How To Make Tasty Wheat-Free Pasta In Minutes

Hi Fodmappers

I hope you're well and enjoying some sunshine wherever you are? It's been a funny few weeks here but it does seem like summer is finally on it's way. And with summer comes salad!

I love salads (I've never understood why some people find them boring?) and earlier this year I treated myself to a spiralizer so that this summer's salads can be even more fun! So today I've been making zoodles!

For those of you who haven't discovered zoodles yet, they are simply courgette/zucchini pasta. (You can't get a lot more 'wheat-free' than that). They are known as zoodles because zucchini + noodles = zoodles. But if you don't have a spiralizer - don't panic! A vegetable peeler will do the trick.

I also made a yummy vegan low FODMAP pesto, because pasta and pesto are made for each other.

This was my first foray into the land of nutritional yeast. I'd never fancied it (you have to admit it doesn't sound appealing) but it's actually very good. It's light and cheesey and, I'm glad to say, not at all yeasty. The finished pesto is fresh and full of flavour. A real 'deli' pesto without the price tag.

So here's how to make a tasty wheat-free pasta and vegan pesto in minutes. Perfect for those summer evenings or for popping into your picnic basket.

Wheat Free Pasta and Low FODMAP Vegan Pesto

Serves 2.

You will need

1 courgette/zucchini
5 brazil nuts
5 walnuts
A good handful of basil
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
(Non vegans could replace the nutritional yeast with cheese)
1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Pinch of salt.

Method

Using a spiralizer or vegetable peeler, cut the courgette into ribbons. Set aside in a bowl.

Put the nuts, herbs and nutritional yeast into a mini chopper or food processor and pulse. Add the vegetable oil and salt.

Stir the pesto through the courgette ribbons and serve.

It's really that easy, that quick and and that summery!

And if you happen to be curious about the little flowers in the picture, they are basil flowers and they are fantastic! Too pretty and too tasty not to use.

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous.

Take A Low FODMAP Pizza My Heart Now Baby

Hi again Fodmappers

Talk about not enough hours in a day, right now there aren't even enough days in the week! So what is a Fodmapper to do? What I need right now is low FODMAP fast food. So tonight I'm making pizza!

This week also happens to be National Vegetarian Week and the lovely people at the Vegetarian Society are travelling round the UK sharing pizzas with the people they meet. As a vegetarian that seems like another good reason to indulge in a little cheesey, tomatoey (is that even a word?) yumminess - made in the way only Fodmappers know how.

So here's what you need to make your own low FODMAP fast food pizza.

You Will Need

Gluten free pitta bread
Tomato puree or tomato ketchup
A few slices of peppers
Some olives
Grated Cheese
Oregano and Basil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C.
2. Meanwhile spread a little tomato puree or tomato ketchup onto the pitta bread. (Tomato ketchup has been shown to be low in FODMAPs). Add the grated cheese, peppers, olives and sprinkle with herbs.
3. Place the pitta pizza on a baking sheet and pop into the oven for approx. 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to golden.

And there you have it. Low FODMAP fast food for busy Fodmappers. And if you're not busy? Well everyone deserves a night off now and then.

Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous. x

Easy Ice-Cream Your Tummy Will Love

If you're looking for an incredibly easy, lactose-free and low FODMAP ice-cream. Here it is!

Hi again Fodmappers

You are not going to believe how easy it is to make this yummy ice-cream. And you might be surprised to learn that all it takes is one banana. Yes, this really is completely lactose free ice-cream which means it's also vegan, as well as being FODMAP friendly. And despite there being no added sugar it's sweetly satisfying. Great for an after dinner treat or for children's parties.

And it takes no time at all to whisk together.

Ingredients

1 small banana per person

Method

1. Slice the bananas into approx. 1" pieces.

2. Freeze for at least 2 hrs.

3. Remove banana from freezer and put into a mini-chopper. Pulse. (You may find you'll need to loosen it from the sides of the chopper with a spoon.)

4. Continue for a couple of minutes until the ice-cream becomes soft and creamy.

5. Enjoy.

I added choc chips to mine (though I added them a little too soon and ended up with speckled ice-cream) and topped it all with coloured sugar stars and one large chocolate star for extra fabulousness. Alternatively, you could try adding a little peanut butter, coffee essence or chopped nuts to the mix.

