Chicken and pesto pasta – low fodmap

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

I am trying again with Kale, using kale is a way of getting more cruciferous brassica vegetables into a the low fodmap diet. Why should that be important? These vegetables contain sulphur compounds such as glucosinolates, compounds that have been implicated in the prevention of colon cancer(1). These vegetables are also rich in nutrients such as vitamin C and folate – unfortunately these vitamins are water soluble so will be reduced by boiling in water. This is a bit of a problem as most kale is exceptionally tough to eat and needs a good amount of cooking! It does contain the fat soluble vitamin K, beta-carotene and leutine, which is retained. It is really important to eat a wide a variety of foods as possible when following the low fodmap diet to get as much good nutrition as possible. The following recipe is a good start! If you really don’t want to try kale in this recipe other low fodmap cruciferous vegetables are Bok Choy, white and red cabbage, turnip, swede, watercress and radish – not all suitable alternatives for this dish though. Enjoy!

Ingredients

200g Gluten free dried pasta

60 g grated parmesan cheese

2 heaped tablespoons of pine nuts

1 packet of basil leaves

100ml oil

2 chicken breasts

seasoning

Method

Make the pesto – blend together the pine nuts, basil, olive oil and parmesan.

Chop the chicken – take care not to contaminate surfaces with raw chicken – clean down well after chopping it, or buy chicken strips.

Add the chicken to a pan with 3 tablespoons of the pesto and cook till the chicken is cooked through

Start to cook the pasta in boiling salted water and add the chopped kale to the pan.

The trick with cooking gluten free pasta is to use the packet cooking instructions – overcooking will turn it to mush.

Drain the pasta and kale.

Combine the ingredients, add seasoning if needed the parmesan is quite salty so additional may not be needed

Serve, contains 2 portions

2014;66(1):128-39. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2014.852686. Epub 2013 Dec 16.

Cruciferous vegetables and risk of colorectal neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Tse G¹, Eslick GD.

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Mac and cheese – low fodmap

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

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

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

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

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.

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)

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.)

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Lamb Kofta on gluten free flat bread – low fodmap

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

I am at the moment experimenting with Greek and Middle Eastern dishes and modifying them to suit a low fodmap diet. I was surprised how well these flat breads turned out – although they are better when served slightly warmed. Enjoy…..

Ingredients

Kofta

400g lamb mince

small sprig of rosemary

1 teaspoon of Lebanese seven spice

1 teaspoon of garlic infused oil

seasoning

Flatbread

250g white gluten free bread flour

seasoning

1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 egg

3 tablespoons lactose free yoghurt

70 mls of water

Method

Kofta

Chop the rosemary finely

Add the mince to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well

Weigh into 50g portion sizes and shape into sausages.

Fry in spray oil for 15 minutes (or until cooked through thinner sausages cook faster)

Makes eight

Flatbread

Add the flour to a bowl and weigh in the xanthan gum

Mix well and add seasoning

Add the liquid ingredients and bring the dough together

Weigh into 6 separate balls

Roll out and trim into a circle shape

Fry with spray oil

Serve with feta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil, thyme and a tablespoon of pomegranate seeds per serving – if you are following a fodmap modified diet and can tolerate GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) you could a tablespoon of hummus to each flatbread. If not you can use my recipe for Tzatziki and turn this into a Greek dish here https://clinicalalimentary.blog/2017/08/08/tzatziki-low-fodmap/

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Tzatziki – low fodmap

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

Over 2000 years ago Socrates stated “All disease begins in the gut”. Clearly not – but most symptoms of IBS start in the gut and having a dip made with lactose free Greek yoghurt will help keep it calm and symptom free if you have lactose intolerance! Tzatziki is so refreshing and great for long hot summer days and a suitable accompaniment to barbecue meats and fish. So make this easy recipe and enjoy! You could also make this dish suitable for a low fibre diet (if your dietitian has advised it) by peeling and removing the seeds from the cucumber before preparing the dip.

