Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake

Written by themindfulpeanut on August 19, 2020. Posted in Featured, Posts, Recipes.

Vegan Alfredo Pasta Bake

This vegan pasta bake became a fast favorite in our household. A creamy Alfredo sauce with vegan butter, cheese and unsweetened almond milk – comforting yet leaves you feeling not bogged down by dairy. Broccoli, spinach, brown rice noodles, basil & sage finish off this NOMMY dish! This recipe is GF, Vegan, & low-FODMAP but can easily be modified to any dietary desire.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

Alfredo Sauce

4 tbsp dairy-free butter
34 g Rice Flour (or GF Flour of your choice) (1/4c)
600 ml Unsweetened Almond Milk (2.5c)
57 g Vegan Cheese (1/2c)
1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Dried Basil
Pinch Salt & Pepper

Pasta Bake

240 g Al-Dente Pasta Penne or Fusilli
500 g Extra Firm Tofu (cut into bite-size blocks)
1 Head Broccoli (cut into florets)
1 Bag Spinach
1 T Spring Onion (Green tops only if low-FOD)
57 g Vegan Cheese (for topping) (1/2c)
2 tbsp Sage

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350/160c Fan. Set a pot to boil water (for Pasta)
In saucepan, whisk together Butter and Flour (1 minute). Add Milk small amounts at a time until incorporated. Then add Cheese, Basil, and generously season with Salt and Pepper. Allow mixture to heat through and thicken, stirring occasionally.
Cook Pasta ~5 minutes (undercook a bit, the pasta will finish in the oven). Meanwhile, saute Tofu for a few minutes per side, add Spring Onion, Spinach and Broccoli to pan to also cook a few minutes.
In a large oven-safe casserole or glass dish, mix together all of your components and top with Cheese.
Bake for 15-25 minutes, top with Sage before serving

Healthy Maple/Ginger Rice ‘Scotcheroos’

Written by themindfulpeanut on August 13, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

I used Ginger Syrup by the Ginger People for this recipe. I found it at my health food shop, but you can also order online! It is great to use in place of maple syrup in some bakes.

Healthy Maple/Ginger Rice ‘Scotcheroos’ (GF, Vegan, low-FODMAP)

Course: Snacks, Breakfast

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

These no-bake rice bars are simple to put together and make for a delish, healthy alternative to other rice treats. Here we use ginger syrup for sweetness and spice, as well as powdered peanut butter for protein while keeping the treat light and airy.

Ingredients

50g (2c) Rice Cereal or Puffs (if using puffs, blitz them a bit to finer texture)
150g (1/2c + 2 tbsp) Peanut Butter *see note
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
4 tbsp Ginger Syrup
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Baking Dark Chocolate (I used 1/3 of bar)

Directions

Add all ingredients except chocolate to bowl and mix until thoroughly incorporated and it begins to stick together. If too dry, don’t hesitate to add more PB/Syrup, you want to be able to mold these by hand.
Shape to desired balls or squares, bite size pieces.
Melt baking chocolate and drizzle over top of rice pieces. Add PB drizzle, if you’d like!
Fridge for 30 min.

Notes

I love to use powdered peanut butter, with a pinch of salt and coconut milk to thicken. See pic below!

I love to sweeten powdered peanut butter using coconut milk. Rude Health is my favorite!

Almond Nice Cream Sandwich

Written by themindfulpeanut on August 7, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

Almond Nice Cream Sandwich

Course: Snacks, Dessert

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

These almond butter cookies made with “nice” cream (aka JUST BANANAS!). Yeah, it’s bananas alright. GF/low-FOD/no refined sugar, simple treat for those warm summer evenings!

Ingredients

Almond Butter Cookies
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
120g (1/2c) Almond Butter
48g (1/4c) Almond Flour/Finely ground almonds
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2c Coconut Sugar (or Brown Sugar)
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
50g (1/4c) GF Oats
45g (1/4c) Chocolate chips/chunks/whatever
Nice Cream
3 Bananas (peeled, cut into pieces & frozen)* See Note
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
Add-in ideas: raspberries, peanut butter, chopped nuts, chopped candies

Directions

Peel & cut bananas, place into freezer for at least 1 hr.
Preheat oven to 160C Fan/350F. Prep baking sheet with parchment paper.
Beat Egg, Vanilla & Almond Butter. Then add Almond Flour, Salt, Coconut Sugar, Baking Soda. Mix well to incorporate. Then add your Oats, Chocolate.
Bake for 10-15 min. Remove from oven and let cookies cool, then pop in freezer for a bit before making them into nice cream sandwiches.
Place frozen bananas, maple syrup into a food processor and blitz until the texture magically turns ice creamy! Blend in add-ins, if using.
Place nice cream between two almond butter cookies and put back in freezer to set.