If you fancy making your ice-cream a little fruitier, remember that to stay within the safe limit of FODMAPs you need to restrict fruit to one portion per meal. By all means add a little raspberry or strawberry but remember to reduce the overall portion size accordingly.

Guess what I'm going to be eating this summer?

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous.

Low FODMAP Vegetarian Kedgeree

Hi again Fodmappers - I hope you've had a great week?

Today I want to share a tasty low-fodmap vegetarian recipe that's already a favourite in our house. It was inspired by one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipes in River Cottage Veg Everyday, we've simply tweaked it to make it low-fodmap. It's easy to make and it's fantastic as a week day supper.

For a vegan variation, simply use tofu instead of egg. Or alternatively, replace the rice with quinoa.

Interesting fact: Did you know kedgeree was traditionally eaten as breakfast as a way of using up the previous night's left-overs. Now there's a thought.

Low-FODMAP Vegetarian Kedgeree (Vegeree)

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients

2 courgettes
1 red bell pepper (seeded)
1 yellow bell pepper (seeded)
1 aubergine
1 chilli pepper (seeded)
Some spring onion greens
Garam Masala
Olive Oil
Basmati Rice
4 eggs
Fresh coriander

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/400F
2. Chop all the vegetables into large chunks and spread in a baking tray. Don't be tempted to skimp on the veg. It will look a lot initially but cooks down considerably during roasting.
3. Pour olive oil over the vegetables and generously sprinkle with Garam Masala.
4. Roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Prepare the Basmati rice according to the instructions on the packet. Drain.
6. Boil the eggs for 6 minutes. Remove from water and run under a cold tap to cool. Remove shells.
7. Add the vegetables to the rice stirring through thoroughly.
8. Serve the vegeree topped with chunks of boiled egg (or tofu) and fresh coriander.

Enjoy.

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous!

Easy, Wheat Free, Walnut and Rosemary Soda Bread

There's nothing like home-made bread fresh from the oven - especially when it's this easy to bake.

Hi again Fodmappers - I hope the sun is shining where you. It's officially the first day of summer here in the UK and it's cold, wet and windy! Not that I'm complaining as it's given me a chance to try my hand at something I've wanted to do for a while, and that's making my own soda bread. I've never been a big fan of bread but I do enjoy soda bread, maybe partly because it reminds me of holidays in Ireland where I've enjoyed it for breakfast - fresh from the oven. So today, I've been hiding from the weather and cooking up a storm.

If you're a regular visitor to my page (hello and thank you for stopping by) you'll remember that in my last post I talked about the difference between gluten and fodmaps and why gluten-free isn't always the best choice if you have IBS. However this recipe is gluten-free, wheat-free, lactose-free and fodmap friendly. What's more, as it's a soda bread, it's also yeast-free, so if that's something you need to avoid then this recipe is for you too. It's also incredibly easy. In fact it's so easy I added my own twist.

I took as my inspiration the Doves Farm recipe for Emmer Soda Bread, but as Emmer is a form of wheat I replaced it with their Gluten Free Plain White Flour. (In case you're wondering, I'm not being sponsored by Doves Farm, that's just what I used). I discovered you don't need to use a strong flour for soda bread (who knew?) and as I already had the plain white at home I thought it was worth a go. I really had no idea how it would turn out but sometimes you've just got to try these things. I'm pleased to say it baked beautifully, so if you fancy giving it a go, here's how I did it.

Walnut and Rosemary Soda Bread

Ingredients

450g Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain White Flour
1 and 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
450g of Lactose Free Yogurt
1/2 cup of Chopped Walnuts
1 Tbsp of Dried Rosemary

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/400F.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Stir in the yogurt and bring together into a ball. Note: Soda bread doesn't have to be kneaded and only takes moments to come together.
4. Place on an oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with flour.
5. Cut an X in the top and bake in the oven for approximately 55 to 60 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and tap on the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it's ready.
7. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy with soup, cheese or a spread of your choice. Of course, if the sun is shining where you are, this would be perfect on a picnic with a glass of wine. Well I can dream. ;)

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous. x

Low FODMAP Rebellious Ratatouille

And a quick lesson in using garlic as part of a low-fodmap diet.

