Potato and Carrot Soup

Are you looking for a soup that you can eat if following a FODMAPs diet? 
Then here is one I created the other night. 

Ingredients:

1 large white washed potato
1 large Desiree potato
2 large carrots
3 cups water
3 Chicken Stock cubes 
(Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Onion and Garlic Free)*
2 bay leaves, dried
Salt & pepper for seasoning
Parsley, finely chopped 
Chives, finely chopped

Additional Ingredients: You might like to add leek leaves (the green part only), fresh thyme or bacon finely diced and sauteed for a different flavour.

Method:

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and carrots.
2. Place the potatoes, carrots, water, chicken stock cubes, bay leaves, salt and pepper into a medium saucepan over a high heat.
3. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer. Stir occasionally. Cook until the potatoes are soft.
4. Remove from heat. Take out the bay leaves. Blend or process the soup until smooth.
5. Serve soup into serving bowls, then add a small amount of parsley and chives on top of the soup as a garnish.

Serves: 3 

Notes:

* Chicken Stock. It can be very hard to find a gluten free stock that is also onion and garlic free. I have used the Massel GF Chicken Style stock cubes. They are also lactose free. 

Birthday Celebrations

Today is my birthday and so I have been in the kitchen cooking a gluten free and dairy free cake for tonight. I also planned on buying a small cake that everyone else can eat.

I have to say it has been a feeding the soul morning - not sure the product will feed the palate tonight?

I have cooked egg free cakes before with mixed success but I have never done this kind of cake before it is essentially a paleo cake.

At one point in the mixing the batter split - a difficult mixture of melted coconut oil, honey, port, water and cocoa powder.  Upon adding the egg yokes, almond meal, baking powder and egg whites the mixture came together well. (photo of ingredients to come)

Where did it go wrong - I hate "flat/low" cakes so as I didn't have a 22 cm pan I chose to use my 20 cm pan over the 23 cm pan. I knew it would take longer to cook but the edges may too brown due to the high content of honey.

Now I wait as the cake needs to cool completely in the pan.

As they say the proof will be in the cooking eating, if we eat it at all! Thank goodness I was planning on getting a second cake of those not dietarly challenged.

Soooo relieved and pleased that the cake was moist and scrummy!

A wonderful cake that I could eat to cater for my dietary needs. The young drivers in the household have however requested that next time to leave out the port so they can eat it without worry about a zero blood alcohol level for driving.