Ingredients

150 g Lactose free Greek yogurt (I purchased it from Tesco)

1/2 cucumber

1 tablespoon lemon juice

seasoning

Method

Cut the cucumber in half and grate one half

Squeeze out all the juice

Chop the other half of cucumber into small cubes

Squeeze a lemon and add a tablespoon of juice to the yoghurt

Then add the cucumber and mix well

Serves 2 as a starter or dip with gluten free Pitta bread.

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Lime chicken salad – low fodmap

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

I am on Holiday this week and I have not picked a good one for the weather unfortunately. I decided to being some colour into my evening meal and brighten my day. So here it is a nice crunchy salad. The tortilla chips add a bit of different texture and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients

3 carrots (I used rainbow but you can use any kind you like)

3 baby courgettes

2 small bags of M&S tortilla chips (wheat free)

3 tablespoons of lactose free Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of Lebanese 7 Spice (Arribica)

Grated rind of 1 lime

2 chicken beasts (cooked)

oregano

Seasoning

Method

Slice the carrots two different ways

Slice the chicken breasts

Add the spice to the yogurt and mix well

Combine the ingredients on a dish

Serves 2

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Sausage and watercress conchiglie pasta – gluten free and low fodmap

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

This dish is really easy to make and can be incorporated into your low fodmap recipes for working week nights, plus you don’t need to use fresh herbs – dried are just as good but maybe use a little less as the flavour is more concentrated in dried herbs. I don’t eat sausages often, and I do find gluten free ones generally have a higher level of meat so you tend to get what you pay for. Pricking and grilling them does remove some of the fat but they are still relatively high in fat – although 1 1/4 sausages for each serving is not too much! Check the sausages are gluten free but also free of onion – sometimes local butchers are the best option to buy.

Ingredients

300g of dried gluten free pasta

1 pack of watercress

6 gluten free sausages

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

2 sprigs of fresh oregano

drizzle of oil

Seasoning

2.5cm block of grated parmesan

fresh oregano flowers to decorate

Method

Prick the sausages with a fork and grill for 15 minutes till cooked

Put a pan of water to boil add a small amount of seasoning and add the dried pasta

In a pan add a small drizzle of oil and add the herbs and fry to release the flavour, then add the watercress and heat till wilted

Slice the sausage, drain the pasta

Add all the ingredients to the pasta and stir well

Serve

Add a sprinkle of parmesan to each dish

Decorate

Serves 4 with a green salad!

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lactose free labneh dip – low fodmap

Posted on July 11, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

What is labneh? It is a middle eastern strained yoghurt that removes some of the whey component – some individuals can tolerate yoghurt when they have lactose intolerance however it is unclear if the draining of the whey will concentrate the lactose sugar or remove some of it. Unfortunately Wikipedia has a very unhelpful ‘reference’ in this regard suggesting that it is lower in lactose – the magazine that published the article (not a scientific reference) had to retract the statement although no actual testing appears to have been completed. It would be interesting to have Labneh made from standard yoghurt tested before and after making it, to see what the lactose content is. I however, knowing about how difficult it can be for people with lactose intolerance to be confident in what they eat, have chosen to make labneh with lactose free Greek yoghurt. This was purchased from Tesco, which do appear to have a good range of refrigerated lactose/dairy free products available. The other issue I have with some of the free from products is that they can be high in fat and the Tesco product is classed as moderate total fat (10.3 percent) this will be a high component of saturated fat – draining the whey will increase the fat percentage of the dish by a small amount. labneh is thicker than standard yoghurt and sometimes it is called a cheese, some recipes call for 48 hours straining which results in a product that can be rolled into balls and coated with delights such as seeds and nuts. I couldn’t wait that long so my version was just very thick, rich and tasty. Some recipes call for the addition of salt but my version worked just as well without adding any.

