatives.

When travelling be flexible

I am a bit of a 100% er when it comes to my food intolerances, so plan ahead with lots of snacks e.g nuts and oat cakes, and take every opportunity to eat as food I can eat is not always on the menu.  Also most of the time we travel self catering – as the need to have variety and cook for yourself when on a restricted diet comes apparent after a few days.

The great news is Spain especially has loads of options and I have been to both Spain and Maderia recently and found a huge variety of products e.g soya milk, Gluten Free Pasta etc – enough options to keep me going. One good thing to pack is your cereal and a carton of soya long life milk (in your checked in bag) just in case, but most European countries I have been to have soya milk you just need to find a big supermarket.

Spanish food is very tomato and potato based and they tend to cook with olive oil and not butter which makes things a little easier.

In summary – pack lots of  snacks and eat when you can – and also take a list of food words e.g Dairy Free, Wheat Free, Yeast Free, No added sugar etc – this is really important if eating out and sometimes the only way to know if something is OK  for you is to ask.

Quick Recipes for Food Intolerance

I love cooking and previously had a pretty healthy diet which has always made things a little easier for me moving to a Free From way of life. The real challenge with this change of lifestyle is to see it as a positive and really embrace it, the negativaty that might come will only make the process harder. Keep checking to see if what you are doing is working for you – this isn’t an exact science and over and above everything its important to keep a balanced and healthy diet.

Keep it simple and health – lots of spices and herbs for added flavour.

Gluten Free Paste - with herbs, fresh peas, seeds and olive oil

Gluten Free Sausage with Lentils

1. Gluten Free Pasta – love this with Vegan Pesto, carrot and seeds (random I know) | tuna, olive oil, herbs and lemon | Gluten Free Sausages and ragu style sauce (home made – 5 mins to make)
2. Jacket potato – I have a new love for potatoes, after avoiding them for years, I have come to love them. So simple pop them in the oven and an hour or so later crispy heaven – dollop of  Dairy Free Spread, Tomato Pesto and some salad – delicious.
3. Summer salads got to love them – get in some frozen prawns – much cheaper frozen and fast to defrost for a quick meal – prawn salad with avocado is fantastic – and really filling too.
4. Soups – Making up a batch of soup is a great way to get efficient meals – give this recipe a try (see Spicy Squash Soup)- takes a bit more work that usual but its AAAmazing
5. Stews loaded with beans – Pick a weekend and cook a few stews – great for re heating and simple to make. I am into Moroccan stews at the moment  – next time I make one I will post a recipe for you to try.
6. Corn Wraps – Not a recipe but you can make lots with them – fellow Fussy Foodie Claire’s favourite – always takes a packet when away from home.
7. Fish Fish Fish – you gotta love fish – some fresh fish – squeeze of lemon with a few herbies under the grill – done. Load up with some salad or veggies and potatoes.
8. Platter- plate of your favourites things – houmous, guacamole, oat cakes,  Corn Thins, carrot / pepper/ cucumber sticks for dipping, maybe some ham (check for added extras), few mixed seeds – delicious.

Mini platter on the move

Few more recipe ideas and ingredients to get you started:

Sophie I hope this give you some ideas – let us know how you get on with your Newly Diagnosed Food Intolerances.

“The Raw Banoffee Pie is a delicious vegan dessert that is indulgent and decadent. Made with fresh bananas, a Rapadura ‘cane juice’ caramel sauce, freshly blended cashew cream and a raw chocolate topping this dessert has to be tried to be believed. 100g – £2.00 each”

This Raw Banoffee Pie is vegan raw banana heaven.

It’s a big treat for me as I don’t have sugar in my diet and this has a bnit of “Rapadura Sugar”… Rapadura is an unrefined sugar prized for its unique caramel flavor and fine grain texture. This deliciously pure sugar retains a nutritional value because – unlike other sugars – it is not separated from the molasses stream during squeeze-dried processing.

The Living Food Kitchen has many other raw dessert options (sugar free). You can sample the Raw Banoffee Pie and other flavours at Planet Organic.

Banana Free From Muffins (6 muffins):

• 8oz Gluten free flour – I used 4oz Rice Flour, 4oz Gram Flour
• 2 1/2 tsps Gluten free baking powder
• 1 large bannana
• 2 tbsps Ground Almonds 
• 1 tbsps Agave Nectar (2 big squeezes)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Xanthum Gum
• 1/2 pint Rice Milk ( I used Vanilla Rice Milk)
• 3 tbsps Water

Free From Muffins Recipe:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (Gas mark 6). Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the ground almonds, xanthum gum and Agave Nectar.

Measure out the rice milk and add at once to the flour mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. (I mixed mine in a food processor for speed)

Pour the free from muffin mixture into special silicone muffin cases or greased muffin / fairy cake tins then bake in the over for 15 – 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the muffins for a few minutes to cool, then pop them out of the tin or cases.

These free from muffins are wheat, dairy, sugar, egg and soya free and they prove that with a bit of know how about the products available to people with food intolerances, we too can eat foods that we love and enjoy.

PS. I love my “Lakeland Silicone Cupcake Moulds” a must have for Fussy Foodies as free from backing does have a tendancy to stick.

Try them warm with an afternoon hot lemon to brighten up a winters day. We would love to hear you Free From Muffin ideas – I an thinking next time I might try a carrot version.

“The UK Food Standards Agency permits the labeling of gluten free oats falling below 20ppm. Ours are certifed gluten free and ELISA tested below 5ppm. This product is licensed by Coeliac UK.

Conventional oat companies do little to prevent the cross-contamination of oats when planting, harvesting, transporting, milling and processing.

Our oats are tested 10 times between planting and harvest to assure seed purity, and then again before they are sealed and packed.“ says Hale & Hearty

I am a big porridge fan but I am quiet fussy how I like my porridge and normally go for quiet a chunky rolled oat something like
Jordans Porridge Oats (not Coeliac tested). Well I have to say I liked them, it has a more porridgy texture than a rolled oat and also quicker to  cook and have what I can only describe as a really clean taste.

Are oats gluten free?

Current medical literature states that most coeliacs can safely eat moderate amounts of uncontaminated oats… more advice on are oats gluten free?

You can buy the gluten free porridge oats from Hale and Heart in Waitrose and online and instore at Planet Organic – love to know what you think too.

Booja Booja Truffles

Raw Booja Booja Truffles ingreidents: Chocolate, (100% cocao solids raw), agave nectar, water from reverse osmosis, raspberry (4%) freeze dried, cocao powder.

Being low Gi, sugar free, dairy free, gluten free, soya free these raw Booja Booja truffles are a Fussy Foodie dream treat – if you give them a try let us know what you think.

I love the combo of ginger and apple so was excited to see how the ice cream would work out. As with the raw ice creams I have made so far the main base is nuts (cashew nuts)

Other ice cream links: Booja Booja Ice Cream | Home made vegan ice cream | Vanilla Booja Booja

For the basis of the ice cream you need a ratio of 1:1 nuts and water, and the key to the ice cream is how the nuts are processed.

