Afternoon Tea

Ok, this may not be one for the beginner to try, but it gives you an idea of what can still be achieved despite the restrictions! I've wanted to do a full on afternoon tea for a while and husbands birthday seemed the perfect excuse (probably wouldn't have done quite so many things if it hadn't been a special occasion). 

Ours was Milk, Egg, Wheat and Soya free (MEWS), but I will post some suggestions for just Milk, Egg and Soya (MES) if you can still have wheat. 

Bread for Sandwiches:

There are lots of MES free wholemeal and multigrain breads around, but somehow I think afternoon tea sandwiches are better with white bread. Since Marks and Spencer changed their labelling on their white crusty loaf to 'not suitable for milk allergy sufferers', I think the best option (other than homemade bread) is Waitrose White and Wholemeal loaf. There might be other options around, but that's the only one I can get locally.

For MEWS free, I love Bob's Red Mill Wonderful Bread Mix (adaptation for egg free here), which gives a great textured easy slice loaf. Unfortunately, Mini Monster can't eat this because of the Chickpea flour. Orgran Easy Bake Bread Mix, being yeast free is more like a soda bread, but would work well baked on the day (otherwise it may be a bit crumbly). I still haven't had a chance to try the fantastic looking Italian flour mixes I picked up at the allergy show, but will keep you posted.

My current favourite bread recipe is this one adapted from Iced Gem Bakes (sorry, it's not nut free). It holds together beautifully for a thin slice (even when a few days old) and is a great texture.

Follow the link, but instead of the egg, just add 60mls additional fluid (total fluid 420mls, I usually use a mixture of water and milk substitute).

I had to make two loaves to feed 5 adults and 2 children, so used double this quantity (Put cut off crusts in a labelled bag in the freezer to make into breadcrumbs. Or make into bread crumbs and freeze...).

Scones

For MEWS free scones I used this recipe from Coeliac UK. I only used 20g of Baking Powder (otherwise taste was unpleasant), and cooked them for 12 minutes. Instead of the milk powder and water, just use milk substitute (I might have another go with 1/2 milk substitute and 1/2 sparkling water, to help the rise, next time).

For MES free try any scone recipe, but use dairy and soya free spread instead of butter, and milk substitute with juice of 1/2 a lemon instead of buttermilk.

Trifle

I did mini trifles as there were so many other things, and used about half this recipe for 6.

If I wait until I've written up the fruit tart and cake recipes, I'll never get this post live, so I'll post the recipes for those at a later date.

Chocolate 'Porridge' Biscuits

Don't let the name fool you, nothing to do with porridge, but Mini Monster named them porridge biscuits because they are made with oats.

I found this recipe for 'Ginger and Oat Cookies' in the back of a Christmas Tesco Real Food magazine I was about to throw out. They are now a firm favourite with several different adaptations. These work well with or without wheat.

125g (4oz) Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure Sunflower/Vitalite)

175g (6oz) Light Muscovado Sugar (or any other - I only use 125g)

2tbsp Golden Syrup (about 30g)

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

3/4 tsp Ground Ginger

3 finely Shredded Balls of Stem Ginger (these are very gingery, if you don't like them to spicy, start with 1-2)

125g (5oz) Plain Flour or Gluten Free Plain Flour

150g (5oz) Rolled Oats

25g Cocoa Powder

Put spread, sugar and syrup in a bowl and melt in the microwave (or put in a pan and melt over a low heat). Leave to cool slightly.

Weigh flour, oats, ground ginger and cocoa into another large bowl.

Stir grated ginger (if using) and bicarbonate of soda into the melted sugar and spread mix.

Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

Mix well.

Roll into balls.

Flatten slightly and place on trays to bake.

Bake at 180ºC for 10-12 minutes. Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack or they will break up.

Alternative flavours:

Add the grated zest of an orange instead of Ginger
Add chocolate chips
Swap the cocoa for flour to make plain oat cookies
Add raisins or other dried fruit

Ham, Pea & Potato Cakes

I get a lot of comments that there are not enough savoury recipes on the website, this is partly because I think savoury foods are easier to find or, with simple changes, adapt. My brother gets me subscription to BBC Good Food Magazine every year and I always manage to find lots of ideas and savoury recipes that are easy to adapt. I keep meaning to write to them and offer to do recipe adaptation for allergies, but I've been beaten to it. For several months they have included at least one gluten free (GF) recipe and over time have started marking other recipes in the magazine as GF, or how to adapt. Hopefully it is only a matter of time before we see some other allergies catered for too...

This month (August 2013) it boasts 'A Week of Gluten Free Suppers', with the exception of the Frittata (Italian style omelette), all are very easy to make Milk, Egg, Wheat and Soya (MEWS) free too. 

