Cooking with and for fibromyalgia and M.E. - mushroomy mushrooms

Cooking and eating can be a huge challenge for us fibromites, the crushing fatigue for those of us who have that symptom can make even thinking about what to eat a debilitating activity however I believe eating well is crucial for us to be the best we can.

Migraine and irritable bowel syndrome both mean I have to be ultra careful with my diet which is above all else dairy free, closely followed by additive free which goes hand in hand with no processed foods or ready meals.

We fibromites all have many different flare triggers by eliminating dietary triggers we can maybe see more clearly the other triggers.

The list of dietary exclusions may make you think, what the heck does she eat? However, I and my partner enjoy my cooking as does my daughter and her family. We do eat lots of fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and use mostly olive oil for cooking although that depends on the origins of the dish.

Yesterday I made Mary's Mushrooms, based on a Polish recipe from a childhood neighbour whose husband was Polish. I swear you will never taste more mushroomy mushrooms!


400g mushrooms, wiped and cubed
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped small
2oz margarine
2 tablespoons flour
Soy milk
Salt and pepper

Sweat the onions in the marg until soft then add the chopped mushrooms, cook over low to medium heat until all the moisture has come out and cooked off.

Stir in the flour and cook out for a couple of minutes, add soy milk to give a rich creamy texture, season to taste.

This freezes well and we love it just with toast (crostini or whatever posh version of toast you prefer) or pasta...if you do eat dairy use butter and cream although it tastes just wonderful as above.