Raw ice cream recipe

In a blender place a large mug of cashew nuts (about 200g), then pulse initially to break up the nuts. After a few pulses put the blender on constant for a few minutes. The nuts slowly break down so that they end up in tiny pieces so that when pressed with your finger they are almost paste like. This is when they are ready, if you are not sure then blender for longer as more pulsing will ensure the ice cream is not bitty.

This is the point when you can flavor the ice cream. So for apple and ginger ice cream I juiced three apples and an inch of ginger in my Lequip Juicer, taste the juice and add more apple of ginger as needed, I like mine with a ginger kick.

In a jug add a mug of filtered water  (same volume of water as nuts) and the ginger/apple mix. Whilst blending the nuts slowly slowly add the flavoured water to the mixture – the slower the better. After a about a third of the water the mixture will change to almost cream like, and then become more watery as the rest of the water is added. Once 1/2 the water is added give the mixture a stir with a spatula to make sure everything is combined and then carry on blending and adding the water until all the liquid is added.

Once the nuts and water are blended you can add two big squeezes of Agave Nectar and a tsp cinnamon (for extra spice) then blended to combine. At this stage taste to check for sweetness and flavouring  as one point to bear in mind is once the mixture freezes the tastes are weaker so over flavour slightly at this stage, else the mixture can end up tasting just of cashew nut.

Once the mixture is ready, place in a bowl and in the freezer for 10 mins. This puts it at a good temperature before you add it to your ice cream maker. After 10 mins remove from the freezer and place in your ice cream maker mine takes 30 to 40 mins, the ice cream will be a Mr whippy style. I like to have a sampling at this stage and then add the ice cream to a few small tupperware containers (each being the size for one large portion), this way you can easily get them out of the freezer as individual portions to slightly defrost (say 10 mins) before eating and they are less likely to go icey.

That’s it my apple and ginger raw ice cream recipe – love to know what you think! Sorry no photo but my camera is on the blink.

One of the new joys since discovering my food intolerances is a new found love of potatos (one of the foods on my to eat list). Now I dont have them often but I have developed a taste for chips and now again treat myself to a bowl normally either from a restaurant, chip shop or home made, but never have I made them from frozen, until now that is.

Whilst browsing the food aisle on mySupermarket.co.uk (great supermarket comparison site), I thought I would check out the frozen chip section and I was shocked to find out the ingredients that most frozen chips contained – milk, wheat , loads of chemically sounding things - yuck. Then I spotted McCain Rustic Oven Chips – made from just two natural ingredients – potatoes and sunflower oil – and with the skin left on, I was sold.

McCain Rustic Oven Chips happen to be the first chip to score ‘green’ on all four counts of the new Food Standards Agency traffic light scoring system. 

McCain say “They are just 3% fat – made from just two natural ingredients – potatoes and sunflower oil – and with the skin left on, McCain Rustic Oven Chips have a fuller flavour with the natural goodness of the potato maintained. Straight from the field, the potatoes are prepared simply – washed and chopped – just as you would in your kitchen at home.”

McCain Rustic Oven Chips are available in leading supermarkets now, RRP £1.69.

Now these are still chips  but healthier ones – so if you are need of a treat and want to grab something from the freezer, a plate of steamed veggies, piece of grilled  fish and McCain Rustic Oven Chipsare great – just pop in the oven for 20 mins with a sprinkle of herbs and you are done.

Gluten Free Flat Bread Ingredients:

• 300g gram flour
• 300g gluten and wheat free bread flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 heaped tsps gluten free baking powder
• Herbs / spices for seasoning – we used 1 tsp fennel seeds. Alternatives: 1 tsp dried herbs or even cinnamon
• 6 tbsps olive oil
• Warm water

Flat Breads Recipe:

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and herbs / spices in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and approx. 150ml warm water. Use a fork to bring the ingredients together. Add a splash of water if the mixture feels too dry. Once the ingredients start to combine, wet your hands and use them to bring the dough together into a ball.

Dust your hands and a clean flat surface with flour.Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. Using gluten free flour, you may find the dough will need extra water to prevent it from crumbling, if so, gradually add splashes of water until you achieve a smooth elastic dough, stick at it, it will get there!  Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave to relax.

When you’re ready to cook your flat breads, divide the dough into equal sized balls, dust your hands with flour and squeeze each ball between your palms to flatten them. Pat and slap the dough from one palm to another, turning and twisting the dough about in a circular movement until each flat bread is approximately 1cm thick (mine seem to end up thinner than this which still works).

Heat a dry frying pan on a medium high heat and cook the flat breads in batches for a few minutes on each side, turning regularly to prevent them from burning. They will begin to puff up and turn a golden colour when they are ready. Serve warm.

If you make a batch keep some aside to cool then pop in the freezer, easy to pop in the toast to warm up again.

Some examples of how I have used my Gluten Free Flat Bread so far: spread with some Sugar Free Fruit Spread, use with a curry a bit like a naan, with special Sugar Free Baked Beans or simply just spread with some dairy free spread and enjoy!

Jamie Oliver Inspired Roast Lamb Ingredients: (serves 6)

Lamb Marinade:

• 1 medium leg of lamb on the bone (approx. 2 kg)
• 8 juniper berries / handful of fresh cranberries (I used cranberries as I already had them in my fridge)
• 8 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• Bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Salsa:

• 3 fresh red chillis
• 2 green peppers
• Small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• 2 spring onions, trimmed
• 3 ripe plum tomatoes / 8 ripe pomodorino tomatoes
• Salt & pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Swig of white wine vinegar
• 1 heaped tsp sumac (optional, we couldn’t get hold of any so left this out and it still tasted good)

Jamie Oliver Inspired Roast Lamb Recipe:

In a food processor blitz the berries, spring onions, garlic and mint leaves with a good pinch of salt & pepper and a glug of olive oil to make a paste.

Lay the lamb on a board and pierce around the leg with a small knife, then use your finger to make the holes bigger. 

Now rub the marinade all over the lamb and work it into the holes.

Wrap the lamb in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.

Take the lamb out of the oven and leave it to stand to come to room temperature. Preheat your over to its top temperature. Put the lamb on a roasting tray, season all over with salt then put in the over. Turn the temperature down to 200 degrees / gas mark 6 and roast for about 1 hour for a 2kg leg, about 1.5 hours for a 3kg leg. When the meat comes away from the bone, take it out of the oven, tip any juices into the roasting tin, cover the lamb with foil and leave to rest for 15 – 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make your salsa. Prick your chillies and put them and the peppers over a flame on the hob or into a hot dry griddle pan, turning them until black and blistered all over. Place them in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and allow them to steam for 10 minutes. Peel away the skins, then chop the flesh on a board with the mint leaves, spring onions, tomatoes and a pinch of salt. When it is the texture you are happy with, place in a bowl with a swig of extra virgin olive oil and add the white wine vinegar and sumac (if you are using it). Taste and season to your liking.

