I usually avoid any wheat or gluten bread choices as they leave me very bloated but even though these Old El Paso corn wraps are not wheat free they have never flared up my intolerance so I enjoy them from time to time at lunch and dinner! As with most intolerances it’s the overeating of a food product which builds up the intolerance and its subsequent reactions so keeping this is mind I don’t over eat these. What really gave these wraps some flavour was my mixing the chopped lettuce in a bowl with my leftover peanut and orange sauce from my dinner last night, you can find the recipe to make this delicious sauce and some tasty spring rolls by clicking here.

A useful tip I learnt from this was to grating the Sheese was a perfect way to serve it, many vegan cheeses have strong flavour and slicing can not only be more difficult than with normal cheese but a slice can sometimes be too strong. By grating it, it made it easy to slightly melt on the tortilla when in the pan and would be a perfect way to serve the cheese in a salad to avoid lumps; these small grated pieces will carry the cheesy taste through many dishes.

This is a really healthy and flavourful lunch that you can prepare in under ten 15 minutes and it beats a sandwich and crisps! Let me know any of your favourite quick and healthy lunch ideas and share the recipes below!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• Chopped lettuce lightly tossed in my homemade peanut orange sauce
• Old El Paso corn tortilla
• Thin slices of cucumber and tomato
• Grated Sheese (or any vegan cheese)
• Handful of Quorn Chicken Style Pieces
• Humus

Method

1. Slice the tomato and cucumber in to thin slices which will bend easily when wrapping the tortilla later. In a bowl mix the lettuce with a light serving of peanut sauce (if you don’t have time to make the sauce just mix with humus) and sprinkle in a little pepper for seasoning. Leave both aside for later.
2. Grease a frying pan and lightly fry the Quorn pieces for ten minutes until golden brown. Take the corn wraps and lightly spread on humus and a sprinkling of grated sheese. When the chicken is done remove from frying pan and place in a bowl, using the same pan transfer the tortilla in to the pan and leave to warm for around 30 seconds slighting shaking the pan to avoid burning or sticking.
3. Remove from pan on to a plate and top with chicken, lettuce, and the sliced cucumber and tomato. Wrap and use a small tooth pick to hold in place is needed. Enjoy with a side salad for a light tasty lunch!
   

   Pile up all the tasty ingredients on the warm tortilla.....

   

   ...Wrap up and enjoy!

1 in 5 people suffer with wheat intolerance and Allergy UK estimates that up to 45% of people in the UK suffer from food intolerance. Intolerance is different from an allergy, only around 2% of the population are affected by a food allergy. A genuine food allergy can produces symptoms in seconds from the tiniest trace of the food and can even be life threatening. Food intolerance causes longer lasting symptoms which usually involve the digestive system and have side effects such as bloating, wind, headaches, diarrhoea and feeling sluggish and sleepy after meals. If you suffer regularly from any of these symptoms you may be suffering from food intolerance. No medication is needed to treat this; the best thing to do is recognise what it is causing the reaction by keeping a food diary. Once you think you have identified the problem try and cut it out and see if the symptoms disappear. You’ll often find after even a month of avoiding the problem food, you should be able to slowly introduce the food back in to your diet and have no problems.

A big myth with people seems to be that dairy, gluten and wheat free alternatives don’t taste as good. I admit, with some of the alternatives I’ve had I would just rather not have it at all but after trying so many now I’ve found some which I genuinely prefer. Today in this recipe I’m using a vegan cheese I found in my local health food shop last week called Sheese which I absolutely love.

You could make this sandwich up cold but I used the tempeh straight out the frying pan and lightly grilled the cheese. The thick cut tempeh tasted was great as a sandwich filling, far better than when I have previously used vege sliced meat such as Quorn chicken slices which don’t make much of a filling. I used a Tesco Free From, multigrain wheat free bread. I personally prefer a the pitta they do when making sandwiches and I often find their wheat free bread can be slightly dry.

