Veggie Fried Rice

June 5, 2017

This veggie packed dish is great to make on a Sunday - ready for lunches during the week.

What you need:

Tofu & Marinade

280g firm tofu, cut into small cubes

1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp chilli sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp grated ginger

Rest of Ingredients:

1 tsp sesame oil

1 1/2 tbsp chopped chives

1/4 tsp grated ginger

1 small chilli finely chopped

280g broccolini, sliced

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

2/4 (1/2 ) cup peas*

1 packet of pre-cooked brown rice, 250g

3 tbsp gluten free soy sauce

Juice of 1 lime

1-2 tsp chilli sauce

What to do:

Serves 3-4

Combine marinade ingredients in snap lock bag and mix tofu in so its all covered. Place in fridge for at least 4 hours

Heat pan – fry tofu for a couple of minutes each side or until golden brown. Remove from pan, set aside

In the pan, combine oil, chives, ginger and chilli and cook until soften

Add broccolini and capsicum and stir fry over a medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add peas and rice and stir fry together for 3 minutes.

Add gluten free soy, lime juice and extra chilli sauce (optional). Toss until well combined.

Add tofu and gently mix together

Serve with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

* serving sizes of green peas need to be limited to keep the meal FODMAP friendly (1/8 cup is considered moderate in FODMAP’s per Monash University Low FODMAP app. Adjust serving sizes to suit your individual needs. An alternative substitute would be green beans chopped into 1cm pieces.

Banana Raspberry Muffins

May 31, 2017

As most of you are aware, I generally avoid high lactose foods as it’s a FODMAP trigger for me. However, I was interested to try a2 Milk™ (cows’ milk with a difference) after discovering many people with IBS don’t suffer any of their usual symptoms after drinking it.

I was a bit nervous at first but I tried a little and found I didn’t have any symptoms so tried some more and I seemed to tolerate it well.

So to celebrate WORLD MILK DAY, I’ve created this muffin recipe in collaboration with a2 Milk™!

Who doesn’t love a fresh muffin straight from the oven?

These muffins are full of juicy raspberries, naturally sweetened with ripe bananas and added sweetness from pure maple syrup – and is completely free from the A1 protein found in regular cows’ milk, which many people struggle to digest.

What is a2 Milk™?

a2 Milk™ is a healthy cows’ milk with a difference. It’s gentle on tummies, easy to digest and less likely to trigger symptoms often associated with lactose intolerance and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It’s free from the A1 protein, which can often cause digestive problems that can sometimes be misdiagnosed as lactose intolerance.*

Cows’ milk and dairy are often the first thing blamed for digestive disorders and with 1 in 5 Brits suffering from issues digesting dairy and 15% of UK adults experiencing the uncomfortable and often embarrassing symptoms of IBS, this could be welcome news.

Most recently following new guidelines from the British Dietetic Association (BDA) which recognised the difference in milk proteins and their effects on IBS, London-based The Functional Gut Clinic assessed a number of their patients in a cows’ milk challenge.

While many had given up dairy thinking it was an intolerance to lactose (the sugar in milk) which triggered their IBS symptoms, it transpired in this challenge that for some patients the issues lay with the A1 protein. A switch to drinking a2 Milk™ instead caused no digestive difficulties in most patients (source: The Functional Gut Clinic, 2016).

Some more exciting news is that Sainsbury’s is now adding semi-skimmed a2 Milk™ into even more of its stores and will now stock whole a2 Milk™ - so the whole family can enjoy real cows’ milk again.

Check out https://a2milk.co.uk/ to find your nearest stockist or more information about a2 Milk™.

*Before changing your diet or re-introducing foods please consult your health care professional.

What you need

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ cups self-raising gluten free flour

1/3 cup rolled oats, plus extra for topping (optional)

4 tbsps ground almonds (use ground flaxseed instead of almonds to make it nut free)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Wet ingredients

3 ripe bananas

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

¼ cup a2 Milk™

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 eggs, lightly whisked

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup raspberries, frozen

What to do

Preheat oven to 160C

In a bowl mix together dry ingredients

Mix together wet ingredients in a separate bowl

Combine dry and wet mixture together and stir until well combined

Gently fold in raspberries

Spoon mixture into greased muffin tins and sprinkle with rolled oats

Place in oven 20-25 minutes or until cooked

Remove from muffin tin and let cool on a baking rack

Best served warm, enjoy! Sarah x

Brunch - East London

May 22, 2017

If you’ve been following me on Instragram, for a while you’ll know that I’m obsessed with Brunch! One of my favourite things to do in the weekends is a morning workout followed by a long catch up with friends over delicious coffee and food.

Since moving to London a year ago, I’ve tried many different spots and been back to a few places on a very regular basis. I’ve rounded up a few of my current favourites in East London.

Lantana

An Australian café in Shoreditch (they’re also in Camden & Fitzrovia). I usually (always) get the smashed avocado* on gluten free toast - this comes with a poached egg, labanah (which I ask for without #DF) and your choice of smoked salmon, bacon (my fav) or haloumi. The gluten free toast at Lantana is AMAZING! Thick, seedy, crunchy on the edges but soft in the middle - the best I’ve found in London to date. The avo dish is a bit different to the standard offering, served with courgette ribbons and fresh herbs on top.

They also offer a boozy brunch option, which is always a good time!

*I make sure I limit my avocado intake to make sure I keep it #sarahfriendly. ½ a medium avocado is considered low FODMAP per the FODMAP friendly guidelines.

Check out the website here

Ozone

A kiwi roastery, coffee bar and eatery in Shoreditch.

The menu has a variety of gluten free options and are clearly labelled. I decided to go for classic poached eggs on gluten free toast with a few sides – smoked salmon and shared a bit of avocado. The gluten free toast was light and fluffy.

They roast the coffee beans on the lower floor of the café and you can be seated downstairs next to the roastery or you can go down and have a peak. I personally prefer to be seated at the window bar – especially nice on a summer’s day when the windows are open.

Check out the website here

The Bach

This list would not be complete without The Bach. A low-key New Zealand café located on Broadway Market and recently opened in Hoxton which serve my ultimate favourite coffee – Allpress, made perfectly #kiwistyle.

Menu’s at each location vary slightly but are equally as great and offer loads of diet friendly options. At Broadway market, I’ve enjoyed (on many occasions) the scrambled eggs with salmon on gluten free toast. They are super accommodating with my dietary needs - making my eggs without milk/cream and leaving off the cream cheese. An epic #sarahfriendly brunch with a delicious coffee. I go for an almond milk flat white as they make it just right.

At Hoxton – I’ve had poached eggs on gluten free toast with bacon and a side of avocado. The bacon was cooked crunchy – just the way I like it and the gluten free bread was brown (my fav) and well cooked. Delicious!! Can’t wait for warmer days when I can eat brunch on the tables they have outside.