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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The Low-Fodmap Christmas Party Guide - Part 2

 

Not long now and the presents will be getting exchanged, the food will be on the table and the drinks will start to flow. So Fodmappers, do you know what and how much you can drink this Christmas? And whether you can even drink alcohol on a low-FODMAP diet.

Let's start with the good news.

Alcohol

According to Monash University (who we have to thank for developing the low-FODMAP approach to IBS) the following alcoholic drinks should be OK to include in your celebrations at the suggested levels. And no it doesn't mean you can have a glass of each. ;)

Beer - 1 Can

Whiskey - 1 x 30ml serving

Red wine - 1 x 150ml glass

Sparkling wine - 1 x 150ml glass

White wine - 1 x 150ml glass

Beware to avoid Rum and low-GI wine as both are high in fructose and may trigger symptoms of IBS.

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

If you prefer a glass of something non-alcoholic you should be aware that both apple juice and orange juice are also high-FODMAP so should be avoided. Also make sure to read the labels of any non-alcoholic fruit punch that may take your fancy. Some of these also contain apple juice.

Cranberry juice, however, should pose no problems and inspired a little mulled beverage all of my own. (See image at the top of the page). So here's my recipe for an easy, winter warmer to enjoy this Christmas.

Mulled Cranberry Punch

Ingredients

A carton of Cranberry juice drink (look for one which does not contain artificial sweeteners as they may be high FODMAP. I used Ocean Spray Classic.)

A mulled wine sachet.

Cinnamon sticks. (Optional).

Method

Pour the cranberry drink into a pan, add the mulled wine sachet, and heat gently for a few minutes.

Pour into glasses and add a cinnamon stick for decoration. 

And there you have it, Christmas in a glass. 

Serve to your guests with a selection of nuts or 'safe' cheeses and no-one will suspect a thing.

One final note. Remember that FODMAPs are cumulative so try to stick to small portions where you can. Personally I think that this might be the hardest thing to do at Christmas when there is so much good food and drink about but it's better to eat several small meals than one large one so that you keep the FODMAP levels low.

With that in mind, it just leaves me to wish you a very happy and healthy Christmas. May Santa bring you everything you wish for. See you in the New Year.

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Low-FODMAP Mince-Pies

Well it wouldn't be Christmas without them, would it?

Hi again Fodmappers. This will be my first Christmas since going low-fodmap and I realised I'm going to have to get organised if I want to enjoy some festive treats. So for the last few weeks I've been thinking about the things that really make Christmas for me, and mince-pies have got to be top of my list.

But mince-pies are normally a bit of a fodmappers nightmare. First there's the wheat in the pastry, but even if you go wheat free there's still the apple and dried fruit in the mincemeat. If you're buying ready made there may very well be other ingredients to watch for too - did someone say fructose-glucose syrup? It was only when I decided to try and create some low-fodmap mincemeat of my own that I discovered there's even fructose-glucose syrup in tubs of candied peel!

Eventually I struck on an idea, after all there are other Christmas flavours to be had. So here's my own twist on a Christmas favourite. These are vegetarian, wheat-free, gluten-free, apple-free and don't even contain the dried fruit that is normally found in mince pies - but are still very tasty. If you're vegan you could try replacing the butter with coconut oil. I haven't tried that but I imagine it would be yummy.

The directions below are for 12 mince pies. I hope you enjoy them.

Ginger, Orange and Walnut Mince-Pies

Pastry Ingredients

200g Gluten Free Plain White Flour
100g Butter
75g Cold Water

Mincemeat ingredients

6 x 1" Pieces of Bottled Stem Ginger
Zest of 1 Orange
Juice of 1 Orange
Zest of 1 Lemon
1/2 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts

First prepare the pastry.

Put the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Work together until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
Add the water and stir through quickly until it begins to form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball and pop into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

While the pastry is resting, prepare the mincemeat.

