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I am always coming up with new recipes that are safe for little dude, and that still taste good for the rest of the family too!

It can prove to be quite challenging at times, particularly when life is already so busy, and it's difficult to cook things from scratch.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to a BBQ, where the hosts had bought some coleslaw. As expected, Callum wasn't able to have any.

It was a last minute thing, otherwise I would have made my own.

I've perfected a recipe that takes literally minutes to prepare, and tastes incredibly good! You'd never know it was dairy-free, egg-free, and more! It's a massive hit with family and friends!

You will need:

  • 1 white cabbage - washed and very thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots - peeled and grated
  • 1 onion - peeled and thinly sliced
  • Pinch salt and pepper if desired
  • Pinch chilli flakes if desired
  • Pinch paprika
  • 2tbsp egg-free mayo

Method:

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes before stirring one final time.

Serve with burgers, BBQ'd meats, ribs and chips, jacket potatoes, or as part of a salad.

Enjoy! 

seafood spaghetti

We took a well earned break last week, which was much needed! It was a great chance to recharge the batteries.

One thing you really don't want to be doing whilst on holiday is spending loads of time cooking, even if you are an avid foodie, like me!

So, I looked for inspiration to make a really simple, and most importantly, quick meal!

We were by the sea, in an area of England known for its beautiful fresh fish!

Bingo!

Fresh seafood spaghetti!

Healthy, nutritious, and ridiculously quick to put together. So quick, it can be done inside of 15 minutes from start to finish!

Here's how!

If there’s one thing I am always being asked for advice on, it’s how I overcome the issues with finger foods for little ones. It’s all very well cooking hearty family meals, but when the weather starts to improve, you don’t want a heavy plate of food. Light bites, and nutritional healthy food is what it’s all about.

It’s a difficult one for us, as we have to avoid egg, dairy, wheat, gluten, tomato, nuts and so on as standard. This can restrict what you can make, or can it?

I love being able to create a recipe that everyone thinks is impossible. To get it to work, I usually have to go through a lot of trial and error, and testing on the family.

This one took some doing to avoid the egg and still have it tasting good, but it works so well!allergy safe chicken nuggets

It’s quick, simple, healthy, and great to take on picnics too!

You will need:

  • 14oz (400g) raw chicken/ turkey cut into strips/fillets
  • 2 tbsp milk alternative (such as Oatly, Koko, Soya etc)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil + extra for the frying pan
  • 2-3 slices of gluten free bread – blended into crumbs (such as DS)
  • 2 tbsp gluten free plain flour (such as Doves)
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • Pinch of salt and pepper
  • 3 medium sized bowls

Method:

Add a little olive oil to a frying pan, and place over a medium to high heat.

Place the bowls in a line, and add the flour and paprika to one and mix well, add the olive oil and milk to another and mix well, and the bread crumbs to the third.

Take a piece of chicken, dip in the flour and coat well, dusting off any excess. Then quickly dip into the olive oil and milk mix, before coating in the breadcrumbs.

Repeat until you have done this with all the pieces of chicken.

Add the chicken to the frying pan and cook for 3-4 minutes before turning over and repeating. Both sides should end up a lovely golden brown colour.

Remove from the frying pan and leave to rest on a tea towel to absorb any oil before serving.

Enjoy!

Raisin & cinnamon porridgeBreakfast - It seems like such a simple meal to cater for doesn’t it!

I used to think so too!

You pull the cereal packet out of the cupboard, sprinkle a load in a bowl, pour over the milk, and off you go.

So simple!

Since Callum has come along, it’s had to be totally overhauled in our house.

Just imagine, dairy, nut, wheat, egg, strawberries etc, all out! That’s quite a surprising amount of mainstream cereals straight out the window.

Bye bye convenience, hello headache!

Even the humble toast becomes a problem, as there is virtually no safe bread out there for Callum, unless I have baked it myself – and I’ll confess, I don’t always have time to!

Thankfully, there are some ‘free-from’ cereals out there that can cater for Callum, but he’s not overly keen on them, or, they are packed so full of sugar I might as well hand over a bag of sweets for his breakfast! Not the best idea for a child with seriously restricted diet and requiring as many vitamins and nutrients as possible in every meal to cater for this.