Notes

The riper the banana, the sweeter the nice cream! But if your bananas are simply yellow this works too. Mine where and I added a drizzle of maple syrup when processing for a pinch of extra sweetness.

Vegan Bananacake

Written by themindfulpeanut on August 5, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

Vegan Bananacake

Course: Breakfast, Snacks, Dessert

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Vegan banana cake with dark chocolate/peanut butter topping.
No egg, no oil, no refined sugar. A healthy snack, dessert, brekkie – anytime of day is time for bananacake!

Ingredients

Wet
240ml (1 cup) Almond Milk (or milk o’ choice)
2-3 Mashed Ripe Bananas
Dry
192g (1.5 cups) Self-Rising GF Flour
150g (3/4 cup) Coconut Sugar (or sugar of choice)
1 tbsp Cinnamon
Walnuts (optional)
Chocolate Topping
1/2 Bar Cooking Chocolate
4 tbsps Peanut Butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 160 c Fan/350 F) and prep an 8×8 dish for baking.
Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, folding to incorporate but do not overmix.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.
While cake is cooling, melt chocolate and peanut butter. Pour over cooled cake.

Notes

Fudgy Vegan Cacao Brownies (Gluten Free)

Written by themindfulpeanut on July 24, 2020. Posted in Featured, Posts, Recipes.

Fudgy Cacao Brownies (GF / Vegan)

Course: Dessert, Snacks

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

I call these my “half coconut brownies” as for this batch I used half coconutty ingredients such as oil, sugar & flour. But all could be substituted for regular flours or butters you have on hand. Crispy outside and chewy, fudgy center makes for the perfect indulgent treat.

Ingredients

Wet
100g Butter or Oil (Melted, I used Coconut oil)
120g Sugar (I used unrefined Coconut sugar, but any will do!)
100g Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Vanilla
2 Flax Eggs (or regular, non-vegan!)
Dry
100g Flour (I used 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 coconut flour)
1/4 tsp Xanthan gum (not necessary if your flour already has it)
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
45g Cacao/Cocoa Powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350/160 c Fan. Prep an 8×8 dish with parchment paper.
Mix WET ingredients until well incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients and then slowly fold in dry to wet.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for ~35 minutes until edges are hardened and middle will still be a bit gooey.

Root Cake

Written by themindfulpeanut on July 10, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

Root Cake (GF / low-FODMAP)

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Here is a healthy treat that is more veg than cake! Packed with root veg such as carrots & beetroot. As well as courgette & maple syrup for extra moisture and natural sweetness. Seeds and nuts add for simple, lovely texture additions to this loaf.

Ingredients

WET
50 ml (1/4c) Coconut Oil
400g Grated Veg (~2 Carrots, 2 Beetroot, 1 Courgette shredded with moisture removed)
1 Orange, zested
120g (~1/3c) Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
DRY
150g Self-Rising GF Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice (or just use more Cinnamon, if you don’t have that spice on hand! Small amounts of Clove, Ginger would make lovely additions as well)
30g (1/4-1/3c) Pumpkin Seeds (or add-ins of choice)
VANILLA ORANGE ICING
35g (1/3c) Powdered Sugar
Orange Juice (from zested orange)
1/4 tsp Vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 160c Fan/350F. Prep a loaf baking tin with parchment paper.
Grate your vegetables – ensuring to squeeze excess water out of the veg once grated. Add to the rest of the WET ingredients.
In separate bowl, combine DRY ingredients. Fold DRY ingredients into WET and mix through.
Bake for 45-60 min (Mine took 60)
Once loaf is baked and cooled, ice with Vanilla Orange Icing Sugar for a subtle sweet topping.

Notes

Mix up the veg for this loaf if you’d like! An original “root” cake includes parsnips (hence the ROOTiness!) but I am not a huge fan. So in my version I used my beloved Courgette (140g). Low-FODMAP Carrot (160g), and Beetroot for that smashing color (100g).

No-Bake PB Oat Bites

Written by themindfulpeanut on July 1, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

These no-bake oat bars are SO simple to throw together and make a great on-the-go and quick snack for any time of day. I used only 5 ingredients, but you could use even less or more! This makes a great base for trying out new mix-ins and spices.

Here is what I used:
GF Porridge Oats
Powdered Peanut Butter
Maple Syrup
Raw Halo Chocolate

No-Bake PB Oat Bites (GF / Vegan / low-FODMAP)

Course: Posts, Recipes

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

These easy little oat bars are perfect for a quick snack or breakfast. Using minimal ingredients and no oven, perfect for baking with kids or on hot summer days. Gluten free, vegan, low-FODMAP and refined sugar free!