Ingredients

1 tub of Greek style lactose free yoghurt

Drizzle of oil

1-2 chopped walnuts

1/2 Teaspoon of Lebanese 7 spice mix

Grated rind of 1 lemon

Drizzle of olive oil

Sprinkling of sunflower seeds

A few edible rose petals to decorate

Serve with strips of toasted gluten free pitta breads

Equipment

1 muslin cloth or bag

1 bowl

Wooden doweling or a chopstick to hold the muslin over the bowl

1 elastic band

Method

Wash the muslin before using it and allow it to dry

Add the yoghurt to the muslin held over the bowl

Bring up the edges of the muslin to make a bag and using an elastic band secure the top.

Tie the top to the doweling and balance the doweling and bag over the bowl

Allow the whey to drain off over 24-48 hours in the fridge.

Serve in a dish and sprinkle over the other ingredients

ENJOY

serves 4 as a starter

No funding was provided or free samples were used to make this recipe.

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Pork loin with maple and mustard sauce – low fodmap

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

This is a great recipe for dinner parties with friends and is really easy to do! No one will guess that you are following a low fodmap diet at all. Often on the low fodmap diet people have a very dry diet without sauces so it is good to have an option that is less dry. You can serve this with boiled rice, new potatoes or low fodmap pasta choices and a green salad. I hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients

For the stock – 250mls of water

1 Inch of carrot chopped small

2-3 Celery leaves

A handful of black peppercorns

1 Teaspoon of asafoetida

salt

small 1 inch square of celeriac chopped small

1 bay leaf

For the rest of the dish

6 1 inch thick pork loin steaks

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

2 tablespoons of grained mustard

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Maize flour for dusting the pork loin

2 tablespoons of cream (suitable – but if you are very sensitive you can buy lactose free if you wish)

Grated lemon and tarragon to dress the dish

seasoning

Method

Add the water to a pan with the ingredients for the stock

Heat to simmering point and cook for 10 minutes

Drain off the solids and keep the liquid

Whilst the stock is simmering dust each loin in maize flour – add it to a plastic bag and shake

Fry the pork loins using the garlic infused oil till lightly browned in a frying pan

Add the stock and the rest of the ingredients (except the cream) to an oven proof dish.

Cover the dish and cook for 15 minutes then remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes to drive off some of the water.

Remove from the oven and rest the pork loin – add the cream to the sauce and mix well.

Serves 2-3 depending on your appetite!

Enjoy!

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Fennel leaf and mint cream cheese dressing – low Fodmap

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Curing eczema the natural way without steroids

Just the ticket to dress thinly sliced cucumber for a fresh salad or sandwich filler. The cream cheese is lactose free but not cows milk protein free. If you have a small amount (less than two tablespoons) you could use standard cream cheese dressing as this is entirely suitable in that portion size for the low fodmap diet – this dressing is also gluten free.

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of low lactose cream cheese

2 shoots of Fennel leaves

2-3 mint leaves

Grated lemon rind

1/2 grated cucumber

Method

Chop the fennel and mint leaves finely

Grate the rind of 1 lemon

Mix with the low lactose cream cheese

If the dressing is too thick you can add a little water to thin down the dressing, if needed.

Serve as a sandwich filler with cucumber or as a dressing on half a finely sliced cucumber as a salad. Serves 1-2 depending on it’s use.

A word about the flowers: these have not been fodmap tested but fodmap and food intolerance is all about the portion size you have and very small amounts are not likely to be an issue, however if you do wish to avoid using them that is also OK – they are not integral to the dish. These flowers used to dress the dish are borage and calendula (pot marigold) flowers, which are edible – (only use calendula petals in small amounts). There are lots of anecdotal reports of the benefits of these flowers – I have used them simply because they are pretty. If you do forage for these ensure you know what you are looking for, take care about where you are gathering – some flowers may have been treated with insecticide so it is best to avoid those – and do wash them thoroughly before use.