Cauliflower and Broccoli Pasta Bake

1 x 500g packet of gluten free penne

1 head of brocolli, roughly chopped

1 head of cauli flower, roughly chopped

6 anchovies

1 tsp of dried thyme

3 dried chillies, crumbled

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

1 cup of parmesan cheese

1 tbsp of butter

1 tbsp of flour (Gluten free if sensitive)

500 mls of milk

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 200C 

2. Heat one pot of salted boiling water and a vegetable steamer to boiling.

3. Put vegetables in the vegie steamer. Remove when just soft through. Set aside to cool a little.

4. Put pasta in salted water. Cook until just before al dente (if you over cook it the pasta bake won't have any structure). Drain, set aside.

5. While the pasta and vegies are cooking make up a white sauce using half the cheese - melt butter, add flour, cook for one minute, slowly add milk while whisking. whisk until thickening, add cheese and nutmeg and whisk further. Season to taste. Set aside.

5. Chop up the vegetables into bite sized pieces. In a fry pan, fry up anchovies, thyme and chillies in a little olive oil. Add the vegetables. Coat with olive oil and spice mix. Fry until a little browned.

6. To construct pasta bake. Empty can of tomatos into a baking dish/casserol dish. Add the vinegar to taste. Add the pasta and veggies a little at a time so mixed. Cover with white sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan.

7. Bake until brown on top.

8. Serve with salad

Variations - Add some pinenuts to last minute of frying veggies off. 

Spanakopita Pie

2 x 250g packets of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of water

1 bunch of dill, finely chopped

1/2 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1 bunch of chives, finely chopped

500g of low fat ricotta

250 g of low fat feta, crumbled

1 tsp of nutmeg

1 tbsp of lemon zest

1 egg

1 tbsp of melted butter

1/2 packet of filo pastry* 

1. Pre heat oven to 180C

2. Mix together the spinach, herbs, cheese, nutmeg, lemon zest and egg. Season with salt and pepper. You should end up with a smooth creamy mix.

3. Brush baking tin or casserol dish with better. Line with two layers of filo leaving a little pastry overhanging around the edges. Brush with butter. 

4. Place spinach mix in the lined tin. Cover the top with two more layers of filo brushed with butter. Fold over the overhanding edges.

5. Bake in oven until golden brown on top (20-30 minutes).

* Filo pastry does contain wheat but because it a very thin pastry and you only use a small amount, each slice of pie includes relatively little wheat (as compared to regular pastry in a pie). I don't find this small amount of wheat to be a problem. People who are very sensitive to wheat could use gluten free puff pastry or they could add 2 extra eggs and do without the pastry altoether. This would make a spinach fritatta rather than a pie.

Carrot, Sprout and Radish Salad

2 carrots - peeled and finely sliced using vegetable peeler

1 cup of finely sliced radishes

200g of snow pea sprouts

1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped

2 rashers of bacon, diced

2 tbsp of pine nuts

2 tpsb of orange juice

1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 tbsp of maple syrup

1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard

salt and pepper

1. Heat up 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a fry pan. Fry off bacon. Add pine nuts just as bacon getting crispy. Toss until pine nuts a little brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Mix together juice, remaining oil, syrup, mustard and seasoning. Adjust to taste.

3. Toss all ingredients together. Serve.

Rice Pudding

This is a great way to use up leftover rice.

• cooked rice
• about half as much milk as rice
• 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup of rice
• lemon rind or zest
• 1/2 tbsp of malibu rum per cup of rice
• 1/4 tsp of garam masala per cup of rice
• 1/2 tbsp of butter per cup of rice

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer until has reduced and thickened. Serve as is or with fruit.

Article in The Age

I don't usually link to articles about fructose malabsorption but this one is particularly good. It also includes some Melbourne restaurants that can cater for the low FODMAP diet.

Salmon with Wilted Asian Greens

Serves 1

• 1 Salmon Fillet, brushed both sides with olive oil
• 1 handful of chinese broccolli, stalks cut from leaves
• 1 tsp of grated ginger
• 2 tsp of soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp of brown sugar
• 1 tsp of sesame seeds

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Mix ginger, soy, oil and sugar together.
2. Heat fry pan until hot and add salmon fillet, skin down. Cook for 2-3mins then turn and cook to your liking. If it is a particularly thick piece of salmon you may find it necessary to cover the pan and cook longer on a low heat - this will help prevent the fish from getting dry.
3. When the salmon is cooked through, set it aside. Add the broccolli stalks to the boiling water. After 1 minute add the leaves. 30 seconds later drain the lot.
4. Put the greens in the bottom of a shallow bowl, top with the salmon. Sprinkle with the dressing and sesame seeds. Serve with boiled rice or mashed sweet potatoes.

Deep Fried Tofu

These little lumps of fried goodness are a great treat and a quick and easy entree for any dinner party.

Serves 3-4 people as an entree
- 1 packet of silken tofu
- 2 tbsp of corn flour
- 2 cups of vegetable oil
- chilli flakes
- salt
- dipping sauce*

1. Heat oil in a wok, pot or deep fryer.
2. Cut tofu into large cubes. From 1 packet you can get about 10-12 cubes.
3. When oil is very hot (look for a shimmer on the top but no smoke), lightly dust each tofu cube in corn flour and lower into the oil on an egg flip. The Tofu is very fragile so this should be done with care. Fry until lightly browned all over and drain on paper towel. The tofu should be nice and crunchy on the outside and soft and silky in the middle. .
4. Sprinkle with salt and chilli flakes and serve with dipping sauce(s) of your choice.

Tip: It is best to cook the tofu in batches as the oil  temperature drops and the pieces stick together if the pan is too crowded

The dipping sauce you serve really makes or breaks this dish as the tofu itself is quite mild in flavour. You can go with just plain lemon or lime if you want something subtle but I prefer something a little more spicy such as nuoc cham or sweet chilli sauce (most commercial sweet chilli sauces are fructose friendly but you can also make your own if you like).