Chive salad – for low fodmapers missing onion.

This salad has onion flavour as it’s base and uses chives to achieve this. It can be made without the chive flowers but if you can get them they do make a really pretty addition to this dish. I am really lucky where I live as we have the Incredible Edible scheme. This is a organisation that has planted lots of edible herbs and fruit trees around the town that are available for all residents and visitors to sample for free – as long as you know what you are looking for and what flowers are edible and can be used. I have gathered the chive flowers (the light purple ones – see image below), fennel leaves and borage flowers (the deep blue ones that I have used for garnish.) So for me this recipe was reasonable in cost because the herbs were free. There was also a pleasure gained in going for a walk and gathering my own food.

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You can modify this recipe to make it more simple by just using chive stems and any green/red salad leaves to base the salad on, plus the borage flowers are not a necessary ingredient for the integrity of the dish. I produced this recipe without dressing as I felt the chives added plenty of strong flavour but you can add some if you wish- do check the label for fodmap ingredients. If you struggle with resistant starches then serve the rice whilst it is still slightly warm.

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Ingredients

75g of cooked wholegrain and red rice

4 chive flower heads and stems

4 chard leaves and stems

1/2 packet of low lactose mozzarella

2 sprigs of fennel leaves

seasoning

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Method

Chop the chive stems and chard stems into small pieces

Rip the chard leaves into small pieces

If needed cook the rice by covering in cold water and bringing it to the boil – season then cool and drain.

If using the chive flowers cut the individual flowers from the flower head

Rip the low lactose mozzarella into bite size pieces

Pull the fennel leaves into small pieces

Combine everything and serve

Serves one – enjoy!

 

Courgette and walnut salad – low fodmap

Raw courgette adds another dimension to this dish it is crunchy and refreshing. This dish uses the yellow variety but is just as good with the green courgette.

Ingredients

2 yellow courgettes

1 handful of walnuts

1 handful of pumpkin seeds

100g of corn based couscous

2 teaspoons of grained mustard

Red leaved lettuce

1 yellow pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Spiralise the courgette into thick spirals. Pour boiling water onto the corn based couscous and leave to soak up the liquid and cool, add the mustard and mix well. Combine all the ingredients to the salad season and mix well. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peppered leaf salad with prosciutto and berries – low fodmap

On the theme of salads again here is a lovely refreshing peppery salad. Watercress is suitable for the low fodmap diet according to the Monash App and I love it’s hot taste. I also added a few mint tips and radish shoots. The fruit is a portion so don”t have a piece of fruit after this salad or you will trigger symptoms if you have fructose malabsorption. Check it out for a great lunchbox or add to a gluten free wrap.

Ingredients

1 pack of watercress

80g blueberries

80g raspberries

1 pack of prosciutto (check the ingredients and avoid those with spices)

A few mint tips

A few radish shoots

balsamic drizzle – don’t exceed a tablespoon

Method

Simple – wash the fruit and leaves and arrange the ingredients in a bowl.

Drizzle with balsamic

Serves two.

Lactose free rice pudding topped with blueberry brittle

Rice pudding is a real comfort food and often advised for people who need to have nutrition support for weight loss as it is easy to eat and tastes great. If you have lactose intolerance however, this might be a food you wish to avoid. But using lactose free milk means that you can have lactose free rice pudding – a joy!

Recipe

100g short grained rice

1 pint of lactose free milk (more may be required – depending on how thick you like your rice pudding.)

2 tablespoons of lactose free cream

2 tablespoons of table sugar

A handful of blueberries.

Sugar to sweeten to taste

Method

Add rice to the pan and cover with half the milk and cream and bring to the boil.

Keep stirring and adding milk till the rice is cooked.

Taste – then add just enough sugar to sweeten.

Add the two tablespoons of table sugar to a pan with a small amount to water and cook till dissolved. Add the blueberries and coat in the sugar. Add to the top the rice pudding and serve.

Serves 2

 

Welsh Rarebit – low fodmap

Welsh rarebit is one of those lunch or supper dishes that is easy to do and as with all cheese dishes, really hits the taste buds to satisfy! How do we make this low fodmap? With a slice of gluten free or 100% sourdough spelt bread that has been through a fermentation process. Make sure you ask about the fermentation process as some breads just have a flavouring added to them – which is not a true sourdough process. Also the flavour of the cheese is enhanced by the addition of 1/4 teaspoon of soy sauce and fish sauce to replace the Worcestershire sauce that is usually a staple ingredient of the dish. Worcestershire sauce contains anchovy sauce – so a splash of fish sauce is not as strange as it appears, Worcestershire sauce does contain onion and garlic so is not low fodmap. Don’t be too worried about adding some fish sauce – this will not taste fishy at all! Also use a hard cheese low in lactose. No salt is needed to be added to this dish – it is naturally salty enough.

Check out Sustain’s real bread finder and the types of sourdough process here https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/bakery_finder/

https://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/sourdough/ avoid type III sourdough as this may not be suitable for a low fodmap diet.

Ingredients

45g hard cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon fish sauce

1 slice of gluten free or sourdough bread.

Method

Toast one side of the bread.

Grate the cheese and add to a bowl with the egg, soy sauce, mustard and fish sauce.

Mix well.

Top the bread with this mix and grill till golden brown.

Serves 1

*This recipe is NOT gluten free therefore is not suitable for those with coeliac disease.

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Chicken, chard and pine nut conchiglie pasta – low fodmap

I adore chard – it is so pretty and very tasty. I have not been able to source a regular supply of it, perhaps because it may be a seasonal leaf. I was surprised and very pleased to find it in a local store, so I bought some to use over the weekend. I always keep some celeriac in the vegetable compartment of the fridge, it replaces the celery flavour of low fodmap dishes and adds a another depth of flavour to the dish. This is a nice spring recipe to start the Easter weekend and herald the start of better weather, lighter nights and fresh food.

Ingredients

300g of dried gluten free pasta

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

4 cooked chicken thighs

30g grated parmesan

I tablespoon of oil

1 slice of celeriac

100g chard

70g spinach leaves

Method

Chop the chard, spinach and celeriac into small slices.

Fry in the small amount of oil with the pine nuts.

Slice the chicken and add to the pan to warm through (must heat the chicken to at least seventy degrees C, if the chicken has been chilled and only reheat it once.)

Grate the parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta in a pan of hot water whilst the sauce is cooking.

Do take care when cooking gluten free pasta as it is very easy to overcook it and end up with a ball of starch in your pan! Review the cooking instructions on the packet before you start.

Drain the pasta, add the vegetables and chicken and stir thoroughly.

Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Serves 4.