Vegan Pate – Christmas starter Low Fodmap

This is a spiced vegan pate starter – a really nice way to begin Christmas lunch. It has lots of seasonal flavours to remind you of the traditional Christmas. Being very easy to make it will take no time at all for you to prepare. Entertaining guests can be challenging so this dish can be prepared in advance and refrigerated till the 25th or perhaps used as a nice supper dish on the 24th if you prefer.

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Ingredients

100g pecan nuts

1/2 preserved lemon

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice

1 teaspoon of oil

4-5 sage leaves

150g roasted peppers (you can purchase these ready prepared from most supermarkets)

100g gluten-free breadcrumbs

season to taste

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Method

Cover the pecan nuts with boiling water and leave to soak for a few hours till soft .

Add the oil to a pan and fry the spice a little to release the flavour.

Then add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend well.

Serve with toasted gluten free bread

Serves 4-5

Jeweled Koshari – low fodmap

Koshari is a dish served in Egypt and usually has plenty of fried onions on the top and pulses mixed in the rice/pasta blend and added as a topping. Obviously the onion is a no-go for low fodmap diets, but the chickpeas? This could be used in small portions as long as the chickpeas are canned and have been rinsed well. No more than 2 tablespoons should be used per portion and this is tolerated well and will contribute slightly to the fibre and protein content of the dish. Also Koshari is served with a spicy tomato based sauce, which can also be low fodmap modified – see future posts for the topping. This does taste good without though although a little non traditional perhaps and a totally vegan carbohydrate to add to a meal with sources of protein such as a small handful per portion of low fodmap suitable nuts (walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts, pine nuts for example) or firm tofu pieces.

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Ingredients

150g of white rice

50g of Camargue red rice

50g gluten free pasta

100g of celeriac

1 parsnip

1 heaped teaspoon of Lebanese seven spice (available from Marks & Spencer and low fodmap)

Chopped tarragon and thyme

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Chopped stalks of rainbow chard (the leaves can be cooked separately and served alongside the dish)

seasoning

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Method

Cook the carbohydrates in boiling water add a little salt and drain.

Whilst the rice/gluten free pasta is cooking chop the vegetable ingredients finely.

Add the olive oil to a pan and fry the spices to release the flavour and add the chard, celeriac and parsnip to the pan and coat well with the oil then roast in an oven till cooked.

Combine the ingredients and top with freshly chopped herbs.

Serves 5

Remember, remember the fifth of November – Low fodmap parkin.

Parkin is a rich spiced cake from Yorkshire or Lancashire that is consumed during bonfire night. Are you unsure of what Bonfire night is? It is a festival in the UK marking the failure of a plot to blow up parliament by Guy Fawkes. This is celebrated by lighting bonfires and fireworks and making a Guy to collect pennies. If you want to know more then this short version of a video by the excellent Horrible Histories series is a great way to find out – tongue in cheek of course!

Ingredients

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp mixed spice

100g dark muscovado sugar

175g golden syrup

175g black treacle

125g Margarine

1 Large egg

100ml Lactose free milk

225g Doves Farm Gluten Free self-raising flour

200g Oats (contamination free if you have coeliac disease)

Method

Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Add the egg to the milk and mix

Melt the butter and sugars in a pan until dissolved – cool a little

Mix the ingredients together

You are looking for quite a wet mix, add more lactose free milk if required

Place some baking parchment into a round tin 9 inch baking tin and grease the tin if needed. Or if you wish this can be used as a tray bake. Cook at gas mark 4.5 until a skewer placed in the cake centre comes out clean. Top with icing sugar and star shaped sprinkles to represent fireworks.

How to make an authentic low fodmap curry – vegetarian

OK – so, how on earth do you make an authentic curry without an onion base? Masala is a mix of spices that are first fried in oil to release the flavour and then finely chopped onion and garlic is added – lot’s and lot’s of onion and this is cooked before adding the other ingredients to the onion and spices. No wonder then many people with digestive problems have an issue with curry! So is curry off limits when following the low fodmap diet? Certainly not – the following recipe replaces the onion with finely chopped white cabbage. I know this does sound a little strange but trust me, give it a go and see. Now this recipe does have a large amount of oil so it is not for every day and if you have problems with food higher in oil perhaps give this recipe a miss.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of asafoetida

1 Jar of roasted peppers

130g of white cabbage

1 aubergine

200g of small salad potatoes (skin on)

500ml water

250 ml of oil

Fresh coriander leaves and pomegranate to decorate

Method

Add the oil to a pan and fry the spices

Chop the cabbage very finely and add to the spices and oil and fry for 5 minutes (this cooks into the dish in a similar way to onion.)

