Recipe: Warming Coconut Noodle Soup

A quick update...

Over Christmas I went a little nuts, ate lots of sugar, too much meat, etc, and ended up with a nasty dose of my old 'friend', not to mention absolutely dreadful indigestion. Yuck. So, I'm going back to basics, at least until my system gets back on track. It's back to checking labels and not eating out for me. Boo.

This evening I really fancied something noodley and spicy and coconutty. The red chilli sauce I normally use as a base turned out to have corn syrup in it (I swear it didn't use to!), so I had to make do with other ingredients. This is what I came up with. It was surprisingly delicious and made enough for two generous servings.

Warming Coconut Noodle Soup


2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or as much, or little as you like)
1 red chilli, finely chopped with seeds
About an inch of ginger peeled and shredded
Sesame oil
1 tin of coconut milk
1 yeast-free stock cube dissolved in a 1/4 pint boiling water
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground coriander (adjust to taste)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
half a tin of Marigold braised tofu (inc. the juices)
a sprinkle of Maldon salt
freshly ground black pepper
half a large onion, finely sliced
1 red pepper
a couple of handfuls of lettuce or something 'green'
1 nest of noodles

Add a splash of sesame oil to a hot wok. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir for a few moments. Add the onion. Fry for a couple of minutes, until the onion is starting to soften and turn golden. Add the red pepper. Fry for another couple of minutes until the pepper starts to soften. Add the basil, coriander and cinnamon. Stir well and fry for a few moments to release the flavours.

Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice. Stir well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and add the 'chunked'  braised tofu and juices (the liquid aminos replace traditional fermented soy sauce in this recipe). Stir and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the noodles. Coat them well in the soup mixture. Allow to bubble away and thicken slightly.

When the noodles are just about cooked, add the seasoning (to taste) and the lettuce. Give the mixture a good stir. Once the lettuce has wilted, the soup is ready to eat. Yum!

Gujerati-style Cabbage with Carrots

A delicious, light, nutrient-packed side dish found here (replace the sugar with agave):

Gujerati-style Cabbage with Carrots

1/2 lb cabbage
1/2 lb carrots
fresh green chilli to taste
3 tbsp oil
1 pinch asafeotida (hing)
1 tbsp black mustard seed
1 dried red chilli
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp lemon juice

1. Core the cabbage and cut into long shreds; grate the carrots; thinly slice the green chilli.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan; when hot add the asafeotida (hing), a second later add the mustard seeds; when they begin to pop add the dried red chilli; stir once.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots and green chilli; turn the heat down; stir for a minute.

4. Add the salt, sugar and coriander; cook for approx 5minutes or until the veg are just done; add lemon juice, stir, serve.

You may wish to moderate the use of fresh and dried chilli!

Recipe: Herby Boulangere Potatoes

Potatoes from Avignon by miladus

Delicious and entirely Candida diet-friendly potato recipe shared by The Cottage Smallholder (providing you use yeast/sugar-free stock powder). Great as a side-dish, or on its own. Economical, frugal, simple and very comforting.

Recipe: Potato Mamoosa

Made this recipe for dinner tonight.  Sounds a little odd, but is really very tasty.  And, as far as I can tell, perfectly anti-Candida diet A-OK (you could always leave out the chilli).

Recipe: Djinn's AMAZING Instant Whip Fairy Cakes

This evening I've been doing a spot of experimental bakery. (I'd run out of butter and milk!)  I came up with a cake batter that tastes exactly like Chocolate Instant Whip!!!!  

I used this basic recipe as my guide.

These cakes have a very light texture, not too sweet, just chocolatey enough.  Enjoy!

Djinn's AMAZING Instant Whip Fairy Cakes

Makes six small cakes

25g gluten-free self-raising flour

25g cocoa power (I like Cadbury's Bournville)

50g corn oil

50g xylitol

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsps plain yoghurt

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.  Line a muffin tin with bun cases.  In a mixing bowl beat the oil and  xylitol until pale and fluffy.  Add the beaten egg, a little at a time.  Whisk to incorporate with oil and xylitol mixture.  Beat in vanilla essence.  Sift flour into bowl and fold into mixture.  Add the yoghurt.  Sift in cocoa powder and fold until well combined.  Spoon into bun cases and cook for 12 minutes in the centre of the oven.  Remove and place on a cooling rack for a few mins. Tuck in!

Delicious Parsnip and Ginger Soup

Freshly harvested parsnips, by Marj Joly

Feeling chilly in this wintry weather? Then try the Parsnip and Ginger Soup recipe over on the River Nene website. Instead of butter, I substituted half olive oil spread and olive oil, yeast-free stock powder and a splash of soy sauce, instead of Worcester sauce.