I had a go at the Ham, Pea &Polenta Cakes at the weekend - just didn't serve them with the poached eggs! Despite the abundance of peas, even Mini Monster loved them and asked for them again on Sunday (had to disappoint him there, but promised to buy the ingredients another day...).

To Make 8 (about 8cm wide and 2 cm deep)

400g Mashed Sweet Potato and Potato (you could use either alone if necessary, but if you are just using Sweet Potato, it might be better baked rather than boiled so it's not too wet)

120g Frozen Peas

180g Shredded Ham Hock

Zest of 1 Lemon

1 tbsp chopped mint leaves (fresh or frozen)

3 Spring Onions, finely sliced

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (I used Mustard)

2 Tbsp Polenta plus 4 Tbsp Polenta For coating

Vegetable Oil for frying

(original recipe had an egg white added to bind it, I didn't bother and it held together well)

Put Mash, peas, ham hock, mint, lemon zest, spring onions, cayenne and 2 tbsp polenta into a bowl.

 Mix well.

Form into 8 cakes (roll into a ball and then flatten slightly).

Coat the cakes in the rest of the polenta.

Cover and chill for at least 15 minutes to firm up.

Shallow fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and warmed through.

Trifle

Finally, we seem to have a weekend worthy of being called summer. What better way to celebrate than a pudding using fresh local sumer berries. 

With a little bit of preparation (I made the custard the night before, to give it time to cool, and had left over birthday cake trimmings in the freezer), another recipe so easy, a child could do it. As you can see from the pictures, mine did! 

Cubes of Cake

Strawberries and Raspberries 

Strawberry Sauce (recipe at end)

500mls Dairy Free Custard (recipe at end)

100mls Dairy Free Cream* 

Grated dairy free chocolate or suitable chocolate sprinkles

If you can't find a small boy (or girl) to layer it up, you'll have to do it yourself!

Put cubes of cake into the bottom of 4 glasses (or a bowl).

Spoon on strawberry sauce to moisten the sponge.

Add a mixture of berries until the glass is about half full (squash down a little if necessary).

Top with custard.

Lick fingers if necessary.

Pour over cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Chill until ready to eat.

*Dairy Free Cream:
I used Oatly Cream, but if you need it to be Gluten Free too, you could try Isola Bio Rice Cream or EcoMil Cuisine Almond Cream 


Custard:

1tbsp Custard Powder, plus
1 tbsp Corn Flour (or you could just use 2 tbsp custard powder, but it will be much yellower)
1 tbsp Sugar
350mls Milk Substitute (I used Oatly, you may need a little more corn flour if you are using rice or nut milk)
150mls Dairy Free Cream

Mix custard powder, corn flour and sugar with a little milk substitute to form a paste.

Slowly add the rest of the milk substitute and mix well.

Microwave for 2 minutes (or heat slowly in a pan, stiring all the time to stop it sticking or going lumpy).

Stir well.

Microwave for a further minute, or until boiled and thick.

Slowly beat in the dairy free cream.

Beat again after about 5 minutes.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate until needed (press the cling film onto the surface of the custard to stop a skin forming).

Beat again before using.


Strawberry Sauce:

4 Strawberries
1 tsp Water
1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste
1 tsp sugar

Put all the ingredients in a bowl.

Microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.

Mash together and leave to cool.

Sausage and Tomato Muffins

Ever on the lookout for a sandwich alternative for Mini Monster, I decided to use up leftover sausages in a savoury version of my muffins for this week's pack lunches. 

2 cups Gluten free bread flour (I used Dove's Farm, you might need to adjust the fluid for a different mix)

1/4 cup sugar 

4 tsp baking powder

8 tbsp olive oil (I used about 100g of melted Pure as I'm almost out of olive oil)

2 tsp Egg replacer*(works without too)

1 cup plus 4 tbsp Oat milk (or other milk substitute)

6 cooked sausages cut into slices

A handful of cherry tomatoes cut into quarters (cut smaller if using large cherry tomatoes)

A few sprigs of fresh herbs out of the garden (oregano, sage and rosemary) - a small amount of dried herbs would be fine too.

Preheat oven to 180º C.

Mix flour, sugar, egg replacer and baking powder together in a large bowl. 

Mix milk substitute and oil in a jug or bowl.

Pour into dry ingredients and mix until almost combined.

Add the sausage, herbs and tomato and continue to mix lightly - do not over mix or they will be tough.

Spoon into greased muffin tin, fill almost to the top.

Bake for 30 mins until risen and golden brown.

Alternative flavours to try:

Spinach, basil and pine nut

Ham and leek

Mustard and herb

Lamb, apricot and cumin

Courgette and lemon

Strawberry and Raspberry 'Cheese'cake

The sun is finally shining, English berries are beginning to appear in the shops and finally I've had time to post another recipe!