Hi again Fodmappers - Today I want to share another simple vegetarian and vegan recipe idea that's so yummy, you'd never know it was low-fodmap, or vegetarian. But first I want to talk to you a little about garlic, particularly as I know some of you have asked ...

Can I have garlic as part of a low-fodmap diet?

It dawned on me recently that I rarely talk much about the ingredients I use and why it's ok (or not ok) to include them. For me, getting myself well has been as much about what I've learned as what I've eaten because, as I've mentioned before, low-fodmap is not about cutting back on what we eat, it's about replacing high fodmaps with low ones. I'm sure that understanding what I can incorporate, and how, has been a vital part of my success. So I'd like to pass on something which I think you'll find helpful too.

I like my food to have plenty of flavour and unfortunately garlic is high-fodmap (don't run away Fodmappers, there is good news to follow) so it's not surprising that I discovered it to be one of my main triggers. But there is a way we can still enjoy a little garlic flavour in our food. I shan't baffle you with science, but if you just want to skip to the recipe, feel free.

(If you're new to fodmaps you might like to read this.)

In a nutshell, garlic (along with onions and pulses) is a type of oligosaccharide and is water soluble. This means that when you add garlic to soups, sauces, stock etc, the oligos (the O in fodmap) will leach into your food. It is the oligos, along with other fodmaps, that trigger symptoms of IBS.

However, they are not soluble in oil. (I remember this seemed like a revelation when I learned this). This means we can still enjoy a little garlic as garlic infused oil. You can buy garlic infused oil but it's easy enough to make. And by making garlic infused oil we can safely include what is a high-fodmap ingredient in a low-fodmap diet!

So here is my simple ratatouille recipe. I'm calling this Rebellious Ratatouille as that's how I feel when I add 'naughty' ingredients like garlic to my recipes. I think you'll see that I've just made a couple of tweaks to make it low-fodmap. So easy when you know how. I hope you like it.

Rebellious Ratatouille

Ingredients

Olive Oil
A few garlic cloves
1 red pepper
2 courgettes
1 small aubergine
4 or 5 spring onions
1 small carton of passata
Fresh basil
Black pepper

Method

1. Chop garlic into fairly large pieces to make them easier to remove.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic. Cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes allowing the garlic to infuse.
3. Remove the garlic from the oil. You' now have garlic infused oil. (Didn't I say it was easy?)
4. Cut the white parts from the spring onions and discard. (This part is high in oligosaccharides).
5. Roughly chop the spring onion greens (leaves) peppers, courgettes and aubergines and add to the oil. Cook until softened, stirring continuously.
6. Add the passata and heat through.
7. Add the pepper and basil and simmer.

Serve with wheat free pasta and a side salad alongside a little grilled halloumi (watch portion size) or tofu sprinkled with paprika for extra yumminess.

'Til next time Fodmappers - Stay Fabulous. x

Three Ways to Enjoy a Low-FODMAP Pancake Day

Hi again Fodmappers - Can you believe it's almost Pancake Day? It doesn't seem long since Christmas! And it's almost a year since I started my low-fodmap diet! I think that's a cause for celebration!! But pancakes? Why not?

A low fodmap diet isn't about cutting things out, it's just a matter of replacing high fodmap ingredients with low ones. For pancakes that's about choosing a non-wheat flour over wheat, and replacing the milk with a lactose and soy free variety.

Of course you also need to think about what you're putting into your pancakes, so to help you I've come up with three suggestions - one breakfast idea, one main course and one dessert. And because I prefer eating to cooking, they're all very easy.

I've used buckwheat flour for the pancakes (if you've been following my blog a while you'll know that buckwheat isn't wheat) as I like the earthy, wholefood hippiness of buckwheat. But if that's not your style just use a gluten-free flour blend instead. Or maybe try mixing the two together and create a low-fodmap flour blend of your own!

Buckwheat Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 egg
1 cup of lactose free milk of your choice
A little oil for cooking.

Method

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg.
Slowly whisk in the milk.

(After mixing the batter, I poured the batter into a clean plastic milk carton to use as needed.)

Heat the oil in the pan.
Pour in enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
Cook until lightly browned, turning once.

________________________________________________________________________

Pancake Fillings and Toppings

Breakfast - Peanut Butter and Banana

Speaks for itself! Enjoy your pancake spread with peanut butter and topped with sliced banana for a protein packed start to the day.