Side Dishes

To accompany the lamb and salsa, Jamie Oliver recommonds making a side dish of beans and flatbreads. We used both of his suggestions, create our own fussy foodie friendly versions. These dishes were a great accompaniment to the meal, here are the recipes:

Bean Side Dish

Bean Side Dish Ingredients: (serves 3)

• Tin of haricot beans
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• Salt & black pepper
• Lamb juices from roasting tin
• Hot water

Bean Side Dish Recipe:

After removing the lamb and tipping out the juices, place the roasting tin on the hob on a medium heat. Pour in a splash of hot water and mix with the lamb juices. Stir slowly and let it heat through. Add the beans and chopped tomatoes and stir together. Add hot water to achieve the consistency you desire, taste and season accordingly.

Flatbread

Flatbread Ingredients:

• 300g gram flour
• 300g gluten and wheat free bread flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 heaped tsps gluten free baking powder 
• Herbs / spices for seasoning – we used 1 tsp fennel seeds. Alternatives: 1 tsp dried herbs, sumac
• 6 tbsps olive oil
• Warm water

Flatbreads Recipe:

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and herbs / spices in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and approx. 150ml warm water. Use a fork to bring the ingredients together. Add a splash of water if the mixture feels too dry. Once the ingredients start to combine, wet your hands and use them to bring the dough together into a ball.

Dust your hands and a clean flat surface with flour.Knead the dough with your hands until it is smooth and elastic. Using gluten free flour, you may find the dough will need extra water to prevent it from crumbling, if so, gradually add splashes of water until you achieve a smooth elastic dough, stick at it, it will get there!  Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and leave to relax.

When you’re ready to cook your flatbreads, divide the dough into equal sized balls, dust your hands with flour and squeeze each ball between your palms to flatten them. Pat and slap the dough from one palm to another, turning and twisting the dough about in a circular movement until each flatbread is approximately 1cm thick.

Heat a dry frying pan on a medium high heat and cook the flatbreads in batches for a few minutes on each side, turning regularly to prevent them from burning. They will begin to puff up and turn a golden colour when they are ready. Serve warm.

(Note – these flatbreads can be reheated or once cooled, can be frozen for another time).

And there you have it, a full on feast…. 

A BIG thank you goes out to Jamie Oliver for sharing his recipes and so allowing us to make Jamie Oliver Inspired Roast Lamb. We highly recommend it. Let us know what you think!

For my Stuffed Baked Apple recipe, I have used a cranberry and hazelnut filling. This is a very seasonal, delicious filling combining the crunch of the hazelnut with the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness from the agave nectar oozing into the apple – yum!

Stuffed Baked Apple Ingredients: serves 4

• 4 x Bramley Apples (1 per person)
• 100g fresh cranberries
• Handful of chopped hazelnuts
• Splash of Orange Juice
• 1 tbsp of Agave Nectar

Stuffed Baked Apple Recipe:

Add the fresh cranberries to a saucepan, squeeze in the agave nectar and enough orange juice up to the level of the cranberries. Place on a medium heat until the cranberries begin to simmer, turn the heat to low and leave to stew for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and add more agave nectar if required.

Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Using an apple corer, remove 3/4 of the apple core, ensuring all the pips are removed whilst leaving a base layer of apple to keep the filling in. If you do not own an apple corer, you can use a knife and teaspoon instead.

Once all the apples are cored. Pierce the skin of each apple, all the way around to aid the cooking process.

When the cranberry mixture is ready, remove from the heat, place in a mixing bowl and stir in the chopped hazelnuts.

Place the apples on a baking tray and pour the cranberry mixture evenly between each apple.

Place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are soft / your desired texture. Overcooking the apple will cause them to collapse so keep a watchful eye on them!

Serve with a dollop of Oatly Cream, Vanilla Booja Booja Ice Cream.

Stuffed Baked Apple – delicious, seasonal, heart warming english food fussy foodie style!

For those of you have tried vegan ice cream of this nature its main base is nuts, more often than not cashew nuts and the process to make the  home made vegan ice cream is really straight forward.

For my recipes so far I have always used cashew nuts as the basis (but I will be trying other types of nut soon so watch this space) as this is what is used in all Booja Booja Ice Cream.

For the basis of the ice cream you need a ratio of 1:1 nuts and water, and the key to the ice cream is how the nuts are processed.

How to make home made vegan ice cream

In a blender place a large mug of cashew nuts (about 200g), then pulse initially to break up the nuts. After a few pulses put the blender on constant for a few minutes. The nuts slowly break down so that they end up in tiny pieces so that when pressed with your finger they are almost paste like. This is when they are ready, if you are not sure then blender for longer as more pulsing will ensure the ice cream is not bitty.

In a jug add a mug of filtered water  (same volume of water as nuts). Whilst blending the nuts slowly slowly add the water to the mixture – the slower the better. After a about a third of the water the mixture will change to almost cream like, and then become more watery as the rest of the water is added. Once 1/2 the water is added give the mixture a stir with a spatula to make sure everything is combined and then carry on blending and adding the water until all the liquid is added. You will then have a watery cashew tasting mixture. This is when the fun starts.

Once the nuts and water are blended you can start to flavor your home made vegan ice cream. So far I have tried raw cacao (choccy style) and today raspberry, both are delicious. For my raspberry version I added a punnet of frozen raspberries and a two big squeezes of Agave Nectar, then blended to combine. At this stage taste to check for sweetness and flavouring  as one point to bear in mind is once the mixture freezes the tastes are weaker so over flavour slightly at this stage, else the mixture can end up tasting just of cashew nuts.

Amazing what you can do with some nuts and a few berries

Once the mixture is ready, place in a bowl and in the freezer for 10 mins. This puts it at a good tempurature before you add it to your ice cream maker. After 10 mins remove from the freezer and place in your ice cream maker mine takes 30 to 40 mins and then its home made vegan ice cream Mr whippy style. I like to have a sampling at this stage and then add the ice cream to a few small tupperware containers (each being the size for one large portion), this way you can easily get them out of the freezer as individual portions to slightly defrost (say 10 mins) before eating and they are less likely to go icey.

NB. If you give my home made vegan ice cream a try not in an ice cream maker, let us know how you get on.

Straight from the ice cream maker dairy free raspberry icecream

It still amazes me that I can make ice cream from nuts – healthy, delicous and just yummy. I will update with some more home made vegan ice cream recipes soon…I am thinking perhaps apple and cinnamon might be good?

Gluten Free Muesli – Price £3.99

Ingredients: Rice Flakes, Soya Flakes, Raisins, Sultanas, Millet Flakes, Broken Brazil Nuts, Chopped Dates, Chopped Apricots (With Preservative Sulphur Dioxide)

The gluten free muesliis loaded full of raisins and the rice flakes and soya flakes replace what would normal be oats or wheat flakes. The muesli has a good crunch to it and a nice taste, however for me the ratio of dried fruit is much too high and makes it an overly sweet option, also the lack of any nuts or seeds is really missed, so to fully enjoy the cereal I would suggest adding your own selection when you give it a try.

I have always loved Indian food and you will often find me in the kitchen whipping up a tasty curry or two, the recipes are so verstaile and most recipes are very friebdlty to people with food intolerances and if not possible to adapt. My top tip curry tip fo those that can’t eat tomato try out one of the many curries you can make with cocount as a base – delicious!