Delicious!

Recipe: Beef Goulash

Hungarian paprika by vi4kin

A delicious and comforting - and, most likely, completely inauthentic - casserole for a chilly autumn day:

Beef Goulash

Serves 2

400g quality stewing steak trimmed and cut into pieces
4 medium tomatoes
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1tbs plain flour
1 tbs tomato puree
1 tbs paprika
1 yellow, red or green pepper
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
atural yogurt (optional)


Heat oil in a large frying pan, or casserole dish. Add pieces of beef, a few at a time, and seal. Remove from pan/casserole. Add onions and garlic. Sweat until translucent. Return beef to pan/dish and fry together for another couple of minutes. Place in a casserole dish if not already.


Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes (place in a bowl and pour on boiling water, leave for a few minutes before removing, skins should slide off easily). Carefully chop the skinned tomatoes, being careful not to lose too much juice. Add to the casserole dish, along with the tomato puree. Stir the beef, onions and tomatoes together. Add seasoning and flour. Stir well. Put lid on casserole and place in the middle of an oven at a medium heat for 1hr-1hr, 30 mins.


Towards the end of the cooking time, prepare and slice the pepper into medium strips. Add to the casserole. Stir everything together. Add a little water if it looks a little dry. Return to the oven for another 30mins-1 hr, until the meat is tender.


Serve from the casserole dish, with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, or brown basmati rice. As an extra-special finishing touch, add a swirl of natural yogurt and a sprinkling of paprika.

Recipe: Carrot and Potato Rosti

Rude veg by Silversprite

A delicious, quick and easy recipe:

Carrot & Potato Rosti

Makes one large rosti, which will serve two as a side dish, or one as a main course.

3 medium carrots, washed and peeled

3 medium potatoes, washed and peeled

butter or olive oil spread

salt and pepper

grated goats cheese (optional)

Grate the carrots and potatoes. Place in a bowl. Season to taste and mix well with hands.

Heat a knob of butter/olive oil spread in a small non-stick frying pan. Squeeze excess water out of potato/carrot mixture with hands, or in a clean tea-towel.

When the butter/spread is nice and bubbly, add the carrot/potato mixture, pressing it into the pan. Cook on a moderate heat, turning every five mins or so (it helps to turn the rosti out onto a dinner plate, before sliding it back into the pan), until golden-brown and crispy on both sides (around twenty mins).

For an extra treat, add grated cheese to the top of the rosti and allow to melt in the pan.

Sourdough Bagels

Since starting the Candida diet I've really missed bagels with smoked turkey, gherkins and mustard. Mmmmmmm...mustard *drool*. So imagine how delighted I was to discover they can be made and are, in fact, more authentic, with sourdough starter.

I used the recipe I found at Sourdough Home. This is, IMHO, the best site for naturally leavened bread recipes and tips; lots of sensible, down-to-earth advice. I followed the recipe to the letter* (although I did omit the overnight proving). How did they look?

Brilliant! And how did they taste? YUM! The method is fairly time-consuming, but well worth the effort.

*I could only get malt extract - used approx. half the quantity (weight) of malt powder recommended in the recipe. Which reminds me: a quick trawl of the Internet could not confirm whether, or not, malt extract is permitted on the candida diet, so this recipe might be something to save for special occasions, or choose to avoid if you're just starting out on the diet.

New potatoes in a Japanese stylee

Photo by poluz

Just a quick post (mired in a case study at the moment - ugh) to let you all know how yum this recipe -courtesy of Maki - is.

N.B. Instead of butter I used Olivio, or Bertolli Spread, or whatever it's called now.

Tip: Kikkoman's soy sauce doesn't contain any added sugar. I buy it in big litre bottles from the Chinese supermarket and decant it into one of their pretty glass containers as and when needed. Works out much cheaper.

Recipe: Lemon Polenta Cake

By alasam

Anna has asked me to post the recipe for Lemon Polenta Cake. I don't normally reproduce recipes published elsewhere, but as this is an adaptation, I'll make an exception (suggested substitutes in brackets).

Lemon Polenta Cake

Serves 8

175 g butter (olivio)
175 g caster sugar (xylitol)
2 large eggs, beaten
150 g ground almonds
85 g polenta
1/2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
zest of 2 large lemons
2 tbsp lemon juice

For the lemon syrup:
85 g caster sugar (xylitol)
zest and juice of 1 large lemon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c. Line the base of a 17 cm spring-release cake tin with non-stick parchment paper and lightly grease the sides.

