Buckwheat pancakes, delicious gluten free breakfast

I love breakfasts, especially sweet ones with lots of fruit. Recently I have found that my breakfasts have become monotonous and you probably know the diet should be as varied as possible. That's why I decided to make pancakes, mainly because of the children. They are small, easy to hold and can be served with your favourite fruit. It was a success. It was a bit to much for the three of us, so we took the rest on the picnic the next day.

Ingredients for about 16 pancakes:

• a cup of buckwheat flour
• a cup of milk
• 2 eggs
• banana
• spoon of honey
• a teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• a teaspoon of baking powder
• as sides: natural yogurt and fruit

Method:

Buckwheat flour - you can buy it in organic shops. In a bowl or a pan mix all dry ingredients. Mash the banana with a fork and put it in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fry in a pan over medium heat on both sides. It is up to you if you use oil or not (for frying). Serve with yogurt and any fruit you like.

Carrots - not only orange. Why is it worth eating carrots in other colours?

 

Carrots have always been one of my favourite vegetables. Maybe because they can be used in so many different dishes and they are sooooooo tasty. We can prepare practically anything from it. Soups, stocks, pancakes, gnocchi, fries, chips, juices, jams, oatmeal, cookies, carrot cake, salads. It is also delicious raw, without any processing. Perfect as a snack for adults and children (even the smallest ones - carrot sticks serving as a teether). Carrots are a rich source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, folates, potassium and copper.

Recently, in shops there is availability of non-orange carrots varieties. Is it worth eating such carrots? Yes of course. All types of carrots are good source of vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, the purple ones also include anthocyanins (antioxidants found in purple fruits and vegetables such as red cabbage, blackberries, and grapes). Anthocyanins, as antioxidants, help protect our body against oxidative stress, i.e. they support the natural defense mechanisms of human cells. It is believed that a diet rich in these substances can reduce the risk of civilization diseases. I am going to mention here a study conducted in the Korean population, which involved 923 people with colorectal cancer and 1,846 healthy people. The study classified vegetables and fruits according to color (green, orange / yellow, red / purple and white). High consumption of vegetables was associated with lower incidence of colorectal cancer in both women and men. However, in women, this incidence was less frequent, and in the analysis of the color of consumed fruits and vegetables, has shown that they were eating more of red and purple vegetables. Men more often used orange and white vegetables. (source)

Does a purple carrot taste different? It depends on soil it has grown. However, it definitely has the flavor of regular orange carrots.

Yellow chicken curry - an aromatic recipe with lots of vegetables

Homemade curry is not that difficult to prepare, you just need to skilfully handle with spices. Curry sauces can be prepared a very large amount of vegetables. When blended they create a thick sauce. The main vegetables used in the sauce are butternut squash, carrots, and corn. They perfectly harmonise with aromatic spices and are a warming idea for lunch / dinner in this autumn time.

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 750g of chicken breast
• butternut squash
• 2 carrots
• leek
• 3 cob of corn
• 200ml of coconut milk (canned)
• 2 onions
• 1cm of ginger
• 4 garlic cloves 
• half a teaspoon of turmeric
• a teaspoon of fenugreek
• a teaspoon of ground allspice
• a teaspoon of ground cumin
• a teaspoon of paprica
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• half a teaspoon of chilli
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 anise star

Plus your favorite sides, e.g. naan bread, papadoms, rice or couscous

Method:

In large pot fry the chopped onion, leek, ginger and garlic using a little bit of oil or olive oil. Fry until soft. Add the diced pumpkin and carrots. Pour the water over the vegetables only in 3/4 and cook for about 30 minutes. During this time, you can also cook the corn and dice the chicken. When the vegetables are soft, blend them and add all the spices: turmeric, fenugreek, allspice, sweet pepper, chilli and cumin. Blend. Add chopped chicken, bay leaves and anise. Simmer, covered, for about an hour. During this time, you can slightly cool the corn and separate the grains - use a knife for this. Finally, add the coconut milk. Stir together with the corn.