Made with just gram flour (chickpea), potato and loads of spices these Gluten Free Pakora packed a real taste punch and I am hoping to see Afias next time I pop along to the farmers market in Warwick, where I might pick up some of of the other tasty Indian treats on offer.

That is until I found Cofresh Bombay mix in Asda last week.

Bombay Mix Ingredients:
- Puffed rice
- Vegetable Oil
- Gram Flour (Chickpea)
- Peanuts
- Spices
- Salt

I am so loving Cofresh bombay mix! Look out for a pack it in larger Asda stores and you can also order it online at Cofresh. All of Cofresh products are suitable for Vegetarians, some are suitable for Vegans and Gluten Free too, so worth checking out the full range of products.

If you have more than one intolerance / allergy, please read the ingredients before purchasing. These meals and soups will suit a gluten free diet, yet they may contain other allergens such as dairy, yeast, nuts.

The pack, which includes 5 meals and 3 soups, usually retails at £18 + delivery.  Being a Fussy Foodie reader, you can order the pack for just £9 + delivery, giving you a 50% saving!

All you need to do is log on to the Look What We Found website and enter the code ‘fussy1‘ on the payment page of the checkout (just above where you would need to enter your card details). Then click on Confirm to take you to the confirmation page, here you need to check that you have confirmation that the code has been accepted and discount applied, before clicking the final ‘Confirm Order’ button to complete the sale.

This is a great offer from Look What We Found, if you’re looking to try something tasty and new I would highly recommend making use of this great discount opportunity.  Shop til you drop, then re-fuel with some tasty gluten free goodness!

Saf Restaurant is a delight in many ways and here are a few highlights to tempt your tastebuds.

For our starter, we went for the tasting platter which enabled us to try a sample of a range of dishes on the menu. The highlights for me were the olive cashew cheese with flaxseed cracker and surprisingly, the raw cauliflower rice wrapped in vine leaves – both were delicious.

For main course, between us we chose the lasagna, raw mexican tacos, pad thai and the thai green curry.

The lasagna was tasty, though slightly one dimensional, with the flavour being very samey throughout the whole dish which was a shame as the dish was presented beautifully. The tacos were very clean and with the taco shell being made from celeriac were very interesting to try, but again they unfortunately were slightly one dimensional. The pad thai and the thai green curry however, were packed full of incredible flavours. The pad thai was made with courgette and carrot noodles, topped with sprouted lentils, enoki mushrooms and mixed with a chipotle almond sauce bringing the whole dish together. The thai green curry, one of few hot dishes on the menu, had a real depth of flavour with the coconut, coriander, chilli and sweet basil combination. 

We ended the evening with desserts.  We ordered a papaya sorbet, an apple cake and a coconut cheesecake served with apple sorbet – yum, were they good. The papaya sorbet was very smooth and cleansing, a great dessert if you’re feeling full but fancy something cool to finish.  The apple cake was moist and flavoured with cinnamon which is always a great combination.  The winner by far was the coconut cheesecake with apple sorbet – wow, wow, wow! I was grinning from ear to ear and when Miranda tentatively suggested we order a second, I jumped at the chance. A great excuse for a pre-birthday celebratory pudding!

Saf Restaurant prides itself on offering nutritious and flavoursome raw vegan dishes. The menu changes daily to take advantage of seasonal produce and the dishes are complimented by an extensive range of organic and biodynamic wines. They also have a great Mixologist who will be happily whip you up a Horse’s Neck, a Kiss Me Kate, or whatever takes your fancy from their inventive cocktail list, both alcoholic and non alcoholic.

Saf Restaurant offers incredible food and drinks and the staff make the whole experience an absolute pleasure. Saf Restaurant comes highly recommended by us at Fussy Foodie and if you pay them a visit, we are sure you will agree.

There are three flavours: Raw Pumpkin Pie, Raw Chocolate Mousse and Raw Lemon Cheesecake.

NB. They are all raw, dairy & egg free and have no added sugar, sweetened purely by Agave Nectar.

The chocolate one is silky smooth with a deep chocolate taste, whilst the tang lemon cheesecake with its smooth and crunchy bottom is richer and tangy to taste. After much deliberation and lots of tasting my favorite might even be the surpise Raw Pumpkin pie; deeper in flavour with the extra crunch can’t wait to visit Planet Organic in London for my next tasting session of these seriously tasty and Fussy Foodie friendly raw desserts.

It’s A Free World range of allergen free sauces and ready meals are made by the team at Look What We Found.  There are currently 2 ready meals and 2 cook in sauces within the range (with plans for future expansion)

• Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry with Red Chilli Coconut & Rice
• Moroccon Spiced Chickpea Tagine with Fruit & Harissa
• Indian Korma Sauce with Cumin, Cardamon & Rich Coconut Cream
• Indian Tikka Masala Sauce with Creamed Coconut and Indian Herbs and Spices

All of these products are available at Tescos as well as online through Look What We Found online store. 

To find out more about the It’s A Free World products and keep up to date with new product developments, visit their website at www.itsafreeworld.co.uk.

I love guacamole and have often felt disappointed when fancying a lunchtime snack of guacamole and nachos only to find pre-prepared guacamole can contain sour or double cream.  Making guacamole from scratch at home, is so simple and quick, I now love having access to Dairy Free Guacamole which suits all my dietary requirements.

Dairy Free Guacamole Ingredients: (serves 6)

• 3 avocados
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 ripe plum / vine tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Salt & pepper to taste

Dairy Free Guacamole Recipe:

Peel and stone the avocadoes, roughly chop the avocado flesh into pieces and add to a mixing bowl.

Finely chop the red onion, red chilli and tomatoes and add to the bowl.

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime and add to the mixture.

Mash the avocadoes using a fork, mixing in the red onion, chilli, tomatoes and lime juice.

Taste and season accordingly with salt & pepper.

Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Dairy Free Guacamole is a tasty and healthy lunchtime snack served with Toasted Corn Tortillas and crudites or spread on Herb Oatcakes, Corn Thins or in a sandwich. It is also a delicious, cooling and creamy accompaniment to chilli con carne, fajitas and burritos. Yum!

I discovered The Living Food Kitchen during my latest visit to Planet Organic where I was tempted into buying the Raw Chocolate Mousse and the Raw Cashew Lemon Cheesecake, both of which were divine.

The Raw Chocolate Mousse is made using almond milk, agave nectar, extra virgin coconut oil, dates and cacao powder, and has a really rich chocolate flavour with the bubbly texture you associate with a proper chocolate mousse.

The Raw Cashew Lemon Cheesecake is made using almonds, dates, coconut, cashews, agave nectar and lemon. The cheesecake topping is really tangy with the base having a nice crumbly crunch.

It’s foods like these that I can really miss having, so to find products which taste this amazing and knowing they are good for you at the same, is very very satisfying.

If you live in the London area or are looking for gourmet vegan catering, give The Living Food Kitchen products a try as they really are something special!

Last slice of linseed bread so must have loved it

I have not had any form of bread for a long time so this was just heaven. To have a proper slice of bread topped with dairy free spread and St Dalfours sugar free fruit spread was divine, then when I tried a slice with almond butter…. mmmmMmmm.