Cream butter (olivio) and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in eggs. Fold in almonds, polenta, baking powder, lemon zest and juice, and mix thoroughly.

Spoon mixture into prepared tin and bake for 45-50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

To make syrup, place sugar, lemon zest and juice, and 2 tbsps water in a small pan and heat until sugar (xylitol) dissolves. Simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat.

Remove cake from tin and transfer to serving plate. Using a cocktail stick, prick the cake in several places. Drizzle over with syrup.

Recipe: Roasted Vine Tomato and Basil Soup

It's sweltering hot here at the moment (about time too!) and I really didn't feel like cooking (or writing) this evening. I fancied something light and fresh, and came up with this recipe, which made use of the lovely tomatoes and onions I received in my weekly veg box.

Photo by Zed.Cat

Roasted Vine Tomato and Basil Soup

Serves 1

4 medium vine tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 large clove garlic
half a handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 pint stock (yeast-free)
olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Place in a dish, skin side up. Peel and quarter the onion, add to dish with clove of garlic (leave whole). Drizzle over a good slug of olive oil and season with pepper. Place in the oven for around thirty minutes until the tomato skins are wrinkly. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

When cool enough to handle, slip the skins from the tomatoes. Place tomato, onion and garlic, along with the juice collected in the bottom of the dish, into a blender. Whizz the mixture with half the stock until smooth. Add the basil and whizz until chopped.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and stir in the remainder of the stock. Reheat gently over a low heat. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with sourdough toast. Very tasty. :)

Blueberry Muffins - yum!

I'm making candida diet friendly muffins for a party tomorrow. I found this great recipe for the blueberry variety on the BBC Food website. Just substitute sugar for xylitol. The muffins don't rise very high (perhaps I should have left the batter over night as the recipe recommends), but taste LUSCIOUS! And I love the way the blueberries pop as the muffins cook and leech purple juice everywhere. Not something for everyday consumption, but perfect as an occasional treat.

Oh, and I can definitely recommend the silicon muffin tray I rescued from TK Maxx on Monday.

In other news, this blog has been, and is likely to remain, fairly quiet for a bit, cos my thesis has to take top priority at the moment...

Veg box!

I've taken the plunge. After months of weighing up the pros and cons (mostly pros - smaller carbon footprint, seasonal veg, supporting local farmers), earlier this week I ordered an organic mini veg box from River Nene. And it arrived this morning...

I was so excited!! In my box this week I got new potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, onions, carrots and wet garlic, all covered with dirt and clearly fresh out of the ground - hurrah!

Eh?

Wet garlic?

What's that?

It's fresh garlic, as opposed to the dry stuff we're more used too.

I had a lovely day turning the contents of my box into delicious meals. First of all the carrots went into a yummy Carrot & Coriander Soup for lunch and, this evening, a tried out one of the recipes supplied with the box, Wet and Wild Garlic Risotto (I omitted the white wine and wild garlic, and replaced the parmesan with grated ewe's milk manchego). It was seriously garlicky, but absolutely delicious. The wet garlic is lighter in flavour and sweeter than dry garlic - more like a cross between a leek and spring onion. And with all that garlic and onion this recipe must be a super-Candida fighter. Woo!

Can't wait to see what I get in my box next week!

Recipe: Pea and Bacon Chowder

I've just made this delicious Lesley Water's recipe for Pea and Bacon Chowder, aka Witches' Brew. Quick and easy to make with just a few ingredients and very comforting. I will definitely make this one again!

Recipe: Sweet Chilli Lime Tofu with Steamed Spinach and Quinoa

This is a great vegan recipe originally posted by LindyLoo, and adapted par moi!

Sweet Chilli Lime Tofu with Steamed Spinach and Quinoa

Serves 2-4

1 block tofu sliced length-wise and cut into triangles

For the sauce:
3 tsp granulated xylitol
3 tsp soy sauce
1 3/4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 zest of the lime
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
4 mint leaves, chiffonaded

For the quinoa:
3/4 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
1/2 zest
2 bruised cardamon pods
1 small piece of cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups of water

For the spinach (the original recipe calls for collards , but I have no idea what those are!)
1 bag spinach leaves
2-3 tsps water
1 pinch salt
1 tsp lime juice

Combine all the ingredients for the quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cover with a tight lid. Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and steam for a further 10 minutes before serving.

Prepare the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients until the xylitol has dissolved.