Do you suffer from any intolerance and how do you live around these when making choices with food? Also let me know of any alternative foods you have tried, good and bad!

Recipe

Ingredients:

• Two slices of Tesco Free From bread
• Thick sliced tempeh
• Slices of Sheese (vegan cheese)
• Some salad to add to the sandwich, I choose sliced beetroot and cucumber

Method:

1. Grease a pan with low cal spray, place the tempeh in the pan and season with a sprinkle of black pepper. Fry either side for 4 minutes until golden brown.
2. Lightly cover the bread in a dairy free spread and on one half place the sliced beetroot, cucumber and salad garnish.
3. Push the tempeh to the side of the pan and place the slices of cheese in. Leave for ten seconds either side till slightly melted then quickly place on to bread along with the tempeh. Sandwich all together and enjoy!
   

   The thick cut tempeh with its nutty taste and slightly melted cheese in the sandwich really tops any sliced vege meat to fill a sandwich!

You could also place the tempeh under a grill to cook and place the cheese on to one slice of bread and leave it to melt as you would with cheese on toast.

I love trying different toppings to give them a different twist, if you’re also a fan of Ryvita like me let me know which your favourite is and how you top them, I’d love to try some new ideas!

I loved this topping I made for lunch; it would also go really well on top of a salad. It took me under ten minutes to make so I’ll definitely be making this up the night before and packing it in my lunch along with a few crackers for the following day.

Recipe:

This made enough for my lunch, I didn’t weigh out the veg but I’ve taken a picture so you can see how much I used. This is just an idea so adapt it to your taste and how hungry you’re feeling!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of celery
• 1 piece of cucumber
• 1 large tomato
• 2 Ryvita Cracked Black Pepper Crispbreads
• ½ a tsp. of guacamole
• 1 tsp. of hummus
• 1 tsp. of pickle
• Diced Tempeh

Method:

1. Dice the cucumber, celery and tomato and place in a bowl. Add the hummus, pickle, and guacamole and mix until the veg are covered. Add a sprinkle of pepper if desired.
2. Grease a pan and add the diced tempeh, fry for around 5 minutes until it is golden brown moving occasionally to make sure all sides are crispy.

Dice the tempeh in to the same size as your salad mix. Fry in a low cal spray until nice and crispy.

3. Mix in the tempeh to the salad mix. Spread a light covering of spread (I used Pure – dairy free soya spread) on to the Ryvita. Top the crackers and I used any mix I had left over to top a small side salad. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

The tempeh out of the packet sliced in to thick strips ready to fry.

With my wheat and dairy intolerances, I stay away from any noodles except for rice noodles. If you haven’t tried them before they are a much lighter taste and very thin compared to thick egg noodles. The sauce I made to top the dish uses a simple base of tomato pasata, making it very easy to prepare fresh. By mixing the pineapple with the tomato base it resembled a sweet and sour type sauce and also has a strong kick from the ginger. Using the fresh root ginger in the sauce also has many health benefits,  ginger has been proven to have anti-inflammatory effects and is good for those suffering with gas, bloating and stomach cramps.

After trying the dish I will definitely by having Tempeh again, not only was it full of flavour it’s also very nutritious including being a great source of protein (100 grams contains around 200kcal and 18grams of protein, which is more then found in tofu!). I personally found it had more of a nutty, than chicken like taste which I had read many places but either way it was delicious and I’m very pleased to have found something new to add to a meal!  Try some for yourself and let me know what you think of it, try your local health food store or failing that have a browse online to order.