Ingredients

90g (1 cup) GF Oats
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
125g (1/2 cup) Peanut Butter *See note
90g (1/4 cup) Maple Syrup
70g Chocolate (melted)

Directions

Mix Oats & Cinnamon, fold in Peanut Butter & Maple Syrup. Continue mixing until a thick dough forms
Mold into whatever size oat bars you’d like! I stuck with smaller, snack-sized options.
Melt chocolate and spread on top of oat bars
Refrigerate for ~10 min until chocolate sets.
These will keep well in the fridge for up to a week!

Notes

I use Powdered Peanut butter in most of my baking now because it is so easy to control the specific consistency. (Most powdered PBs also have significantly less fat & calories than standard PB – if you’re into that type of thing. 🙂

London, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 27, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I made my first visit to London in the spring of 2017 on a family vacation. Little did I know that merely 3 years later I’d be calling London home. Thinking back to coming here as a visitor versus being a ‘Londoner’ (not sure at what point I can call myself that) it will be fun to contrast and compare the GF foodie experience. Despite the somber look on some Brit’s faces, and the sometimes perpetual grey skies – London is friendly! It will be hard to find a cafe on every corner that doesn’t at least have a GF flapjack in their pastry case. I’ve broken down the GF/low-FODMAP foodie experience into different levels. Starting with staple corner joints you’ll find on every high street. To deeper dive “make a booking” places for special nights out. This is your IBS/GF diet. This is London. This is managing your IBS/GF diet while having a fabulous time in London.

Best low FODMAP London Restaurants

Level 1: High Street Havens

Sometimes you just need a quick, no-fuss stop off during a day of exploration! London can be overwhelming, but there are SO many places right around the corner. Here are some common places you’ll find all over that you can get a quick bite.

Bill’s
“There’s always Bill’s” has become a slogan in our household. Brekkie, Lunch, Dinner. Nice ambiance and trusty GF menu (ahem, halloumi burger)
See their menu and select by allergen!

Pret
As plentiful as Starbucks, Pret offers grab-and-go meals and drinks. GF Porridge, lemon slice, snacks and a really good Turmeric Latte with coconut/rice milk! View their Allergen Guide

Pizza Express
You’ll find one of these in every area! Always a great spot for GF Pizza, but also things like GF Jalapeno Dough Balls and Carrot Cake!! Coeliac UK have awarded them with their gluten-free accreditation.See their current offerings here.

Leon
Admittedly, I don’t eat here but they are numerous and include a lot of salads/quick healthful options when on the go in London. Apparently I’ve heard of GF Chicken Nuggets, but being vego I haven’t looked further into that. 🙂 View Allergen List!

Gourmet Burger Kitchen
Okay, so this was actually the very first place I ate in London! GF veggie burger, fries and a beer. It was a very good start to my trip. GBK’s are easier to find, but see below for my new favorite GF burger place. 🙂 Dietary Preferences Menu

Honest Burgers
Perhaps not on every high street, but it is worth the walk to get yourself to one of these for lunch! Their Courgette Fritter is my favourite!
Look at all the ‘GF’s on their menu!

Level 2: Delicious GF Sweet Treats & Cafes

These speciality bakeries & cafes around London are fantastic for a quick stop in to satisfy your GF sweet tooth!

Cookies & Scream
Every product is dairy, egg, wheat and gluten free!
Holloway Road, north London

Ruby’s of London
Beautiful, delicious GF brownies and donuts ready for your next IG post.
Greenwich Market

Cupcakes & Shhht
A bit off the beaten path, but if you find yourself wandering in NW London…
Hackney

Libby’s
Totally gluten free and proud of it! Croissants, bagels, otherworldly delights. Your new favourite place ever.
Notting Hill or Belsize Park

Utter Waffle
Food truck but now they have a brick & mortar location too! Savory & Sweet stuffed waffles. Omgggg.

Dendara
GF, DF, refined sugar free/low sugar – these new guys are doing it all and doing it right.
Kensington Palace

Level 3: Make a Booking!

These are perfect spots for just incredible gluten free experiences in London. From date night to afternoon tea – don’t miss these options!

Indigo at One Aldwych
Hidden away inside this hotel is the best GF Fish & Chips I’ve had in London. They bring around a fresh loaf of bread for starters, I nearly cried. The entire menu is GF & Dairy-free focusing on seasonal ingredients.

Niche
100% GF/Coeliac-approved. Savory classics (including proper British pie!) to Mac & Cheese and sweet desserts like a peanut butter blondie. They even have a low-FODMAP menu!

Station 26
Located off the beaten path in Brixton right next to Electric Avenue. Yep – that’s the one. Enjoy that in your head for the next 5 days. A small, entirely GF restaurant. With halloumi fries good enough to bring a grown lady to tears.

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium
Fancy cats? Fancy afternoon tea, entirely gluten free? Then make yourself a booking (ASAP, they fill up fast!) at Lady Dinah’s. This little kitty lair is filled with friendly felines and GF scones.

