Chinese ‘Yuk Sung’ Minced Mushroom Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 inch peeled & finely chopped ginger
• 1 tsp honey
• 25ml olive oil
• 25ml Geo Watkins Mushroom Ketchup
• Iceberg Lettuce
• 4 Large mushrooms
• 1 medium sweet potato
• Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200*c
2. Put whole sweet potato in to bake (this takes approx. 1 hour depending on the size of potato, just stab a knife through the centre to see if it’s soft through then remove when cooked.
3. Finely chop mushrooms/
4. Sauce: In a small pan combine Olive oil, Mushroom Ketchup, Garlic, Ginger & honey (salt & pepper to taste) & bring to the boil over medium heat.
5. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms. Fry until slightly browned, then add 1/2 the sauce. Cook them through on a medium heat. Approx. 8 minutes.
7. Tear some leaves of your iceberg lettuce. You can either make wraps, or more of a stack- see photos below.
8. When your potato is cooked remove from the oven, peel & mash.

Now time to build your wrap! 

Lettuce first, then some sweet potato mash, topped off with deliciously tasty minced mushrooms! Wrap/stack & enjoy!

Tip: Use the leftover sauce for dipping or dressing!

Sauce

 

 

 

Aubergine Pasta Sauce

 

This recipe is super simple and very tasty!

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine (diced to small chunks)
• 1 medium onion (chopped in to small pieces)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 large tomato (chopped in to small pieces)
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 50ml olive oil

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan.
2. Add the aubergine, garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the stock, tomato and wine.
4. Bring to the boil.
5. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 40 minutes stirring regularly.

Serve & Enjoy!

Shortbread

Ingredients:

• 250g LP flour (Fate/Harifen)
• 50g custard powder
• 100g caster sugar
• 200g margarine (room temperature)
• Caster sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160*c.
2. Put the flour, sugar, & custard powder in a large mixing bowl and stir.
3. Add the margarine and use your fingers to rub in.
4. Using an electric hand whisk or your hands, mix/kneed the dough to a smooth pliable consistency.
5. Roll out the dough on to a flour dusted surface and cut in to desired shapes, Approx. 1cm thick.
6. Lightly prick the surface of the dough a few times with a fork.
7. Bake on a grease proof tray for 45-50 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
9. Dust the shortbread with caster sugar- Enjoy!

Store in an airtight container.

Shortbread

Creamy Avocado Pesto

Ingredients:

• Bunch of fresh basil (approx 10 large leaves)
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Chop the avocado flesh in to small pieces and add all ingredients in to a blender (I used my Nutribullet for this) on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Serving Suggestion:

• As a pasta or spaghetti sauce (I used Mevalia spaghetti)
• As a dip, or spread for bruschetta (I used Mevalia Crostini)

Vegetable Risotto

Ingredients:

• 350g of free vegetables (I used Mushroom Leek & Courgette)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 100g LP rice
• 325ml Vegetable stock
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Splash of white wine (optional)
• 1 Clove of garlic whole (remove when serving)
• 1 small onion finely chopped

Directions:

1. Peel and cut the vegetables in to bite sizes pieces
2. Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan and add vegetables, onion and hole garlic clove. Stir fry for 3 minutes
3. Add the rice and stir fry for a further minute
4. Add the stock (& wine) and bring to the boil
5. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes stirring regularly ensuring the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. (During cooking check the stock isn’t reducing to quickly. Add some hot water if it appears to dry)
6. Remove from the heat, serve and ENJOY!

Serving suggestion: Cracked black pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Risotto

Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup LP rice
• 2 cups LP milk such as Pro Zero, Divided.
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Big pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla exctract
• 2 tsp corn flour
• Cinnamon (optional)

Tips!

If you like to top your rice pudding with jam or honey use less sugar in the recipe as it may be too sweet!

Use a hand whisk to stir the rice pudding throughout cooking to ensure the rice doesn’t stick together!

Directions:

1. Cook your LP rice according to manufacturers instructions then rinse with cold water.
2. Combine the rice, 1 1/2 cups of milk, sugar and salt in a large saucepan over medium/low heat.
3. Cook for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened stirring regularly to avoid rice sticking to the pan.
4. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and  cook for a further 8 minutes stirring regularly.
5. Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons of cornflour and stir CONSTANTLY for 2 minutes or until thickened to your liking.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter.
7. Pour in a large shallow dish (I garnished mine with cinnamon), and enjoy whilst its hot or eat it cold later!

Makes 4 generous servings.

Low Protein Rice Pudding

Teriyaki Jackfruit Kebabs

 

I have just discovered ‘Jackfruit’- a fibrous, meaty textured fruit that’s highly adaptable for use in the PKU diet and practically Protein free! It has a firm flesh, and relatively bland taste but absorbs flavours and cooks very well. It’s available in canned form either in syrup or brine, for this recipe I used the Jackfruit in syrup which I soaked in water for a few hours to reduce the sweetness. You can buy Jackfruit at many International grocery shops (Sainsburys), or alternatively online click here.