Recipe:

Serves Two

Ingredients:

• 125grams of Tempeh
• Half a lemon
• Paprika
• Rice Noodles (I used a handful per person, like serving spaghetti)

For the sauce:

• 250grams of tomato passata (half the carton)
• 125 grams of chopped mushrooms
• A quarter of an onion
• 250grams of sweetcorn (a large tin)
• 4 slices of tinned pineapple
• 1 large finely chopped root ginger

Method:

1. Finely chop the onion, grease pan with low calorie spray and fry onion alone first until burnt. Add the mushrooms, pineapple, ginger and sweetcorn and leave to fry on a medium heat.
2. Put a pan of water on the boil for the noodles. Chop the tempeh in to thick slices like shown in the picture above, cover in lemon juice and sprinkle on paprika.
3. Put the rice noodles in the pan and leave to boil for 10 – 15 minutes. While they are boiling, pour the tomato passata, chilli flakes and lea and perrins over the veg and leave to simmer on a low heat to keep hot until ready to serve.
4. Grease a frying pan and fry the tempeh for a few minutes either side until golden brown and crispy then take off heat and put aside to avoid burning. Once noodles are cooked drain them and then rinse under cold water, this will stop them becoming sticky, I also then fry them in a pan for a few minutes to crisp them up. Once noodles are drained and fried, plate up the noodles and top with the vege sauce. Fry the tempeh for 30 seconds each side before placing on top to ensure it’s hot. Enjoy!
   

   Don't wait until you have Tempeh in the kitchen, even without it the dish is delicious and the sauce is bursting with warming flavors.

When people think of potato skins, they often think of the greasy ones sold in the supermarkets with an overload of melted cheese topping and a very greasy potato skin; however with these you will find them crispy on the outside with a soft and tasty filling inside and not a drop of grease in sight!

By adding the chickpeas they give the veg mix some substance to fill the potato and also give the mix a creamier taste which means you don’t need to smother them in cheese. I use chickpeas in a lot of my recipes and feel they give a soft and creamy texture that you can otherwise lack in a lot of vegetable dishes. Plus they are a great source of protein that can sometimes be lacking when you are on a restricted diet due to stomach problems.

You can try all different combinations of spices and flavours with this recipe, so have a look what you have in the cupboard.  I chose the paprika and pickle to give them a warm punchy taste without it being overly spicy. I enjoy them as a meal on their own, with a side salad but they also make a great starter for a dinner party or as part of a buffet or as an accompaniment to a main meal for anyone else in your family.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes
• Handful (10) medium sized mushrooms
• Half tin of sweetcorn
• Half tin chickpeas
• Tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp Pickle
• 2 crushed ginger cloves OR 1 Tbsp of ginger powder
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper

Method:

1. Wash the potatoes, stab all over with a fork and place in microwave for 15 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, begin to dice the mushrooms in to small chunks. Heat up a frying pan and grease with cooking spray to prevent the vegetables becoming too oily, then add the mushroom, chickpeas and sweetcorn in to the pan.  Next, add the Lea and perrins, Paprika, Pickle and crush in the garlic. Leave to simmer on a medium heat.
2. Check on the potatoes, flip them over and continue to cook in microwave for a further ten minutes.  Add the tin of chopped tomatoes to the frying pan and leave to cook on a low heat for a further ten minutes.  While everything is cooking, prepare a lined tray ready to grill the potato skins in under once filled. You will also need two bowls ready to scoop the potato out when cooked.
3. Leave veg mix to one side and remove potatoes from microwave. Firstly chop each potato in half, so they can begin to cool inside. With a knife go round and carve out a circle slightly in from the edge where you will then scoop the filling out with a spoon, this makes it easier to get the potato out of the skin, whilst still keeping a sturdy skin that won’t break when filled with the mix. Scoop out each potato half in to a bowl and place the skin on the prepared tray, then place under the grill for 5 minutes to make the shell crispy.
   

   Make an outline with a knife before you try scooping potato out, it will give you much neater skins to fill!

4. While the Skins grill, separate half the potato mix in to a separate bowl then pour the veg mix in and mix together with half the potato to form the filling, mix in a sprinkle of pepper and a Tbsp of soya spread. Take the empty skins out from under the grill and fill each one with the mix giving a slightly heaped effect. Grill for a further five minutes until the tops are a nice golden brown and crispy.
5. Serve on top of bed of your favorite salad and add a drizzle of some balsamic vinegar on top. Enjoy!

If you're a cheese eater, try topping with cheese and grill until melted.