Holy Carrot
Vegan restaurant with plenty of GF options (like, a ton). Free from preservative and additives. Most of their menu is GF.

Plant Club
Plant-based & Gluten-free Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria. Yes, that’s right – gluten free as STANDARD!

Other England Gluten Free Travel Guides:

surrey england gf low-fodmap — Surrey, England Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Gluten Free Oxford England — Oxford, England Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Gluten Free Bristol England — Bristol, England Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

I hope this has been a helpful starter guide to some of the best in Gluten Free London! It really is a city that I never thought I’d live, nor love as much as I do. 🙂
For more on what I ended up cooking at home and grocery store finds, visit my London Lockdown post! (Ah, fond memories of early COVID lockdowns).

Leave a comment or message me some of your favorite discoveries!

Cheers! Sara

Hiya I’m Sara!

I’m trained in nutrition and vegan culinary arts. I’m a plant-based nutritionist & counselor, recipe developer, chef and cookery instructor on a mission to make more people try (and love!) plant-based eating. I’m available for low-FODMAP consultations and meal planning.

Say Hello!

Banana Brownies

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 21, 2020. Posted in Posts, Recipes.

Banana Brownies

Course: Posts, RecipesCuisine: Snacks, Dessert

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Makes

Gluten free, vegan, and naturally sweetened! These healthy, easy brownies have a soft texture and lovely banana flavor. Add additional chocolate or nuts to the mix for extra texture!

Ingredients

Wet
3-4 ripe bananas (smushed) *see note
45g (3 tbsp) butter (or coconut oil)
65g (1/4c) peanut butter (I’ve been enjoying powdered pb)
1 tbsp sugar (Maple Syrup, Agave – options!)
Dry
96g (3/4c) Flour (I used Self-Rising GF) *see note
30g (1/4c) GF Oats
Delicious
1 tbsp Cacao powder (or cocoa!)
Chocolate Chips (up to 90g, 1/2c, I used a small Raw Halo bar, 70g)

Directions

Preheat oven to 160c Fan (350F). Prep 8×8 pan
Mash WET ingredients together, fold in DRY.
Put 1/2 of batter into prepared pan, add DELICIOUS ingredients to the remaining 1/2 batter – and then add that on top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, I did 30 and while they were a bit under, I like the squishier texture. They’re vegan anyway!

Notes

If using regular flour, you can make your own self-rising by adding 1.5 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp salt for every cup of regular flour!
You can quick-ripen your bananas by putting them in the oven (peel-on) for 15 minutes at low heat until peel is black.

Oxford, England – Gluten Free & low-FODMAP

Written by themindfulpeanut on June 20, 2020. Posted in Posts, Travel.

I arrived in Oxford by bus from Heathrow and although I was a bit jet-lagged I was also immediately enamored with the beauty of the city. Gothic architecture, museums, a castle, green space and plentiful quaint cafes await in this lovely town. A little something for everyone. Here are some of the picture & foodie highlights of the long weekend away.

Upon arrival, I had a few hours before I could check in to my Airbnb so I had a walk to a nearby cafe called Cafe Loco. After a long day of travel and surviving basically off of protein bars, tea and sheer will & determination – I definitely need greens. These greens happened to come with halloumi on top. Happy days.

Grilled Halloumi salad with butternut squash and rocket at Cafe Loco

Things to See

The next day I was reunited with my Koala and we spent the day exploring Oxford. Naturally, I wanted to see the Bridge of Sighs. Along the way we also enjoyed the sights of Radcliffe Camera, Bodleian Library, and the Museum of Natural History.

Things to Eat!

We found so many yummy places in Oxford, many with Gluten free and Vegan options. Here is the collection of where we went and what I enjoyed on my low-FODMAP diet.

Handlebar Cafe & Kitchen
I’ll have a coconut pancake stack with my banana please! Maple syrup, shredded coconut, coconut oil & almond milk. And a TON of my favorite bananas.
They were also doing only plant based milks for veganuary.

Chez Mal
An entirely Gluten Free Afternoon Tea in a former prison! Koala honestly thought the gluten free scones were better than the regular ones.

Coconut Tree
Seriously put this place on the top of your list to visit. Pictured here is their treacle hopper with coconut ice cream. (Hopper = coconut milk pancake) This Sri Lankan tapas place was soo good. Vegan & GF!

Browns Brasserie
A huge gluten free menu welcomes you at this classic restaurant just a short walk from the center of Oxford. This salmon & potatoes was just what I needed after a long day of exploring. Great for a date night.

I would definitely recommend Oxford for a long weekend. Stay somewhere walking distance to the town center and you’ll have plentiful options at your doorstep. I can’t decide if my favorite part was the cream tea or Coconut Tree, but I’d recommend just do both. 🙂

Be well, Sara ♥