Linseed Bread Ingredients: Wholegrain rice flour and demeter whole rice (51%), revitalised filtered water, fresh ground whole organic linseed (9%), natural leaven (gluten free) and see salt.

“Our leaven is made with baking ferment, developed for people with intolerance to sourdough and bakers dough yeast. It is made from naturally gluten free organic flour and honey in very small quantities, these are fully assimilated during the long fermentation and are therefore not present in the finished bread.”

Linseed Bread comes in a small loaf (400g) and is £3.05. 

I have to say I loved it with it’s slight moist texture similar to rye breads I have eaten in the past, but much softer in the mouth. The linseed bread has a fantastic depth of flavour which makes it a great combo with any sweet or savoury combo. Artisan Bread advise not to toast this bread however the quinoa bread is suitable for toasting so I will update how I get on with that (Sugar Free Baked Beans on toast comes to mind). So happy that bread is on the menu again!

It has the texture of a chocolate spread and for me the taste too, next time you are in your local health food store look out for a jar of this fantastic almond butter, seriously that tasty you will wonder why you ever needed sugar.

Flavouring soya yoghurt is a fantastic way to liven up soya yoghurt which could be used with many other fruits / nut combinations for some fantastic flavour alternatives.

For my dairy free banana yoghurt  simply add a few spoons of soya yoghurt, 1/2 a banana, tsp agave nectar (optional) and a few cacao nibs (optional) to a food processer and blend. Voila Dairy Free Banana Yoghurt done – love it!

Raw oat bar ingredients – makes two small bars:

• Cup of oats
• Tsp of almond butter or other nut butter
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger powder or raw ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp of nuts ( I used hazelnuts)
• 4 pieces of tinned pineapple and a tbsp of  juice
• Agave nectar squeeze optional (1 tsp)

Place the oats, nuts, cinnamon, and ginger  into a food processor and blitz until broken up. Add your nut butter, agave nectar (optional) and pineapple pieces to the food processor and blitz again. Slowly add the pineapple juice to mixture and keep blending until the mixture starts to combine. It should be a dry dough like texture so that you can mould it into a bar shape.

Once the mixture is ready, remove from the food processor and mould into a bar shape – pop in the fridge for a few mins to chill. That’s it the raw oat bar is ready to rock and roll.

This raw oat bar recipe is very flexible, I wanted to make a bar with no dried fruit, but you could use soaked dates instead of the pineapple, milk instead of the juice, banana instead of pineapple and all sorts of seed/nut combination. Give it a try and let me know you raw oat bar version and what you think.

Vegan Indian Pancakes – Ingredients:

Pancakes: (makes 2 pancakes)

• 3 tbsps gram (chickpea) flour
• Sparkling water
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/3 onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 chilli, finely chopped
• Salt
• 1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

Filling: (serves 2)

• 2/3 onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tin of beans of your choice (I used black eye beans)
• 1/2 grated carrot
• 1 tomato, roughly chopped
• 1/2 pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• Squeeze of lime
• 2 tbsps fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• Salt
• 1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)

Vegan Indian Pancakes – Recipe:

Begin by chopping the onion, tomatoes, pepper, chilli and coriander and grating the carrot so they are ready to use and set aside.

To make the filling:

In a frying pan, heat a tbsp of olive oil on full heat, add the mild curry powder, cumin seeds and onion and fry until the onion softens.

Next turn the heat to half heat, add the beans and cook through for 2 – 3 minutes (if the mixture begins to stick, add a splash of water). 

After the 2 -3  minutes, add the grated carrot, chopped tomato, chopped pepper and tomato puree and season with salt. Cover and leave to cook, stirring occasionally, whilst you make the pancakes.

To make the pancakes:

Add the flour, chopped onion, chilli, cumin seeds, cayenne pepper and salt into a mixing bowl. Gradually pour in the sparkling water, using a whisk to combine the mixture. Add enough sparkling water until your mixture resembles a batter.

Add the olive oil to a small frying pan and place over a high heat on the hob. When the oil is hot, carefully pour the excess into a separate container and set aside for later use.

Pour 1 ladel of pancake mixture into the frying pan and circle the mixture round to coat the whole pan. Put the pan on the heat to cook, look out for the mixture bubbling upwards (this will take approx. 1 – 2 minutes).

Once the mixture begins to bubble, use a fork to carefully edge the pancake away from the surface of the pan and flip the pancake over.

Cook for 2 minutes. When the pancake is cooked to your liking, place on a plate and repeat the process above until you have enough pancakes / all the mixture is used. Remember to add oil to the pan and drain any excess before cooking a new pancake.

To serve:

Place 1 pancake on a plate, cover half the pancake with the bean filling. Sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander and squeeze over some fresh lime juice. Fold the pancake over and serve.

Vegan Indian Pancakes would be delicious served with a fresh No Salad Dressing salad, some Lime Pickle, poppadums and a yogurt & cucumber dip. These Vegan Indian Pancakes are a quick to make and satisfyingly tasty dish.

Nakd Ginger Bread Ingredients: Dates (48%), Almonds (32%), Pecans (18%), Ginger, Cloves & Cinnamon.

Nakd bars are a 100% natural wholefood bar a delicious blend of unsweetened fruit, rolled oats, nuts and spices. Unlike most bars, these bars contain no artificial ingredients of any kind, no-added sugar and are made raw, never cooked.

This Nakd ginger bread bar is my favourite in the Nakd bars range so far, I love the texture and ginger kick – really worth giving it a try.

Ombar are made in five different flavours – Cashew & Coconut, Banana & Hempseed, Acai, Goji & Lucuma and Cranberry. 

The main ingredients within each bar are cacao mass, agave nectar, cacao butter and coconut cream with each bar then having their individual flavours added be it acai, banana, hempseed, cranberry.

The bars are produced at low temperatures to preserve the natural goodness of the ingredients, and each bar is enriched with superfood powder for a powerful punch of anti-oxidants in each bite.

Ombars are made by Mood Foods and are available online through their website, or through a number of wholefood and health food outlets including Planet Organic, Revital Health, Fresh and Wild and many more, check out the Mood Foods website for details.

So I decided to investigate more about being a vegan; what it means and why people do it. So far I have found some fantastic dessert recipes to try that with some tweaking, mainly to make sugar free, should be the ultimate in Fussy Foodie friendliness.

Definition of a vegan via The Vegan Society:

• A vegan will not eat any animal products, for example: No meat, fish nor other products that come directly from killing an animal, such as animal fats and gelatine
• No dairy products such as cows’ milk, cheese and yogurt; nor goats’ milk
• No eggs nor foods containing eggs such as Quorn
• No honey

According to The Vegan Society, the main reasons for being vegan are “…concern for animals, people and the environment. Other people adopt a vegan diet to help improve their health.”

I really like the idea of not eating meat, but I just enjoy it too much and with excluding lots of  the other food groups from my diet, I just don’t think I could do it. However for health reasons I do try to limit the amount of meat, especially red meat, that I consume in my diet. I think its a truly English culture to feel the need to have meat in every main meal, one of my favourite meals is infact vegan.