Autumn dill soup with root vegetables. Perfect for people suffering from IBS, low FODMAP

 

Are you also more likely to eat soup on cold evenings? Especially in the autumn and winter period? They always warm me up and put me in a good mood. This dill soup with various root vegetables is not only delicious, but also simple and quick to prepare. Contains low FODMAP products.

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 kg of potatoes
• 3 orange carrots
• 2 yellow carrots (exchangeable for regular carrots)
• 2 purple carrots (exchangeable for regular carrots)
• 2 parsnips
• a bunch of dill
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 200ml of coconut milk
• 1.7l of water
• juice and lemon peel
• salt, pepper, bay leaves

Method:

Peel and dice all root vegetables (potatoes, carrots and parsley). In a large pot, heat the olive oil and lightly fry the vegetables (soup will have a nicer color) Pour water, add bay leaves and cook until the potatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper, add coconut milk, lemon juice and chopped dill. Stir well.

Savoury muffins - an idea for a snack with vegetables. Perfect for children, even the youngest

 

Introducing solids can be tricky. Looking for new recipes, inspiration, worrying whether a given meal is healthy and has all the nutrients, finding time to prepare it, child's skills. Sometimes it is worth using recipes that can be prepared in larger portions and then freeze it. The capacity of a young child's stomach is equal to his fists. That is very small, so to prevent food waste - freeze it. The muffins came out delicious, I couldn't resist myself and ate most of it. They taste best fresh. I would say they are best when child has already some chewing skills as the muffins are moist and when the child squeezes them, they form lumps that are difficult to swallow. If I were to make an adult version (picnic or breakfast), I would add spices such as salt, pepper, nutmeg and chilli :-)

Makes 12 servings:

• 2 eggs
• a few broccoli florets (a glass - I used a frozen one)
• a glass of peas (I used frozen)
• a large carrot
• chopped dill
• 3 glasses of flour
• half a cup of plain yogurt
• half a glass of milk
• 1/4 cup rapeseed oil
• a glass of grated cheese (I used cheddar)
• 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder

Method:

Grate the carrots on a fine-mesh grater. Pour milk, oil, yogurt into a bowl, add 2 eggs, broccoli (cooked) and peas and blend everything. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Grease the cupcake tray using oil and then lightly sprinkle with flour. Put the dough into moulds. Bake in an oven preheated to 180C for 30 minutes.

Cream of carrot - a super simple recipe for a nutritious soup

 

Sometimes there is nothing left in the fridge, no chance to go to the shop, then I use what I have. Onions, garlic, ginger, potatoes and carrots are ingredients that last for long and I usually have them in my kitchen. You can tune it a bit by adding coconut milk, orange juice or tomatoes, but simple carrot soup also taste good from time to time.

Ingredients 4 portions

• 800g of carrots
• 200g of potatoes
• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1cm of ginger
• paprika, fenugreek, salt, pepper
• 50ml of single cream
• spoon of oil or olive oil

Method:

Fry the chopped onion, garlic, ginger in oil. When the vegetables are soft, add the chopped carrots and potatoes. Pour with water and cook until the vegetables are tender. Finally, season and add single cream. Blend.

Chocolate millet pudding - an idea for a gluten-free / low fodmap breakfast or dessert

 

Recently, I was looking for inspiration for a breakfast or snack that would be perfect for low fodmap diet. We now know that it's not gluten that worsens IBS symptoms, it's fructans in grains. However, wherever fructans are present, there is also gluten. In stores we will not find food labeled - low in fructans. That is why people suffering from IBS and following the principles of a low fodmap diet, it is recommended to choose gluten-free food

Makes 4 servings:

• half a cup of millet
• 2 cups of lactose-free or plant-based milk
• 4 teaspoons of cocoa
• 20g of dark chocolate
• 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
• banana
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• half a teaspoon of cinnamon
• A method of preparing:

Method:

Boil the millet in water in the proportion of 1 to 2. That is, half a glass of millet per glass of water. You can do this the day before. I used the leftover millet from my dinner. Then put the millet, milk of your choice, sugar, cinnamon and cocoa into the pot. Cook until thickened. Add peanut butter, chocolate and banana. Blend everything. Transfer to the dishes in which you will serve