I’ve found some safe, certified gluten-free porridge oats, which I make into various different porridge options.

So, here’s one of Callum’s all-time favourites for you all to try! Let us know what you think! J

You will need:

  • ½ cup porridge oats
  • 1 cup dairy-free milk (such as Koko, Oatly, Soya etc)
  • Handful of raisins/ sultanas
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • Drizzle of honey

Method:

Add the porridge oats and milk to a microwaveable bowl, and stir well.

Heat in the microwave in 1 minute stints, stirring after each time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Leave to cool slightly before sprinkling over the raisins/ sultanas, pinch of cinnamon and then drizzle over the honey.

Enjoy!

Last week, I got sent a recipe by a friend, and it hooked me straight away! Oxtail 1

We all know that I love cooking!

I live it, breathe it, dream it!

Absolutely any recipe created, and the ones still to be discovered, have been made, tweaked, and created by me to ensure that Callum has a never ending supply of safe meals.

This recipe immediately became one that I made safe. I just had to get it to work, and the results were amazing. The whole family loved it!

Oxtail!

Oxtail 2Yep, the humble oxtail.

That little cut of meat that most people tend to ignore, in spite of it being so packed full of flavour, it’s practically dripping with it!

With just a little patience, love and attention, you can create a dish worthy of a king. It really does taste that good!!

You will also have enough left over to create an equally amazing tasting soup by adding more liquid and then blending until smooth.

The original recipe came from Jamie Oliver, but I have tweaked and changed a few aspects to make it totally safe for little dude.

You will need:

  • 2kg oxtail – chopped into chunks (important as it won’t fit in the casserole pot otherwise!)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 leeks – washed, cut lengthways and then chopped into chunks
  • 2 sticks of celery – washed, cut lengthways and then chopped into chunks
  • 3-4 carrots – peeled and chopped into chunks
  • Handful of chopped thyme
  • Handful of chopped rosemary
  • 1 heaped tbsp plain flour (I used Dove’s gluten free plain flour)
  • 700g ‘nomato’ sauce
  • 300ml red wine
  • 900ml beef stock
  • 2 bay leaves

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220c/ 425f.

Add the oxtail to a large roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven to roast for around 20-25 minutes.

While the oxtail is roasting, add the olive oil, leeks, celery, carrots, thyme and rosemary to a large ovenproof casserole pot. Gently fry over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables soften, remembering to stir regularly.

Remove the oxtail from the oven, and reduce the temperature to 170c/340f.

Add the flour to the vegetables, and stir well to ensure everything is well coated with the flour. Then pour in the nomato sauce, and wine, and add the bay leaves. Stir really well.

Place the oxtail and the juices in the roasting tin into the casserole pot, and then pour over the beef stock.

Turn the heat up and bring to the boil, stirring regularly.

Remove from the heat, put the lid on, and place in the oven for around 5hrs, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the oven, and leave to cool for 15 minutes or so, and then using rubber gloves, pull out all the bones. The meat should just fall off the bones with no struggle.

Season to taste and stir well before serving.

Enjoy!

Oxtail 4

In our neck of the woods, it’s half term this week, and the kids are loving it! It's been a time for the family to re-group, as there’s been a few changes in our house over the past couple of weeks. The biggest change being that I have now gone self-employed to work on Intolerant Gourmand full time! There's been so much to sort out, finalise, implement and set up over the past few months, but we've done it!

The business has become very busy (which is fantastic!) and it’s meant that I no longer had time to work elsewhere. It’s a win win situation! I work from home now, instead of commuting for over an hour each way every day – the reduction in the fuel bill alone is impressive!! And the amount of extra time on my hands to actually be productive is wonderful!

The biggest win out of all of this, I am now there for Chloe and Callum much more!

For over a year, I haven’t been able to pick Chloe up from school, and have relied on Jon, friends, and a child-minder to pick her up instead. Whilst Chloe didn’t mind, I did! I desperately wanted to be there for her every day, but sadly it wasn’t logistically possible.

Now it is!