For anyone else on either a vegan diet, or a meat eating vegan (avoiding eggs, dairy, honey). Here are some great tips on products:

• Milk alternatives – the great news is there are loads of great milk alternatives. Anyone I know who has given up milk, including men, has found after not drinking the smell is unpleasant and you really don’t miss it as to replace it is fairly simple. It’s just a question of knowing what products you need to buy to replace standard milk products. It’s more of an issue when you eat out but cooking at home should be no problem with choices such as soya, rice and oat milk.
• No eggs – There are lots of vegan no egg recipes for dessert. If however you are also avoiding sugar and gluten free then this is more of a challenge. I am currently researching into some egg replacers to try and improve my egg free baking – so watch this space.
• Tofu – Tofu (made from soy milk) is nutritious and versatile. Plain tofu is bland so can absorb any flavour, savoury or sweet. It can even be used in stir-fry, pies, scramble, salad and sweet dishes such as chocolate mousse (might have to give that a try).
• Gelatin - Can be replaced with the light and versatile Agar Flakes
• Margarines – check out Soya Pure for a fantastic vegan and dairy free spread, as check any vegetable spread as they may contain vitamin D3, fish oils & whey.
• Hidden milks – It is important to ensure that your check for milk in any packaged products, as dairy is often sneaked in so look for milk or whey on the ingredients, you might not think it but lots of crisps and cereals have milk powder in.
• Sweeteners – Honey is an animal product so not vegan – Instead of honey try maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, molasses or concentrated apple juice and fruit jam.
• Pasta – can be made with eggs, use egg-free pasta instead – this is an easy swap just check the packet and in any restaurants.
• Thai curry paste – Some makes contain fish paste, however this is a great Thai paste.
• Chinese noodles – Can be made with eggs. Use rice noodles e.g thick rice noodles.
• Worcester sauce, usually contains anchovies – so try Geo Organics Worcester Sauce
• Dark Chocolate – Some contains butterfat so for a real cacao kick check out 100% Pure Cacao
• Ice cream – Vegan and totally tasty Booja Booja Ice Cream

Some other foods vegans need to look out for are:

• E471 – Can be animal OR non-animal based.
• Cochineal (E120) – A food colouring made from crushed beetles so not vegan (Nice – not!)
• Wine and beer – Sometimes fined with animal products – Ask your wine merchant for vegan wines and beers.
• Quorn – Contains egg so is never vegan.

So life as a vegan has the same hidden ingredient challenge as those of us with food intolerances. There are some fantastic vegan products and recipes out there and I can not wait to start trying more of them.

Yeast Free Pizza Ingredients: Revitalised filtered water, freshly milled organic buckwheat flour and whole buckwheat (37%), freshly milled demeter wholegrain rice flour (17%), organic virgin olive oil, natural leaven (gluten-free), sea salt.

The pizza base is part baked so I just had to add a topping and bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes – I topped mine with some chopped tomatoes, fresh oregano and thin slices of courgette.

Before I baked the yeast free pizza the buckwheat pizza base was pretty hard so I was pleasantly surprised when the pizza came out of the oven, crisp and slightly risen – delicious! I can’t wait to order a whole one and get my next taste of pizza.

NB. All varieties contain wheat flour so not gluten free. 

I spotted these corn wraps in Planet Organic in London and loved them! It’s such a special treat to have something bread-like so now I’ve discovered these little treasures I will definitely be buying my fair share of them, especially the corn, oat, rice and rye varieties as these are really unusual.  If you visit the Mountain Bread website, they detail a list of retailers who sell these great wraps, so fingers crossed there is stockist near you!

“I found your site today and was very impressed with your content. I looked at your latest messaging thread and noticed someone was asking if there was a ready made “Wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and yeast free pizza base” and you were not aware of any.

Might I suggest you take a look at our website? We produce a whole range of delicious breads, made with innovative grains such as Buckwheat and Quinoa, which are naturally gluten free. We also produce a range of wheat free breads and we include in our offer a Buckwheat Pizza, which meets all the criteria above.

All our products are organic, or biodynamic and we use no baker’s yeast; we grind the wholegrain fresh every time we make a batch of bread, so all the nutrients are retained and there are no dairy products on site. We use a separate mill to grind all our gluten free flour.”

Keen to find out more of course I got in touch and quickly ordered the sample pack of wheat and gluten free breads.

Well I have been waiting by the door this morning for my freshly baked samples to arrive and as I heard a louder than normal noise from the post I knew they were here – hurray! I have to say that seeing the box I was a little dissapointed at the size, I know they are samples but they were tiny bite sized pieces and at £4.95 I feel a little pricey.

Tucked inside my parcel I found 5 little fresh bread samples:

Quinoa Bread | Buckwheat Pizza Base | Rice Bread | Buckwheat Bread and Linseed Bread.

How did they taste?

I could not wait to try them, the first one I tried was my favourite which I have narrowed down to be the linseed bread; really moist and very tasty, will be ordering some of that artisan bread and it has also given me some inspiration to try and get my bread maker working with no yeast, no gluten or sugar as it is possible. Artisan Bread Ltd also supply lots of flours so I will check those out too.

I am yet to try the special Buckwheat Pizza base sample but will give that a whirl over luncheon and let you know how it goes. I am really pleased that Artisan Breads got in touch they clearly have a quality product and I think I will give a whole linseed loaf a go and see how I get on with that – toast in the morning would be a treat I have not had for a very long time.

Sugar Free Granola -try sprinkled over yogurt

I think I have cracked it with a simple but effective formula for sugar free granola. The great thing is it’s really easy to scale up the ingredients so you can make as much or as little as you like.

Sugar free granola ingredients (makes 3-4 portions):

• Oats 100g
• Dried fruit, nuts and seeds 100g (I recommend 50g fruit, 25g nuts, 25g seeds)*
• Rapeseed oil 1 tbsp
• Agave nectar 3 tbsp

* I used dried apricots and nectarines, brazil and hazelnuts and a mixed seed pack but you can get creative and use whatever fruit, nut and seed combo you fancy!

Sugar free granola recipe

Roughly chop the nuts and fruits and mix with the seeds and oats in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the agave nectar and rapeseed oil and spread onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 150C for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and give it a shake and a stir. Break it up or clump it together as required, then bake for a further 10-15 minutes. Once cool store in an airtight container.

That’s it my sugar free granola, great on yogurt and added to cereals.

rich in omega 3

Getting enough omega 3 is becoming more and more important as we discover the wide-ranging potential health benefits of this particular fatty acid.

It has long been known that omega 3 fatty acids can help to prevent heart disease,  but they also have a role to play in brain function, joint suppleness, eyesight and cancer prevention, amongst others.

To get the maximum health benefits it is recommended that we consume 450mg long-chain omega 3 per day (or 3g per week). The long-chain omega 3 fatty acids include EPA and DHA, which are mostly found in fish oils. Translating this into practice we should be eating one portion of oily fish (e.g. salmon, mackerel, trout, pilchards) per week to get our recommended amount of long-chain omega 3.