Main Course - Provencale Pancakes

Lightly fry, or roast, some spring onion greens, courgette, bell pepper and tomatoes with a little basil.
Spoon into the centre of each pancake and roll up.
Top with grated cheese and serve with a side salad.

Dessert - Lemon Meringue Pancakes

Warning! This is particularly yummy!

Combine a crushed meringue nest with lemon curd and some plain lactose free or coconut yogurt. (I used CoYo.) Spoon onto cooled pancakes and top with syrup or a squeeze of lemon juice.

I topped mine with a drizzle of syrup from a jar of stem ginger. Lemon and ginger is just such a perfect combination! Yum!

And there you have it - three easy ways to enjoy a low-fodmap Pancake Day. Enjoy!

'Til next time - Stay Fabulous! x

Quick, Light and Low - Veggie Noodle Soup

Hi Fodmappers - How is that New Year's Resolution coming along? Discovering plenty of tasty low-FODMAP recipes? Don't panic if everything seems strange right now, you'll get the hang of it I'm sure. And to help you along I thought I'd share a recipe of my own for a very simple, fresh and healthy soup that you can make in minutes.

Low-FODMAP Veggie Noodle Soup

Suggested ingredients

Rice noodles
Carrots
The green part of spring onions
Red bell peppers
Tofu
Soy Sauce
Ginger (either a small piece of root or a pinch of ground ginger)
Salt
Black Pepper
Lemongrass
Coconut Oil (though any oil will do)
Water

Method

Finely chop the carrots, peppers, spring onion greens and ginger.
Prepare lemongrass by peeling away leaves and squashing the tip with a rolling pin to release the flavours.
Cut tofu into small cubes.

Lightly cook the vegetables in a little oil until they begin to soften.
Add boiling water, lemongrass, soy sauce, salt and black pepper. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes.
Add tofu and warm through gently.

Put the rice noodles into a bowl, remove the lemongrass from the pan and pour your soup over the noodles. Allow noodles to soften in the soup for approx 3 minutes.

And that's it - quick, light and low-FODMAP. Perfect when you're pushed for time or just want something fresh and easy.

Enjoy.

'Til next time Fodmappers - happy eating!

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Veggie Savoury Muffins

 

Ooh look! Yummy savoury snacks. ;)

Hi again Fodmappers. As you can see I've been doing a bit of baking this week. But these aren't any muffins, these are fodmap friendly flour-free muffins! And they pack a bit of a surprise. These muffins are a nice source of veggie protein and they are incredibly easy to make. I confess I'm not into complicated cooking - I want to eat, not cook.

I've made these a couple of times now so they can't be bad eh? I discovered them at Everybody Loves Pretty and have pretty much stuck to that recipe so far.  However the second time I made them I used a mature cheddar rather than a mild one, and next time I'm going to try adding a little asafoetida as I felt they needed a bit of a bite. As onions are not a 'safe' food for me, asafoetida does go some way towards replacing that sharpness. (If you haven't discovered it yet, it's worth tracking down and adding to your spice collection.) But on with the recipe.

I used:

1/3 cup of quinoa grains

1/2 a cup of grated Cheddar Cheese

2 large eggs

1/3 cup of shredded spinach

A generous pinch of oregano

A generous pinch or basil

A sprinkle of salt and pepper.

(This makes 6 muffins).

Method:

First cook your quinoa. Rinse the grains well (I used my salad sprouter for this) and then toast them lightly in a large saucepan for a couple of minutes. Add 2/3 cup of cold water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for approximately 15 mins or until it has absorbed all the water.

While the quinoa is cooking, preheat your oven to 350/180.

When the quinoa is ready, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. Stir in well.

Finally add the eggs (make sure the pan and contents have cooled slightly so that the eggs don't cook on contact) and mix in.

Spoon mixture into muffin cases or directly into a greased muffin tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

 

The finished bake has a texture part way between a muffin and a quiche which isn't as odd as it sounds. Give them a go, experiment with different flavours, and let me know what you think.