Heat a pan and dry-fry the tofu triangles until golden on both sides.

Chop the spinach leaves (if necessary) and add to a deep frying pan/wok with the water, lime juice and salt. Cover and cook over a high heat for a couple of minutes until the spinach has wilted.

Re-heat the tofu and add the sauce to the pan. Stir to coat. Turn off the heat when the sauce starts to bubble and glaze the tofu.

Serve the spinach on top of a bed of quinoa. Add the tofu on top of that and drizzle over any left over sauce. Garnish with lime slices and the mint leaves.

Recipe: Massaman Curry

At last! The first of those recipes I promised...

Adapted from Healthy Dairy-Free Eating, by Mini C and Tanya Carr (p. 99).

Massaman Curry

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp Thai red curry paste (I used Geo Organics Red Curry Paste - which apart from a spot of white wine vinegar and orange juice is Candida diet-friendly)
310g firm tofu, cut into chunks
200ml coconut milk
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, coarsely sliced
1 tbsp cashew nuts (I added extra!)
4 cardamon seeds
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsps granulated xylitol
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 handful coriander leaves to garnish

Heat oil in a pan over a low heat. Add the curry paste and stir-fry or about 15 seconds - don't burn! Add the tofu chunks and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes, add the potatoes, onion, cashews, cardamon and cinnamon.

Season with lemon juice, xylitol and soy sauce. Leave curry to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve with boiled brown rice. Delicious!

Recipe: Luscious Leek & Potato Soup

My own recipe, this simple soup has no added fat (someone is trying to lose a few pounds so she can fit back into her skinny jeans!) and is suitable for vegans, as it has no added dairy.

Luscious Leek & Potato Soup

Makes 3-4 servings

5-6 medium potatoes
1 large leek
1 shallot or small onion
1 tbsp Marigold Vegan and Yeast-free stock powder
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg

Peel and chop the potatoes into two or three pieces. Place in a large saucepan and just cover them with cold water. Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potatoes are starting to soften, and then add the leek, well rinsed and chopped and the stock powder. Stir, re-cover and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

Remove the vegetables and about two ladles of the cooking liquid to a liquidiser. Blend until smooth and return to the saucepan and remaining cooking liquid. Stir well and heat gently. Add pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Serve with sourdough drop scones (recipe to follow soon!).

Recipe: Channa Masala

Found a great recipe for Channa Masala (a kind of Indian chickpea 'stew') on the Wandsworth NHS website. Have inadvertently lost the URL, so I've reproduced it below (with a few minor adjustments). Not only is it Candida diet friendly, it is suitable for vegetarians/vegans and has no added fat. It's spicy, but fragrant (thanks to the coriander) and very, very tasty.

Tip: To easily peel tomatoes, simply grate them! The pulp and seeds are retained while the skin is left behind. I can't take the credit; I saw Tommi Miers on A Cook's Tour of Spain (Channel 4) do it the other evening!

Channa Masala

Serves 8-10

1/2 - 1tsp turmeric
1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder
2 cm fresh ginger, crushed/grated
2-4 cloves garlic, crushed/grated
pinch of salt
4 cans tinned chickpeas, drained
5-6 green chillis, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, peeled
1/2 - 1tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
juice of 2 lemons

1. Put turmeric, chilli powder, ginger, garlic and salt in pan with 8 fl oz/240 ml water. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

2. Add the chickpeas, green chillis, half the tomato, the garam masala and cumin seeds to the water. Stir and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add 4-6 fl oz/100 - 170 ml water, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

4. In a separate container, mix the rest of the tomato, coriander leaves and lemon juice. Use this mixture as a garnish for the chickpea dish and serve either hot, with brown rice, or cold with a green salad.

Recipe: Dhal

Dhal is an economical and nutritious lentil-based 'stew'. I've adapted this recipe from the DK book Yoga: Mind and Body.

Dhal

Serves 4

Dried green lentils
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 or 2 green birdseye chillis, chopped
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
4 cloves
sunflower oil
salt

Boil the lentils in water for 25-30 mins, until tender. Meanwhile, fry the garlic, onions, ginger and chilli in a pan with a small amount of sunflower oil, until the onion is soft. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, cloves and salt (to taste) to the pan. Cook for a few minutes (the mustard seeds will start to pop). Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well.

Meanwhile, drain the lentils. Add to the tomato, onion and spice mixture and mix well. Cook for a few minutes to combine the flavours. Add a spot of water to the pan if the mixture is too dry.

Serve with brown basmati rice.#

#N.B. The combination of rice and lentils makes for a nutritionally complete meal.