Other omega 3 sources?
We know that by far the best source of omega 3 is oily fish, but what if you just don’t like fish, or you are vegetarian or have a fish allergy? The evidence for the health benefits of omega 3 is growing by the day so you really don’t want to miss out on this nutrient, but don’t worry, there are other sources.

• Omega 3 eggs – produced by chickens fed on flax,  can help to boost your intake but unless you eat several each day (not recommended!) you are going to need to find additional omega 3 sources.
• Flaxseed (or linseed)- An excellent source of alpha linolenic acid, which is then converted in the body to the long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. Hempseed and rapeseed (canola) oil are also reasonable sources. The vegetarian society recommend a teaspoon of flaxseed oil or 4-5 teaspoon ground flaxseed or rapeseed oil daily but don’t heat the oil / seed as this can alter the omega 3 fatty acids.
• Walnuts- Although not as good a source as flax, walnuts are by far the best nut source of alpha linolenic acid omega 3 
• Algae – Fish don’t naturally produce omega 3, they obtain it from the algae and plankton that they live on. Certain types of algae, including kelp, are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids and the only source of the long-chain omega 3 that is suitable for vegans.

Should I take a supplement?

It is best to get your nutrition from food, but if you don’t eat fish or significant amounts of the alternatives listed above then it might be worth looking for an omega 3 supplement. If this is you then here are a few tips:

• Look for a supplement containing the long-chain EPA and  DHA rather than the alpha-linolenic acid that the body then has to convert.
• For heart health you want to be looking for around 450-500mg EPA/DHA per day but some experts recommend that for optimal brain health you should consume around 1000mg
• Avoid supplements with added omega 6 and omega 9. These fatty acids are found in a wide range of foods so you shouldn’t need extra and upping the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in the diet is particularly beneficial so adding more omega 6 won’t help with this
• Cod liver oil is not the same. It is a good source of vitamin D but can also provide alot of vitamin A (too much of which can be toxic) and is more likely to be contaminated than the purer fish oil supplements
• If you are vegan/vegetarian or cannot eat fish for other reasons you can get short-chain omega 3 from flaxseed but for the long-chain EPA/DHA you would need to find a supplement derived from algae rather than fish oil (e.g. V-Pure or Deva)
• Consult your doctor first if you are taking regular blood-thinning drugs such as warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel

So that’s the low down on the benefits of Omega 3 and finding the best Omega 3 sources even when suffering from food intolerance’s.

Barbecue beans ingredients:

• chickpeas 2 x 400g tins drained and rinsed
• chopped tomatoes 1 x 400g tin
• dates 225g roughly chopped
• courgette 1 large or 2 small chopped into cubes
• ginger 1 inch finely chopped
• garlic 2 cloves finely chopped
• smoked paprika 1 heaped tsp

Barbecue beans recipe

In a large non-stick pan start by frying off the garlic and ginger in a little olive oil, adding the courgette after a couple of minutes.When the courgette is softened, throw in the tomatoes, chickpeas, dates and smoked paprika. Bring to the boil, add salt and pepper to taste, then cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

These barbecue beans taste great hot or cold with a barbecue or as a jacket potato topping. They freeze well too (if…you have any left-over).

Vanilla Booja Booja is made of just pure water from reverse osmosis, agave nectar (diabetic friendly syrup from the agave cactus. Contains 74% fructose with low GI. Raw), Cashew nuts, Vanilla Oil 0.1%

I really can’t say anything more about Vanilla Booja Booja, other than grab a spoon and dive in – divine! You can buy all the Booja Booja varieties at: www.goodnessdirect.co.uk

Chicken Korma with a twist

I discovered this dairy free chicken korma recipe somewhat by accident (as many of the best discoveries are). I had a carton of longlife soya milk in the cupboard and decided to try cooking with it, for a change. Well, I was pleasantly surprised and it passed the true test when my ‘anti-soya milk’ husband went back for seconds!

Dairy Free Chicken Korma Recipe (serves 4):

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillets x3 (or approx 350g) cut into thin strips
• Soya milk approx 300mL (I used Alpro Original long-life)
• Garlic 1 clove finely chopped
• Ginger 1inch piece finely chopped
• Courgette 1 medium, chopped
• Okra 10-15, sliced
• Turmeric 2 tsp
• Cinammon 1 tsp
• Cumin 1tsp
• Ground coriander 1/2 tsp
• Cashew nuts - large handful (optional)

Start by stir-frying the garlic, ginger and vegetables in a little oil until slightly browned. Remove from the pan and keep aside.

Now heat a little more oil and fry the chicken with the spices until cooked right through.

Return the veggies to the pan together with enough soya milk to just about cover it. Throw in a big handful of cashews and bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer for about half an hour whilst you sort out some wholegrain rice.

Love to know what you think about my dairy free chicken korma and any of your own experiences of cooking with soya milk.

Rude Health’s new addition

The range of oat-based cereals, mueslis and granolas on the supermarket shelves has boomed in recent years, much to the delight of the health-concious foodie!

You might already have come across their Early Bird muesli range but now Rude Health are leading the way in the wholesome cereal market with the launch of puffed oats.  

Oats are a fantastic start to the day as they have a low glycaemic index, meaning that they will help to stabilise blood sugar and keep you full for longer. They also provide beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre that helps to lower cholesterol.

Puffed oats are available in Waitrose from the end of July (£1.60 per box). You will also find a range of other Rude Health cereals including organic and raisin-free muesli and a new puffed wheat cereal. Let us know what you think and if you find puffed oats available in any other shops.

Sugar free courgette chutney recipe (makes 1-2 jars):

Ingredients

• 1 large courgette, chopped
• 1 red apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 stick celery, chopped
• 1 large handful mixed raisins and sultanas
• 50mL cider vinegar
• 1tsp ground ginger
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (or you could use honey)
• salt and pepper

Simply add all ingredients to a pan and simmer for around 45 minutes or until thickened. Taste along the way and add seasoning / agave nectar to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge – lovely courgette chutney done!

Sesame Halva ingredients: Ground Sesame Seeds(48%), Concentrated Grape Juice(42%), Sultanas(10%).

£1.60 – Ethical Superstore
£1.06 – Goodness Direct

So give this gluten free sesame halva a try, it might look a little strange but it really is a tasty treat.

Recipe for sugar free chocolate spread (makes a small pot):

• Nuts x100g (I used a packet of mixed nuts but you could just use hazelnuts, almonds or whatever you prefer)
• Banana x1 medium
• Cocoa x2 tbsp
• Agave nectar  (or honey) x1 tsp

Put the nuts in the bottom of a blender/food processor and blitz for 20-30 seconds until they start to become pasty. Now add the banana, cocoa and agave/honey and blitz some more!
You might need to shake up the blender or get in there with a teaspoon to keep it moving. It should end up looking something like this…

heaven in a pot – loving my sugar free chocolate spread!

Massaman Beef Curry is a slow-cooked Malaysian dish, which is not too hot but very aromatic. It usually includes potatoes but not in my version! You will need some Massaman curry paste and fish sauce – both available in many supermarkets and worth purchasing for a fantastic Massaman Beef Curry.