Ingredients

• 210g Jackfruit in brine/syrup (soak in water before hand if they’re in syrup)
• 130g or 4 medium sized Mushrooms
• 2 Tbsp Teriyaki marinade
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 Small Onion
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• Wooden BBQ Skewers

Method

1. Tear or cut Jackfruit in to chunks/strips
2. Cut mushrooms and onion in to chunks
3. In a shallow container pour 2 tbsp of teriyaki marinade. Add the Jackfruit and toss around until coated
4. Add the Mushrooms and toss those around too until lightly covered
5. Add Salt and Pepper to taste
6. Leave to marinade for 1 hour
7. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees c
8. Cut the onion in to thick strips
9. Share the Onion/Mushrooms/Jackfruit between Skewers (This recipe should make approx. 5 Kebabs) & place on baking tray.
10. Add a table spoon of olive oil to the remaining marinade and drizzle over the kebabs
11. Bake in the oven for approx. 25 minutes or until browned. You can always chuck them on the BBQ if you are lucky enough to have some sunshine 😉

Teriyaki Jackfruit Kebabs served with Homemade Coleslaw and Pita.

Kebabs made & ready to cook

Marinading

‘Meatballs’ with Rice’ & Delicious Tomato Sauce

So, it’s not everyones thing to make a meal that imitates one that isn’t fit for the PKU diet or that contains meat. But for me, I sometimes miss these things so I decided to make a PKU friendly recipe for Meatballs with Rice. This recipe serves two but if you’re the only PKU member around your dinner table you can always put the rest in the fridge or freezer and save it for another day!

The only thing that had to be counted for in this recipe was the Passata. 2 exchanges for the whole lot (1 Exch per serving) But you could always make it 0 Exchanges by making your own Passata!

Ingredients

• Promin Sausage Mix x2 packets
• Promin LP Rice (or similar)
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Medium Onion
• 3 Medium Mushrooms
• 1 Medium Tomato
• 100ml Passata
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Glug of White Wine (optional)

Preparation

1. Follow instructions to make Promin Sausage mix. Once left to stand for 5 minutes divide the mix and shape in to 10 small balls. TIP: rub oil on your hands before shaping. This stops the mix sticking to you! Then set aside.
2. Finely chop the onion & mince the garlic.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp Olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add Onion and Garlic & leave on a low heat to soften for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Chop the Tomato and Mushrooms in to very small chunks.
5. Add the Tomato & Mushrooms to the pan, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Add Passata and a glug of white wine to the pan. Leave to simmer for approx 20 minutes.
7. In a frying pan, heat frying oil and swill around the pan. Add meat balls to the pan and leave to brown slightly on one side before turning them over. When you have sealed the meatballs, toss them around the pan to brown off the edges. Set aside.
8. Cook rice as instructed.
9. After the sauce has simmered, add it to the pan with the meatballs and heat through slowly allowing the flavours to mingle. Approx 3 minutes, then serve!

 

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce on a bed of Rice. YUM 🙂

Lemony Zucchini Bruschetta

These tasty little Bruschetta’s are perfect for a starter, snack or even a canape.

0 Exchanges per serving!

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium sized Zucchini sliced thinly lengthways with a vegetable peeler.
• 1 lemon (as juicy as possible!)
• 2 Mevalia Ciabattine (Or your favourite PKU friendly bread) sliced in half to make 4 pieces
• Olive oil
• Coarse sea salt & Pepper
• 1 clove garlic cut in to 4 large chunks
• 4 shaves of parmesan (Optional- count as exchanges)

Preperation:

1. Preheat your oven to 200’c
2. In a medium sized bowl combine 5 tbsp olive oil, juice from 1 lemon & the chunks of garlic. Add the Zucchini and toss around ensuring it is totally coated in the dressing.
3. Add Salt and Pepper to your tasting.
4. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. (this will soften the Zucchini and allow for the flavours to really sink in.)
5. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over each piece of bread and bake in the oven for 6-9 minutes (Or until golden and slightly crisp)
6. Remove the bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
7. Remove Zucchini from the bowl with a fork and share them between the four pieces of bread, layering them as you go.

TIP: To moisten the Buschetta, just drizzle on some of the left over dressing from the bowl, and if you’re serving non PKU friends too; just add a shaving of parmesan for extra taste and flavour. Serve and enjoy!

Lushious Lemony Zuchinni Bruschetta!

Cajun Spiced Mushrooms

 

Being off the diet for so many years I developed a love for Cajun Chicken. When I returned to my diet I started to crave the taste so my Nan introduced me to a new idea. Mushrooms being practically protein free are a perfect meat substitute in the PKU diet, and these Cajun mushrooms are so easy to make and super tasty!

So here’s how you do it.

1. Roll your raw mushrooms in flour or FATE mix enough to coat them in a dust.
2. Toss the mushrooms around in a bowl of egg replacer.
3. Then roll the Mushrooms in Cajun spice, again lightly coating them but ensuring they are well covered.
4. Deep fry the mushrooms until they become a darkish brown and slightly crispy (Approx. 5 minutes)
5. Leave to stand for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Great for a starter on their own or serve as a meal with some soured cream and a crispy salad!

Delicious Cajun Spiced Mushrooms