Chocolate Rum Balls (actually Bailey's Balls)

Clearly from the majority of my posts you can see that I am a huge sweet tooth and love nothing more than a delicious treat after dinner. This is another very fast and extremely simple dessert to put together. 

Unfortunately, this is not a lactose-free recipe. If you know of any lactose-free alternatives for Rum Balls please let me know and I will have a go at making them. 

Chocolate Rum Ball Recipe 

Makes about 40 

Ingredients: 

350g gluten free shortbread biscuits, crushed 
1 tin (395g) sweetened condensed milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder
50ml Bailey's Irish Cream alcohol
1 cup shaved coconut with extra for coating
1 cup crushed macadamia nuts 

Steps: 

1. Combine the biscuits, cocoa, macadamia nuts and coconut in a bowl.

2. Add the Bailey's and stir. Add the condensed milk as you go, until all the ingredients are combined and hold together well. I use maybe just under a tin in total as I do not want them too mushy.  

3. Make into small balls using hands and coat with extra coconut. 

4. Freeze for at least an hour before serving. 

I've stored mine in an ice cream container, in the freezer 

Alternatives:
- Other nuts, or almond meal instead of macadamias
- Gluten-free choc biccies instead of short bread

Let me know of any others that work for you!

Please note: 

**Because Fructose Malabsorbers cannot have Rum I used Bailey's as an alternative. I cannot find anywhere that states whether or not we can have Baileys and whether it is safe for Fructose Malabsorbers. If you know the answer please let me know! However, having eaten many of these delicious Bailey's Balls I have never felt unwell. So please let me know how you went with them! 

Zucchini Fritters

Mum made zucchini fritters for lunch, these gluten free - fructose friendly fritters are perfect for a lunch, breakfast or a easy to make snack. I like to eat them plain or with a cottage cheese. Alternatively, serve them with some avocado or fructose friendly dip. 

Zucchini Fritters Recipe

Makes 15 small fritters

Ingredients: 

2 medium zucchinis

pinch of salt

2 large organic free range eggs

3/4 cup cottage cheese (use 1/2 cup goats cheese if lactose intolerant) 

1/2 cup gluten free plain flour
1/2 cup gluten free self-rising flour
pinch of pepper 

Steps: 

1. Skin the zucchinis and grate. Add the salt and leave aside to sit. 

2. Beat eggs, add another pinch of salt and pepper to the egg and mix with cottage cheese.  

3. Squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini and add to the cottage cheese and egg mixture. Add both the self rising and plain flour. You may need to add more flour if the mixture is too runny. The batter should be quite thick and hold together well. 

4. Heat a fry pan on high with olive oil, cook a fritter at a time for about 1 minutes on either side or until golden brown and cooked through the middle. 

5. Serve on their own, with avocado or a dipping sauce

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins

Being a huge sweet tooth I always need to think up new ways of maintaining my low fodmap diet and still being able to enjoy sweet treats to help with the sugar cravings. Tonight I whipped up some super easy raspberry and white chocolate muffins. 

Raspberry and White Chocolate FODMAP Friendly Muffins 

Prep time: 10min, Oven time: 20-25min 

Ingredients: 

Makes 12

2 cups of gluten free self raising flour

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

1 cup milk (use lactose free milk or almond milk if lactose intolerant)

50g butter, melted (use a lactose free substitute if need be)

1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed

1 cup of white chocolate, roughly chopped

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place 12 large patty cases into a muffin pan. 

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and sugar. 

3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, milk and butter. Add this liquid mixture to dry ingredients.  Add the vanilla essence. Once combined, fold through the raspberries and chocolate

4. Distribute the batter between patty cakes and bake for 20-25min, or until a skewer comes out clean and muffins are golden. 

Fodmap Friendly Lasagna

It's been a crazy week with assignments and work, and I haven't had much time to do any blogging. With ANZAC day tomorrow I took the time to cook up a delicious FODMAP Friendly Lasagna. This recipe wasn't difficult so don't let the amount of ingredients scare you! I found adding the extra herbs and spices helped to lift the flavour!  

FODMAP Friendly Lasagne Recipe

Ingredients:

Serves 4

For the lasagna:

500 g beef mince 

800g or 2 tins crushed tomatoes 

garlic infused oil

1/8 tbsp oregano 

1/4 cup freshly chopped spring onion (green part only)

pinch of paprika 

pinch of chilli 

1/8 tsp thyme 

1/8 tsp italian herb mix

1/8 tsp rosemary 

salt and pepper to taste 

1 large carrot, grated

1 small capsicum, finely diced
1 loosely packed cup of spinach leaves 

1 cup mozzarella cheese
gluten free lasagna sheets 

For the Sauce: 

2 tsp butter

1 cup mozzarella

1/4 cup parmesan 

1 cup of milk (use lactose free if lactose intolerant) 

1/2 cup gluten free flour 

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a medium pan, and cook beef until brown. Once brown turn the stove to low heat, add the carrot, capsicum, spring onion and diced tomatoes. Add the paprika, chilli, thyme, italian herbs, oregano, salt and pepper**. Cook for an additional 10 minutes on low. 