Usually when I've done 'cheese'cake for the boys, it's more of a strawberry mousse with mashed fruit, oat cream and gelatine. Even with acidity from lemon juice, it's not quite the same... 

I've been meaning to try it with CoYo since it became available. Fussy Five (who is no longer fussy, or 5, needs a new name - Mini Monster can keep his!) isn't keen on the strong coconut taste which is why I added the oat cream this time. His verdict... Delicious!

25g Dairy and Soya Free Spread (Pure Sunflower/ Vitalite etc)

60g Suitable Biscuits, Crushed (Tesco Free From Digestives (check ingredients, some contain soya flour), Doves Farm Lemon Biscuits etc)

2 leaves gelatine

125g CoYo Yogurt

125mls Oatly Cream (or additional 125g CoYo to make it gluten free)

1/2 tsp Vanilla paste (or extract)

1 leaf gelatine

100mls fruit puree/juice

fresh fruit

2 x 8cm rings (try double quantity for 20cm (8") loose bottom round tin)

 Melt Dairy and Soya free spread. 

Add biscuit crumbs and still until well combined.

Press mixture into bottom of tin using the back of a spoon. 

Chill in the fridge until needed.

Soak 2 leaves of the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 10 mins, drain off water, then microwave the gelatine for 10 seconds (or until just dissolved).

Mix CoYo, Vanilla and Oat Cream (if using) in a bowl.

Stir a spoonful if the yogurt mix into the gelatine, then add it to the rest of the yogurt mixture. (you can chill it until just beginning to set at this stage, then whisk, to get a moussey consistency, but I didn't have time today).

Pour over biscuit base and refrigerate until needed.

Meanwhile, soak and melt the remaining gelatine leaf as before.

Add to fruit puree/juice (I used about 120g raspberries and strawberries pushed through a sieve to remove pips - works well with frozen (defrosted) fruit too).

Pour onto yogurt base , top with fruit and leave to set in the fridge.

My Food Awards

With the winners of this years Free From Food Awards still tightly under wraps (and then many will not be suitable for MEWS free) until Tuesday night I thought I'd share some of my food hero's with you. These are nothing to do with the actual awards, and there are lots of other good products around. These are just some of the products that have made my life easier and meet our needs as a family. 

One of the frustrating things about being a Registered Dietitian is that we are not allowed to recommend a particular brand of product over another. I think that's all very well when you're talking about 'low fat spread', but with allergies, it's different. There often is only one suitable brand. Here are some for starters...

Breads and Flour Mixes (where the recipes/method need adaptation to make milk, egg, soya and wheat free, I have included a link)

DS (Dietary Specials) for Soft White Rolls,  - great store cupboard standby, when we can get hold of them, don't know why more of their rolls are not egg or soya free.

Bob's Red Mill for Wonderful Bread Mix (sadly we can no longer use this as it contains chick pea flour and mini monster can no longer tolerate pulses, but really does as it says and makes a wonderful loaf)

Orgran for Easy Bake Bread Mix (as well as several other of their products) - very versatile as can use smaller amounts of mix as needed with equal weight to volume e.g. 40g mix plus 40mls fluid. I use for 'emergency' bread, sausage rolls, pizza bases etc

Gemma at Iced Gem Bakes for her recipe's, especially for bread recipe (Contains nuts) which I have adapted for seeded bread, hot cross buns, cinnamon and raisin bread, malt loaf, and bread rolls (will post recipes one day...). Her Celebration Cakes book is pretty good too.

Hale & Hearty for Pizza mix (for bread sticks), Chocolate Chip Biscuit mix (for instant homemade cookies or lollies)

Pasta, Noodles etc

Amoy for Straight to Wok Ribbon Rice Noodles for the times I've got home late from work and need an instant carbohydrate 

Merchant Gourmet for One Minute Intant Polenta

King Soba for Pumpkin, ginger and rice noodles (admittedly, I selfishly ate all these and didn't share them with the children... We did use their Black Rice Noodles for spaghetti monsters though...)

Le Veneziane for Tagliatelle that doesn't break up when cooking or mixed with sauce!

Treats and Occasions 

Sainsbury Free From Jam Tarts - the only ones that don't contain egg (but does contain Almonds)

Tesco for Free From Digestives (thank you for taking out the soya flour)

Pudology for Strawberry Puds for an extra special treat

Bessant and Drury Ice Creams for allowing my boys to finally enjoy banana splits 

Mortimer for Pure Chocolate Powders - including white!

Dr Oetker for having so many cake decorating products that are suitable (particularly chocolate beans meaning Smarties cookies were possible)

 All that remains is to eagerly await the results of the official awards...

The Official Awards can be found here.