Chop the aubergine, potato and red pepper and add to the mix and cook in an oven proof dish for 3o minutes.

Add some chopped coriander leaves and serve with boiled rice or gluten free plain chapati.

The chilli is for decoration although chilli is tolerated by some people with IBS (it is low fodmap) add a small amount to the dish if you wish.

Serves 4

Mac and cheese – low fodmap

OK, so it really has an Autumnal feel today perhaps a comforting meal is required and macaroni and cheese is definitely one to make. This is a low fodmap recipe made with lactose free milk and cheese suitable for a low fodmap diet – please note that the fat content is high due to the cheese used. If you find that meals higher in fat cause symptoms it probably isn’t worth trying this recipe, although a small portion might be suitable. This is a great recipe if you are underweight and want to increase the calories in your diet. Unfortunately I didn’t have any macaroni so strictly speaking this isn’t mac and cheese but penne and cheese – you can get gluten free macaroni by ordering it on the internet but most supermarkets I use don’t stock it, which is a shame!

Ingredients

300g of gluten free pasta

560ml of lactose free whole milk

28g butter

28g cornflour

70g of cheddar cheese (I used an orange cheese for more effect)

20g parmesan

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 slices of gluten free bread

seasoning

Extra grated cheese for topping

Method

Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour, mix well till the flour is incorporated into the butter

Start to add the milk slowly whilst keeping stirring

Add all the milk and warm the sauce till mixed

Add both cheeses to the sauce after grating

Add the mustard powder

Cook the sauce till thickened season if required (do taste the sauce first as the cheese does add flavour)

Cool whilst stirring to avoid a skin forming

Cook the pasta in water till al dente

Add the cheese sauce to the pasta and add to an oven proof dish

Top with gluten free crumbs made from the bread and the extra grated cheese

Bake in an oven for 20 minutes at gas mark 5 or 190 degrees C.

Serves 4 with a green salad

Puff pastry topped with creamy courgette and walnut salad – Low Fodmap

Autumn days are really setting in now and we are entering my favourite time of year with lots of squashes and root vegetables to roast – great for sensitive digestive tracts. As we are entering the cooler days of the year I have decided to try a different approach to a salad – this might be a little unconventional but it was filling, tasty and a little more substantial than the usual salad fare. I have used very pretty fennel flowers as decoration, which strictly speaking are not fodmap tested – but you can get away with a small amount of fennel bulb (49g) a few flowers sprinkled on a salad shouldn’t be too much of a problem. We are lucky in Todmorden, we have incredible edible and lot’s of fennel in flower beds for anyone to harvest.

You can used bought gluten free pastry – but do be aware that some are based on chickpea or pulse flour, which is not suitable for a low fodmap diet. Tips for using gluten free pastry is to roll it between cling film to prevent sticking.

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Ingredients

1 packet of gluten free pastry mix

2 courgettes

4 tablespoons of lactose free mascarpone cheese

100g red cabbage

2 handfuls of walnuts

1 egg

seasoning

Fennel fronds (2-3 should be adequate.)

1-2 fennel flower heads (not an essential ingredient)

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Method

Roll out the pastry

Beat the egg with a fork and brush the pastry with beaten egg – this will improve the colour.

Cook in the oven using the manufacturers directions – mine is a little dark at one end! It might be useful to turn it whilst cooking to get an even bake.

Cool.

Wash and spiralize the courgettes – (you can also buy them pre-prepared at many supermarket outlets to save a additional step in the method.) Mix in the lactose free mascarpone and season.

Finely chop the red cabbage, fennel fronds and roughly chop the walnuts and add all the ingredients to the pastry base – serve with mixed green salad leaves.

Decorate with fennel flowers (not an essential item)

Serves 4-6

Lactose free mascarpone was purchased from Tesco and the ready roll puff pastry was made by Genius (gluten free and dairy free.)