• 800g beef brisket or stewing steak, trimmed of fat and cut into chunks
• 1 onion chopped
• 1x 400mL can Coconut Milk
• 1 sachet / 2-3tbsp Massaman Curry Paste
• 8 cardamon pods
• 3 star anise
• 1tsp cinnamon
• small knob ginger sliced
• 2 cloves garlic chopped

Ingredients (in two stages):

• 1tbsp peanut butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1tsp sugar or squeeze of agave nectar
• handful cashew nuts (and extra for garnish)

Recipe for Massaman Beef Curry

Start by frying the beef in a little oil to seal and then tip the contents of the pan into another dish.

Now fry off the onion, garlic, ginger and spices before adding the beef (but reserve the juices separetely) back to the pan with the massaman paste. Now add the tin of coconut milk, cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.  The meat needs to be completely covered in sauce so if you need more liquid add the reserved juices from frying the beef.

About 20-30 minutes before the end of the cooking take off the lid and add the peanut butter, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar/agave and a handful of cashew nuts.

Serve the massaman beef curry in bowls on top of jasmine rice with a side dish of steamed mange tout. Here’s one I made earlier!

This recipe is minimal on the time and effort scale but full of flavour nevertheless. A perfect after work quick supper served with rice and green beans.

Prawn and Mango Stirfry Ingredients:

• Prawns 150g pack
• Mango x1 cut into cubes
• Courgette x1 chopped
• Lime – juice of 1
• Ginger – small piece chopped
• Mint – approx 6-8 leaves chopped
• Chilli x 2-3 dried or pinch chilli flakes
• Agave nectar-small sqeeze (optional)

Prawn and Mango Stirfry Recipe

Heat 1tbsp oil in a wok and stir fry the courgette, ginger and chilli (you could add choped spring onion too but I didn’t have any) for a minute or two before adding the prawns. After a couple more minutes add the mint and squeeze in the lime and agave (if using).

That’s all there is too it – my tasty prawn and mango stirfry done!

Chocolate Egg Free Muffins Ingredients (6 – 8 muffins):

• 6oz Gluten free flour – I used 4oz Rice Flour, 2oz Gram Flour
• 2oz Cocoa Powder
• 2 1/2 tsps Gluten free baking powder
• 2 tbsps Ground Almonds 
• 1 tbsps Agave Nectar (2 big squeezes)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Xanthum Gum
• 1/2 pint Rice Milk ( I used 50% Original Rice Milk, 50% Hazelnut & Almond Rice Milk)
• 3 tbsps Water

 Chocolate Egg Free Muffins Recipe:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (Gas mark 6). Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the ground almonds, xanthum gum and Agave Nectar.

Measure out the rice milk and add at once to the flour mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Add the water gradually until the mixture drops off a raised spoon.

Pour the muffin mixture into greased muffin or fairy cake tins then bake in the over for 15 – 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the muffins for a few minutes to cool, then pop them out of the tin.

These chocolate egg free muffins are wheat, dairy, sugar, egg and soya free and they prove that with a bit of know how about the products available to people with food intolerances, we too can eat foods that we love and enjoy.

So cook yourself a batch and revel in the fact that you enjoy chocolate egg free muffins knowing they suit your dietary requirements and so won’t cause you any of those Symptoms of Food Intolerance you may have suffered from in the past.

 This sugar fruit spread is available from most supermarkets and larger grocery outlets and comes in a range of flavours from traditional Strawberry or Apricot, through to slightly more unusual Pineapple & Mango or Gourmet Pear.

Miranda & I have tried a few of the different flavours between us and can vouch for just how good they are. Trying to have no sugar and a limited amount of fruit sugars in our diet, St Dalfour Fruit Spread would be a special treat for us, one which we really enjoy savouring when we  have it.

Find out more about St Dalfour naturally sugar free fruit spread on their website.

Cambodian Marinated Beef Ingredients (serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a starter) :

• 500g rump or sirloin steak
• 1 Iceberg or Romaine lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 50g peanuts
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the marinade

• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 25g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 3 tbsp Wheat Free Soya Sauce (tamari sauce)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (sugar free version)
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the dipping sauce:

• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cambodian Marinated Beef Recipe:

Trim the beef, cut into pieces and place into a bowl.

Place all of the marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the marinade over the beef, cover and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce leaves, sliced tomato and onion on a serving plate, put the peanuts in a bowl and set both aside.

Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce (lime juice, freshly ground black pepper and salt) together in a bowl and divide among four small dipping saucers.

Heat half of the vegetable oil in a wok or large deep frying pan over a high heat. Add half the beef to the pan and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the beef is cooked to your liking. Spoon the beef onto a warmed serving plate and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the wok or pan and fry the remaining beef in the same way.

To serve, set the table with the plate of beef, salad and bowl of peanuts in the centre, and a small dipping saucer for each person. Spoon some beef into a lettuce leaf and add the peanuts, sliced onion and tomato on top. Wrap up the beef, then dip the parcel into the dipping sauce before eating.

I personally would serve this dish as a starter, having one or two small parcels each and following this up with our flavoursome Chilli Beef Ramen. The powerful flavours in both dishes complement each other well and will give you and your guests a real taste of south east asian cuisine.

Note : I first spotted this cambodian marinated beef recipe when browsing on the BBC website. The recipe was posted courtesy of Rick Stein from his recipe book Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey. Rick’s recipe is based on a dish he ate in Kampot, Cambodia which I have tweaked to suit our food intolerance needs.

After tasting how good these falafel were, I was inspired to come up with a healthy falafel I could make at home which I could grill rather than fry, and I think I’ve done it. They are great hot from the grill with pickles, couscous and salad, or left to cool they’re great as a snack.

Healthy Falafel Ingredients:

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 x  400g can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tsp baking powder (gluten free if intolerant to gluten)
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 garlic cloved, crushed
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Health Falafel Recipe:

Dry toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a frying pan (no oil) over a low-medium heat for a few minutes until aromatic. Tip into a pestle & mortar and grind to a rough powder.

Place all the ingredients, including the cumin & coriander seed powder, into a food processor and pulse until the ingredients are well combined and chunky.

Using wet hands, mould the mixture into patties (depending on the size you prefer, the mixture could make between 8 – 12 patties)

Place the patties onto a baking tray and cook under the grill until toasted / firm on the outside and the patties turn more of a golden yellow.  Remember to turn the falafel occasionally to cook on both sides.

Leave the falafel to cool for a minute or two after removing from the grill to allow the falafel to firm up, serve with your choice of accompaniment.

These healthy falafel are a simple and nutritious way to enjoy the great flavours of this traditional middle eastern cuisine.

This can be a little disheartnening however alongside the tasty Fruitus bar this wheat free bar from Village Bakery is tasty tasty.

Wheat free bar ingredients:

Rice malt syrup, oats, puffed rice, coconut, apple juice, cashew nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, low sodium sea salt.

Pack of 4 bars – £2.25

These wheat free bars available from the Village Bakery website and also Sainsbury’s (Free From Aisle), Waitrose, Fresh and Wild, Planet Organic and health food stores across the UK.