And Callum has had the hours he spends at his lovely child-minders reduced too, so I get to spend a bit of time with him in the mornings before dropping him off! Fab stuff!

So, with all this change, and trying to catch up with a lot of spinning plates, I didn’t realise that it’s pancake day tomorrow!

Yikes, that’s ‘crepe’t up on us hasn’t it! (sorry, couldn’t resist!)

Now, pancakes have a simple enough recipe, you create a quick batter using the basic ingredients of egg, milk, flour, pinch of salt and you’re off!

Well, it’s not quite so simple when you have a child highly allergic to dairy and egg, and also to wheat!

So, I have 2 recipes for you that work equally well, and cater for most allergies! On top of that, they are ridiculously simple, and taste just as good as the real thing, so no one will ever know they are special allergy safe ones!

Recipe 1

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs (can also use Orgran egg replacer)
  • 1 cup flour (can also use gluten free such as Doves)
  • 1 cup milk (can also use alternative milks such as soya, oat, almond)
  • Pinch of salt (if not using for small children)

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix and smooth and lump free.

Leave to settle for 5 minutes, before pouring a ladle’s worth into a hot frying pan which has been greased

Fry for 1 minute on each side, flipping to turn over!

Serve with your favourite topping (lemon and sugar, fresh fruit and golden syrup, jam and whipped dairy-free cream, dairy-free chocolate sauce)

Recipe 2

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe banana, mashed until smooth
  • 1 cup of flour (can also use gluten free)
  • 1 cup of milk (can also use alternative milks such as soya, oat, almond)

Method

Add all the ingredients to a bowl, and beat until well combined.

Leave to settle for 5 minutes, before pouring a ladle’s worth into a hot frying pan which has been greased

Fry for 1 minute on each side, flipping to turn over!

Serve with your favourite topping (lemon and sugar, fresh fruit and golden syrup, jam and whipped dairy-free cream, dairy-free chocolate sauce)

Enjoy!

Mince pie cakeNothing shouts of Christmas more than the wonderful scent of cooking mincemeat.

It is a truly warm, welcoming, 'smell a hug' type of aroma, isn't it!

You know exactly what I mean!

Homemade mince pies baking in the oven...... just the thought puts a smile on your face, right!

So, being a foodie, and loving coming up with new ideas, (especially ones that are safe for the little dude!) I started to wonder whether it was possible to create a mince pie cake. I love cake, and I love mince pies, so to have the two as one, well that's just happy days all round really!

Well guess what, I cracked it!

Yep, I really did!

It can be used as a mix for cupcakes, or a cake, or a loaf - just adjust cooking times according to the size.

Ps - I make my own mincemeat so that it is totally safe for Callum, but you can buy good stuff from the shops - just always be careful and check the labels, so that it works for you.

You will need:

  • 8oz self raising flour (gluten free works well with this recipe too - just add 20ml vegetable oil to the mix)
  • 8oz golden caster sugar
  • 8oz dairy-free butter
  • 8oz mince meat
  • 4 eggs (or egg replacer equivalent such as Orgran)
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/ 350f/ Gas 4, and grease and line your cake tin/ loaf tin/ 12 hole tray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, butter, eggs and baking powder until well combined and smooth in texture.

Add the mincemeat, and stir in gently until only just combined.

Turn out into your prepared cake tin, and bake in the oven for around 35 minutes, or until the cake has turned a golden brown and is springy to touch.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

You can either coat in some fondant icing, or simply leave it as it is. Either way, it tastes just as good.

Enjoy!

Roasted pumpkin seedsSo, halloween arrives, you buy the outfits for the kids to go trick or treating in, you stock up on a ridiculous amount of sweets/ treats for the little ones that come knocking on your door, and you get the pumpkins to carve.

Now comes the hard work. And let’s face it, it is hard work!!

The scraping out of the stringy stuff in the pumpkins, the scooping out of the flesh, so you can actually make something edible to enjoy after all your hard work. This can take a long time, size and amount of pumpkins depending.

For me, it seems like there’s an awful lot of waste that goes on when it comes to pumpkins!