Fodmap Friendly Halloween

Just a couple of weeks to go until Halloween and these little peppers were so cute I had to give them a try. I'd seen several recipes for these online but most were either meat filled or full of non-fodmap friendly ingredients. I decided to go for a Feta and Walnut filling, partly as those were ingredients I had in, and partly because walnuts look like brains. Yes I'm completely in the Halloween spirit already! 

As always, this is a vegetarian recipe but it could be very easily adapted for vegans, just skip the cheese! In fact feel free to tweak this recipe however you like (I did) but just remember to stick to low-fodmap ingredients.

So here's what I used

2 large yellow bell peppers.
Half a cup of quinoa grains.
A small handful of walnuts.
Approx 100g of feta cheese
8 to 10 pitted black olives
1 tomato.
Oregano
Basil
Black Pepper
Salt.

Cook the quinoa in a cup of water until all moisture is absorbed. (Approx 15 to 20 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Meanwhile prepare the peppers. Cut around the top and remove the seeds and, using a sharp knife, carefully cut a little 'pumpkin' face into the peppers.

Chop the walnuts, feta, black olives and tomato into small pieces, keeping just two walnuts whole for decoration.

When the quinoa is cooked simply stir in the rest of the ingredients and season with the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Fill your peppers.

Finally place one half of a walnut inside the top of each pepper (as a spooky brain) before replacing the top.

Place in the oven on a baking tray for approx 1 hr or until the pepper is soft.

Alternatively you could try a cheddar and spinach combo or, if you'd like to see the filling oozing out of your pumpkins eyes, maybe a fodmap-friendly version of a ratatouille?

Have fun and let me know how you get on.

Low-FODMAP Baked Potatoes

Hi again Fodmappers. Apologies about the quality of the photo but I just wanted to share another easy low-fodmap vegetarian recipe with you (sorry vegans, I promise to get some ideas on here for you soon). In fact, this is one of those meals which I tend to forget is low-fodmap! We love these, apart from anything they pretty much cook themselves, but they are also one of those lovely comforting foods for chilly evenings.The centres are nice and fluffy as, after about an hour in the oven, we scoop out the middles and mash them before adding a little cheddar cheese, lactose free milk and chives, and topping with a slice of tomato. We then return them to the oven until cooked.

I know it's yummy but, whatever you do, avoid the temptation to pile baked beans on top. Baked beans are high in FODMAPs and will undo all your good work.

I love the potato skins (and they don't cause me a problem) but many people do find they upset their tummies, so this is one of the cases where you have to really get to know your own body. That's one of the joys of going low-fodmap for me - everyone is different, and that's ok! You have probably also noticed that I'm a big fan of salad. Again you may find that it doesn't sit easily with you so be sensible. Stick to low-fodmap salad ingredients (that means avoiding spring onions, green peppers, coleslaw and certain salad dressings) and be generous with the herbs and seasoning. Herbs are a blessing to fodmappers and often great for the digestion. And let me know how you get on.

Until next time - happy eating!

'Easy Cheesey' Low-Fodmap Omelette

 

Hi again Fodmappers. I hope you're all doing well and enjoying the blog so far. Tonight I just want to post a little something to show you that low-fodmap cooking doesn't have to be complicated. Yes you do need to discover replacements for some of the things that have probably been part of your 'normal' diet for years - such as replacements for wheat! Actually I didn't realise how much wheat I was eating until I had to stop! Anyway, it's nice to sometimes recognise that some of those 'normal' foods are also low-fodmap. So, tonight's recipe is ... ta da .... an omelette.

I shan't write out a recipe on how to make an omelette as I'm sure you know the basics, but I think it's worth mentioning the ingredients. This is a vegetarian omelette (because I'm vegetarian) but you can adapt it to your preference of course. The main thing to remember is to stick to low-fodmap ingredients. Yes that might sound obvious but that means using the green part of spring onions instead of regular onions, sticking to red and yellow peppers rather than green ones, and using a hard cheese such as cheddar as the lactose in cheese reduces as it hardens. (1) You could also add tomatoes, spinach, chives or potatoes. (2)

So there you have it, a 'normal' and easy recipe idea that is also low-fodmap. You could even keep a slice for your lunch-box. ;)

1. http://cheese.about.com/od/cheesebasics/f/lactose_free.htm
2. http://fabulousfodmaps.blogspot.co.uk/p/yummy-low-fodmap-foods-to-enjoy.html