Lou LoweLou Lowe

I am not a professional baker, chef or in any way a foodie. My recipes are the result of me doing experiments so I could actually feed myself after I was diagnosed with food allergies and intolerances.

I am allergic to cashew nuts, grapes, celery, grass pollen, tree pollen, flower pollen and feathers.

I am intolerant to dairy, egg, yeast, gluten, soya, lentils, cranberries, bananas, raw tomatoes and coco.

I try very hard to make ordinary everyday food, my hope is that my recipes will help people to feed themselves or their loved on a daily basis. I also hope to help them celebrate and once again be able to join in on special occasions such as Birthdays and other annual celebrations.

My passion for inventing new recipes started one pancake day. I was determined to have pancakes even if I couldn't have gluten, dairy or eggs. After only one evening of experimenting I made something edible that resembled a pancake, that was the start but I have created a lot more recipes since.

If you want to know a little bit about me I am a trained teacher but unfortunately, although I'm employed, it's not as a teacher. I am a writer and a stand-up comedian in my spare time. I have my own show at Leicester Comedy Festival this year and I will be doing a full run at the Edinburgh Fringe too.

I am currently studying to be a Nutritional Adviser specialising in food allergies and intolerances and hope to start up a business teaching and supporting people to improve their health later on this year.

I wish you all the best with your food allergies and food intolerances, I hope my recipes and website help.

Check in to Lou's website www.cookingwithoutingredients.com where you can buy her book, or follow her on Facebook.

 

Lou's recipes

Click on the name of the recipe to go to it.

Pizza base

Cold avocado flan

Eggless Custard tart

Lime cheese'less' cake

Vanilla biscuits

 


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Pizza base
Wheat/gluten, egg, dairy, nut, yeast, soya free & vegan

pizza
110g Doves white bread flour
25g instant mash potato flakes
1tsp gluten free baking powder
1 pinch of salt
100ml-200ml water
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp basil (optional)
1 tbsp oregano (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 220°c.
Mix the flour, instant mash potato flakes, salt and baking powder together in a bowl – you would add in optional herbs at this
point.
Pour the water and the olive oil in to the mix and keep stirring it until it becomes like a firm dough.
It takes about 1-2 minutes for the potato to soak up the liquid.
Roll out the pizza dough into the desired shape and thickness on the tray it will be baked on then cover it with your desired topping. (I make a very good one from skinned, roasted and blended red, orange and yellow peppers.)

Bake for 20-30 minutes but make sure that it does not burn.

 

Cold Avocado and ham flan
Wheat/gluten, egg, dairy, yeast, soya free & (nut free optional)

Avocado flanPut the oven on at 180°C.

Make the pastry in the following way:

175g Doves gluten and wheat free bread flour
50g ground almonds or 50g ground rice
a pinch of salt
50g Trex or vegetable shortening
50g Vitalite or other dairy-free spread
cold water to mix approx 2tbsp (but see how you go)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub in
fat till it looks crumbly. Add small amounts of cold water until the mixture comes together to form a stiff dough. You will need a little more water with the rice version.
Flour the worktop and roll out carefully (this pastry is very very fragile you can't lift and turn it like normal pastry). Roll it in a way so you don't need to lift and turn. Make enough space so you can just roll from where you start.
You can't just lift this up and put it over a pie dish like normal wheat pastry you need to cut it into small pieces with a pastry cutter or knife and cover the bottom of the pie dish by overlapping slightly the small delicate pieces of pastry and gently pressing them together. Line a pie or flan dish with the pastry. Prick the surface of the pastry and bake in the oven 20 - 30 minutes. Leave the baked flan case to cool while you make the filling.

Filling

1 large onion sliced
handful of spinach, broccoli or peas (fresh or frozen)
1 really ripe avocado (you should be able to mash it with a fork)
enough gelatine to set a pint of liquid (1 sachet of powdered or 4 leaves)
4 slices of ham
salt and pepper

Simmer the onion in a little water until soft then add your chosen green veg and continue to cook with the onion for about 1 minute.
Drain the onion and green veg before putting into a food processor, then blend until smooth.
Peel and de-stone the avocado before adding to the mixture and then blend to mix.
Season to your own taste.
Blend together and add in the required amount of gelatine to the mixture then chop the ham into small chunks and stir into the mixture. Pour the mixture into the flan case and spread out evenly.
Once cool set the flan in the fridge over night or for at least 2 hours.