Chop the ginger into fine pieces and put into a pan with the orange zest, lemon zest, orange juice and cinnamon. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to take on a mincemeat like texture. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. Stir the chopped walnuts into the mixture.

Roll out the pastry and cut out circles using a pastry cutter. Be careful handling the pastry as gluten free pastry has less stretch than ordinary pastry. Place into a greased mince-pie tin. Put a dessertspoon of the ginger mince-pie filling into each pie and top with a star cut from the remaining pastry.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/350F for 20 minutes being careful not to overcook. Eat warm or allow to cool and sprinkle with icing sugar for the perfect festive finish.

 

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

Spicy Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

Hi again Fodmappers. I had to share this veggie curry recipe with you as not only is it low-FODMAP (despite the chickpeas) but it is easy and tasty. Yes, low-FODMAP food doesn't have to be boring and I'll let you into a little secret, as long as you use tinned chickpeas you should find that it won't upset your tummy either. We tend to make a big batch of this and freeze some for a quick meal another day. The quantities given below should serve 4.

You will need:

Garlic infused oil
Ground turmeric
Ground cumin seeds
Ground ginger
4 medium sized carrots
A butternut squash
A red pepper (bell pepper)
2 courgettes (zucchini)
Approx a handful of green beans
Tinned chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
Brown rice
Salt and pepper

Wash, seed and chop all the vegetables into small chunks.

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over a medium heat and add the carrots and spices. We use about a heaped teaspoon of each of the spices but adjust to your taste. When the carrots begin to soften, add the butternut squash and cook a little longer. Next add the red peppers and place a lid on the wok. In a separate pan put the rice on to cook. Keep adding the vegetables to the pan in the order listed allowing a little time between each for the previous ingredient to begin to cook. You might want to add a little water to the wok to prevent the ingredients from sticking in the bottom. Stir frequently and adjust spices to taste. Finally add the drained chickpeas and seasoning. Ensure all ingredients are heated thoroughly before serving.

Enjoy. :)

Chachouka

 

Hi there Fodmappers - Well as promised here's another yummy vegetarian low-fodmap recipe for you. My lovely man made this for our supper last night - aren't I the lucky one? It's adapted from a recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's book 'River Cottage Veg Every Day' where it is described as a 'spicy North African pepper and tomato stew' which makes a 'lovely, lazy supper'. It would also make a rather tasty breakfast!

The instructions below are pretty much true to the original recipe except with a few low-fodmap changes. Of course you can adjust the spices according to your preference. Personally I like a bit of spice - it makes up for all the things us fodmappers go without.

3 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

The green part of some spring onions

1 red and 1 yellow pepper (seeded, cored and sliced)

Half teaspoon hot smoked paprika

A pinch of Saffron

Half carton of Passata

4 eggs

Salt and pepper 

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add cumin seeds and spring onion greens and fry until soft. Add the peppers and continue to cook over a medium heat until these have softened. Add paprika, saffron, passata and salt and pepper. Simmer for approx 15 minutes, stirring as needed. Meanwhile heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. After 15 minutes, transfer the contents of your pan into an ovenproof dish. Make 4 little indentations in the top of the mixture and crack an egg into each. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with some salad or wheat-free bread. Enjoy.

Low-FODMAP Veggie Summer Salad

This salad has become a firm favourite in our house this summer. I don't think it needs a recipe as such as I'm sure you can see most of the ingredients (sweet peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, olives, salad leaves and feta) and it's fun to adapt it to your own tastes. The one thing you can't see from this pic is the Quinoa base.

Quinoa is still a bit of a recent discover for me. It's low-FODMAP (of course) and gluten free so it can be eaten by people with IBS and also those with Coeliac disease. It is a complete protein and high in magnesium and iron and contains both soluble and insoluble fibre for good digestion. It also contains calcium so is a great addition to a vegan diet. I'm vegetarian, rather than vegan, so I get to enjoy a bit of both the feta and the quinoa.

The salad is dressed with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea-salt - but a squeeze of lemon juice could work well instead.

Enjoy.