People often discard the humble pumpkin seed. Truth is, it’s an incredibly healthy snack, with an abundance of benefits to us:

  • They help us to get a good nights sleep, thanks to sleep enhancing amino acid tryptophan that converts to serotonin
  • They’re packed full of mineral magnesium, a known natural relaxant
  • They help to stabilise blood sugar, and are great as part of a balanced diet when trying to lose weight
  • They have high levels of Omega 3

Not bad for something we normally chuck in the bin, eh!

Pumpkin seeds are wonderful once toasted, and this simple recipe really transforms them into a healthy snack that everyone will love. This can also be done with butternut squash seeds too, and can be enjoyed on it's own, sprinkled over soup, or onto loaves.

You will need:

  • Pumpkin seeds, washed, rinsed and dried
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • Chilli powder
  • Chilli flakes

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/ 340f/ Gas 4. Place the seeds in a roasting tray, pour over the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle the salt, pepper, and a large pinch of chilli powder over the top.

Stir until very well combined, and then roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Make sure you stir well every 10 minutes or so, so that the seeds roast evenly. It will help to give them a really nice crispy crunchy flavour.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle some more salt, and also a large pinch of chilli flakes, and stir until well combined.

Leave to cool (if you can wait that long!) and enjoy!

Following on from my post on Callum’s birthday party, I’ve had a few queries on how to make some of the food I listed.

So I thought I’d give you my recipe for the dairy-free, egg-free, wheat-free and tomato-free pizzas. It’s based on a recipe from Jamie Oliver, that I have updated and adapted to cater for Callum’s allergies. They are really simple to make, and taste amazing. It is also something children can help you to make as well, and with half term coming up, why not give it a go yourself and let me know how you get on!

You will need:

1 cup wheat-free self-raising flour (such as Doves)

¾ cup vegetable oil

½ cup warm water

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup ‘nomato’ sauce

Toppings - handful of chopped salami/ peppers/ mushroom/ sweetcorn/ onion

- grated dairy-free cheese

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

In a food processor, add the self-raising flour, vegetable oil, water, salt and pepper and blitz until well combined.

Turn out onto a well floured surface, sprinkle some more flour over the top and knead gently for a couple of minutes.

Cut the dough in half, and roll out to make two pizza bases.

Place the pizza bases on the prepared baking tray, and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove the bases from the oven after the 10 minutes, spread the ‘nomato’ sauce, sprinkle over the toppings and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Take out of the oven, leave to cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

It’s a bit of a tradition in our house to have a Roast most Sundays. In fact, it’s quite rare to not have a Roast on a Sunday. There’s nothing more comforting is there! It’s all about taking it slightly easier than the rest of the week, and the house smelling utterly amazing whilst everything cooks.

Callum loves to ‘help’ me prepare everything, by collecting up all the vegetables from the tray, peeling the skin off the onions, counting out the carrots…. It’s lovely to watch!

So, you spend all that time on a Sunday, making a scrummy roast, but then you get a whole load of left overs. There are many things you can do, such as pies, soups, stir fries and so on. But you can also make a really scrummy risotto, which is a big hit with the kids.

You will need:

  • 1 large/ 2 medium sized spring onions – chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic – crushed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small cup of risotto rice
  • Left over roast meat – cut into bite size chunks
  • Left over roast vegetables – cut into bite size chunks
  • 1 pint of stock (I used homemade stock to ensure it was wheat/ gluten free)
  • Handful of grated dairy-free ‘cheese’

Method:

Place the onion and garlic in a large frying pan, along with the olive oil, and fry over a gentle heat for around 8 minutes, until the onion has become soft and translucent.

Meanwhile, place the left over roasted meat and vegetables in an oven proof dish, cover with foil, and heat at 180c/ 320f/ Gas 4 while you prepare the remainder of the risotto.

Add the risotto rice to the frying pan, and stir well with the onion and garlic, so that the rice is coated with oil.

Slowly add the stock, a ladleful at a time. After each addition, stir well and allow the liquid to be fully absorbed, before adding some more. Continue until all of the stock has been used.

Remove the meat and vegetables from the oven, add to the frying pan, and stir until fully combined.

Add the grated dairy-free ‘cheese’, mix well, and serve.

Enjoy!

Left over roast risotto

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