2. Grease a tray, and line with lasagna sheets. Layer each level with lasagna sheets, the beef mixture and a thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Continue until you use all the beef mixture. 

3. To make the cheese sauce, mix butter, flour and milk in a saucepan on low heat. Add the mozzarella and parmesan to the mixture. Stir for two minutes until all the ingredients are mixed together. Pour onto the top layer of the lasagna and spread evenly. Add extra cheese to the top if you like. Add a sprinkle of oregano and pepper to the top of your lasagna. 

3. Cook for 30-40min on 180 degrees Celsius. 

**Please note: the amount of herbs I put in may vary. Be careful not to overdo the chilli or paprika. Each time I make this recipe I sprinkle a little of each herb and season to taste, adding more of one herb or spice if I feel that it needs it. 

Healthy Snacks - Fruit Salad

Working on an assignment over the weekend, I have needed some extra brain food to get me through. 

Many people think that because you have fructose malabsorption, you cannot eat fruit, this is very wrong! It's just about selecting the right fruits and going with whats in season. 

Here's a fruit salad I whipped up in just a few minutes: 

Seasonal Fruit Salad Recipe:

 

Ingredients: 
1 small banana
5 large strawberries
1 handful of seedless grapes
1 small mandarin, with pieces sliced in half
1 small kiwi fruit 

Makes two serves 

Add ice cream or cream for a special treat 

Steps: 

Cut up all the ingredients into smaller pieces and mix! 

Alternatives: 

Other fresh fruit you could use depending on its availability: 

- Pineapple
- Blueberries 
- Raspberries
- Cantaloupe 
- Honeydew melon 
- Paw Paw (add lime juice to lift the flavour of the pawpaw!) 

Berry Frangipane Slice Recipe

Last night I whipped up a very simple, but delicious low-FODMAP Berry Cake, because who doesn't love berries or almonds?

I found this recipe on the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App and have slightly altered it. 

Berry Frangipane Slice Recipe

Ingredients: 

150g butter, softened (or lactose free margarine)

1tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup raw sugar 

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 cup gluten-free cornflour 

300 g fresh berries, such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries

4 tspb pure icing sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a small cake tin with butter or oil and set aside.

2 Mix the butter, vanilla extract and caster sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Add the egg and mix through. 

3. Gently mix in the almond meal and cornflour and mix until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin; smooth surface and sprinkle with berries. 

4. Bake the slice for about 30 minutes or until the surface is a light golden brown and firm to touch. Turn upside down, carefully, onto the bench. Serve dusted with icing sugar. 

Alternatives: 

You can serve this slice with cream or ice cream if you are not lactose intolerant.

You can exchange the berries for other low-FODMAP fruits such as Banana, Rhubarb, or Passionfruit. 

Please keep your serve to about 1 slice per sitting, as almonds should be moderated in their intake.

Low FODMAP Butter Chicken

From my previous posts it may seem that I don't eat dinner or lunch, so I thought it was about time to write a post about a low FODMAP dinner adventure. 

As I am someone who loves putting together simple meals it can often be hard when you cannot use a pre-made sauce out of a jar because it contains things like onion and garlic. Sadly this cuts out some of my favourite simple dinners using a sauce out of a jar, like butter chicken. Last night my boyfriend and I gave a go at making an Indian butter chicken curry from scratch, slightly altering another recipe. 

For a first time try, this recipe took me altogether about an hour to complete, so don't start it unless you have some time on your hands! However, our efforts were definitely worth it. 

Low FODMAP Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients: 

125ml (1/2 cup) Natural Yoghurt 

1tsb lemon juice

1 tsp turmeric

2tsp garam masala

1 tsp chilli powder

2tsp fresh ground ginger

3 tsb garlic infused olive oil

500 g chicken fillets, sliced

60g unsalted butter

1 tbs ground cardamon 

1tsb cinnamon 

1 bay leaf

2 tsp sweet paprika

500 g tomatoes (about 4 large tomatoes) 

75 ml chicken stock

125 ml coconut cream 

6 baby delight potatoes 

3 small carrots, sliced

1 cup peas, defrosted

Steamed rice to serve, in this recipe I have used Forbidden Black Rice as I enjoy its slightly nutty flavour, but basmati would be fine

Steps: 

1. Combine yogurt,  lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, chilli, cumin, ginger and 1tsp of the infused garlic oil in a bowl. Add chicken and stir well. Cover and if possible, refrigerate over night to allow flavours to develop (however, if you cannot do so, this is not a necessity).

2. To create a tomato puree, cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon. Roughly chop. Heat another 1tsp of garlic infused olive oil in a fry pan and add the tomatoes and the paprika. Cook until soft and pulpy. Cool mixture and then puree until smooth. Set this aside. 

3. Boil the potatoes in a pot for 15 minutes, adding carrots in for the final 5 minutes. Whilst boiling the vegetables, heat the butter and another 1tsp of garlic infused oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cardamon, cinnamon and bay leaf, cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and then add the chicken and marinade, tomato puree and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut cream, potatoes, carrots and defrosted peas and cook for a further 10 minutes. 

If the sauce is too runny, you can add more cream, yoghurt or a little bit of gluten-free flour to thicken. 

4. Serve with rice.