 

 

Eggless Custard tart
Wheat/gluten, egg, dairy, yeast, soya free & vegan (nut free optional)

custard tartMake the pastry in the following way:

Put the oven on at 180°c.

175g Doves gluten and wheat free bread flour
50g ground almonds or 50g ground rice
a pinch of salt
50g Trex or other vegetable shortening
50g Vitalite or other dairy-free spread such a PURE
cold water to mix approx 2tbsp (but see how you go)
25g raw cane caster sugar

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub in fat till it looks crumbly. Add small amounts of cold water until the mixture comes together to form a stiff dough – you will need a little more water with the potato version.

Flour the worktop and roll out carefully (this pastry is very very fragile you can't lift and turn it like normal pastry). Roll it in a way so you don't need to lift and turn. Make enough space so you can just roll from where you start. You can't just lift this up and put it over a pie dish like normal wheat pastry you need to cut it into small pieces with a pastry cutter or knife and cover the bottom of the pie dish by overlapping slightly the small delicate pieces of pastry and gently pressing them together.

Prick the surface of the pastry and bake in the oven 20 - 30 minutes then leave the baked flan case to cool while you make the filling.

35g raw cane sugar
600ml rice milk
50g rice flakes
70g Birds custard powder
Nutmeg (not in any way optional in my humble opinion)

Pour two thirds of the rice milk into a saucepan with the rice flakes and heat. Add the sugar and Birds custard powder to the remaining milk, stir thoroughly. Once the milk and rice flakes have turned into a soft porridge use a food processor to blend the mixture until smooth. Pour the processed porridge into the corn flour and milk mixture and stir. Pour all of the mixture into the saucepan on a medium heat and stir until the mixture becomes thick. Now pour the mixture into your pre-cooked flan case and spread the filling so it becomes flat
Sprinkle some nutmeg on the top and let it cool and then refrigerate over night.

 

Lime Cheese'less' cake
Wheat/gluten, egg, dairy, nut, yeast, soya free & vegan

CheesecakeBase...

250g Biscuits (Doves lemon zest cookies)
or make your own vanilla biscuits
100g Vitalite or other dairy-free spread
such as PURE

Top...

4 small or 2 large lime,s zest and juice
3 small or 2 large ripe avocados skinned
and de-stoned
120g-150g caster sugar
5 sheets of gelatin or equivalent Vegeset (enough for 1 pint)
a small amount of water

Base…

Mash up the biscuits (stick in a fairly strong bag and bash with a rolling pin or mallet).
Melt the Vitalite/PURE carefully on a moderate heat in a saucepan.
Put the mashed biscuit crumbs in the saucepan and stir in the Vitalite/PURE making sure it coats every crumb. Push the crumb mix into the bottom of a 8 inch loose bottom cake tin. Place in the fridge to set while you prepare the topping.

Top…

Zest and juice all the limes into a food processor, add the avocados and sugar and process until smooth (this can take some time).
If using gelatine melt the sheets in a small amount of hot water and add to the avocado mix. If using Vegeset just spoon the powder in and process until mixed (the avocado mix should make around 600ml).
Pour into the tin on top of the base and leave over night to set in the fridge

Note: you can use lemons or oranges instead of limes just be aware that it will still be green :)

Vanilla biscuits
Wheat/gluten, egg, dairy, nut, yeast, soya free & vegan

Vanilla biscuits

180g Doves gluten free bread flour
1 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
pinch of salt
75g raw cane caster sugar (or 100g normal raw cane sugar if you can't get caster)
1tsp Vanilla Essence
50g ground rice
75g Vitalite or other dairy-free spread
75g vegetable oil

Put the oven on at 180ºc .
Mix flour, salt, ground rice, vanilla essence and sugar in a bowl and then rub in vitalite and mix in oil until it forms a dough.
Roll out on to a floured surface about half a centimetre thick ish and cut with a cookie cutter – you should get around 12 biscuits.
Place on a baking tray and cook for about 10 - 15mins – I don't grease the baking tray I find that they don't stick on a non-stick baking tray. Cool on a cooling rack.


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