Low fodmap | Recipe Journal

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Is wild rice okay on low fodmap diet?

Hi! It's hard to know with some of the newer grains and foods that come into fashion before all the tests have been done. I haven't heard anything against wild rice. It's gluten free, which is great and is actually classes as a seed I believe. Please let me know if you have any symptoms from the wild rice if you have tried it. I don't actually have IBS myself, so sometimes it's hard for me to know. x

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Hey :) I've just got onto your tumblr, great recipes thanks :) I know gluten free on a shoestring has a cookie recipe where they freeze he dough before cooking, is that the recipe you're after? Ps. Middle Eastern cake was delicious!

Hi! I'm glad you liked the cake!! I have definitely seen that blog before, so I'll have to have a look and see if that is the same recipe! Thanks so much x

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Middle Eastern Orange Cake

I've suffered a massive heart-break this week. It all starts about six months ago when I came across a gluten-free cookie recipe that conquered all gluten-free cookie recipes that have ever been and will ever be. I'm serious. I found it on a blog and tweaked the recipe slightly, using a little almond meal for that moist centre, and tapioca flour for that extra crunch, and made what I define as the perfect cookie. Note that I didn't say the 'perfect gluten-free cookie', I said the perfect cookie. That's how great they were. 

I think what really made these cookies was a step that the writer of the blog insisted I take. With a capital intonation she instructed that I freeze the cookie dough for at least one hour before placing them in the oven. Something that I feel made the cookies as good as they were. Anyway, I guess the point of this two-fold: I can share my heart break, and I can put the word out to broaden my search of these perfect cookies.

While I have talked a great deal about cookies, it may suprise you to see a lovely piece of orange cake front and centre of this post. So, without further sulking I will move on to todays post.

If you've been on the gluten free wagon for some time you well and truly would have come across this recipe already. It's dairy free and gluten free so is essentially the perfect low FODMAP cake, providing you don't have any major symptoms to almonds. This cake is incredibly moist and not overly sweet. It goes perfect with some added cardamon, or vanilla, but I will give you the most basic recipe today. Part of the reason this cake is so moist is to do with the way the oranges are prepared. You have to boil them for 2 hours before hand and then you put in the whole orange: pips, peel and all. I love making this cake for dinner parties because you can boil the oranges up to two days before and simply add the other ingredients, put it in the oven while you're eating dinner and it's ready for desert. I hope you and your dinner guests enjoy it too. 

Ingredients 

2 whole oranges

250g castor sugar

6 eggs

250g almond meal

1 tsp baking powder 

Method 

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Give the oranges a wash and place in a saucepan with water, cover and boil for two hours, making sure that they are covered with water for the whole of the cooking time. This can be done days in advance, and also makes the house smell dreamy. When the oranges are cooked place them in a blender and blitz until smooth. 

To make the cake, beat the eggs and castor sugar until pale and fluffy. Then, simply stir in the oranges, almond meal and baking powder and pour into a lined and greased cake tin. Bake for around an hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar and serve with side of choice. 

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Mexican Grilled Corn

Who doesn't love corn? Tiny golden nuggets of deliciousness! On a low FODMAP diet corn is one of those things you have to limit to only a small amount. Monash University researchers have found that 1/2 a cob of corn should be tolerated by most sufferers of IBS. You might ask, why would you bother for 1/2 a cob of corn? Well, because it's delicious and let's face it, it's not fun to have to illuminate every thing from your diet. 

Of course it's hard to beat your classic corn on the cob- a little salt and some butter and you're in heaven. But sometimes you need a little more, you need tang and spice and smokiness.... and maybe cheese. In these instances look no further than my take on Mexican corn. The process is quite easy and is perfect to add as a side for your corn tacos or to cook at a BBQ. It can also be eaten cold as a snack at work. This is very much a "do as you feel" type of recipe, so all of the measurements are approximations. If you want a little more spice then add a little more, if you want a little more smokiness add a little more smoked paprika. Sprinkle with some fresh lime and you're in flavour town. This recipe has cheese in it, but if you can't eat cheese then just sprinkle the spice mix on top of the corn.  

This week I have also added a comment box to the blog, so I'd love to start hearing some feedback about the recipes- particularly when it comes to your symptoms. Also, if you have any meals you'd really like to turn low FODMAP and are stuck for ideas feel free to make suggestions! 

Ingredients

2 Corn cobs, cut in half 

1/2 tsp Smoked paprika 

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese (or other hard cheese)* 

Knob of butter (or dairy free alternative) 

Salt and pepper

2 lime cheeks 

  Method 

As I mentioned, this is a very haphazard recipe, so add and subtract ingredients as needed. Start by steaming the corn for around 2 minutes. You want the kernels to get a little soft, but you don't want it to completely cook. Then, on a hot griddle, grill he corn until it starts to blacken on the outside. You want a nice amount of blackening, but you obviously don't want it all to be black. For the seasoning, mix smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and cheese in a shallow bowl or on a plate. When the corn is ready smother in butter (or butter substitute, or olive oil) and a little salt and pepper and place in the dish with the seasoning mix. Turn around to coat while picking up cheese and placing it on top. Serve with fresh lime. 

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  I'm so sorry that I do not update this blog regularly! I don't have a good excuse, but I swear, it's harder than it looks! I will however provide you with an excuse for not posting anything at all in the last two months, albeit a poor one- I have been on holiday in beautiful Vietnam. Okay, I was only there for two weeks but I was busy saving before I left and I have pretty much been in a food coma since I got back. Vietnamese food is beautiful. Be warned though, while it's easy to get by eating only gluten free pretty much everything is heavy with garlic and onion.

  Getting around garlic and onion free in Vietnam is certainly not a walk in the park, but it can be done. What works in your favour is that much of Vietnamese food is prepared completely fresh, as opposed to other Asian countries like India where food is often cooked over a period of days. Also, many Vietnamese people speak great English which means that it's relatively easy to as them to omit the garlic and onion and any other nasties that might be in there.   

  I learnt that Vietnamese cuisine is all about balancing the yin and the yang, creating a perfect balance between flavours. By taking out garlic and onion you do tend to loose a bit of that balance but I have been inspired and hope to think up some amazing Vietnamese-inspired dishes for you guys to create at home. Also, I promise to post some dishes that I have created but not posted yet soon! 

  In the meantime, if you are planning on taking a trip to Vietnam, or are planning a night out for dinner at your local Vietnamese restaurant make sure you try a banh xeo. These are rice pancakes filled with shrimp and pork and wrapped with crisp lettuce and stuffed with fresh herbs. I'm almost certain there is no garlic and onion, however you should try to specify. Enjoy! 

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Caramelised Fennel and Wild Rice Salad

For a long time I ruled fennel out of my list of FODMAP friendly ingredients. My line of thought was ‘no onion, no leak, no celery....’ surely that meant no fennel.  I nearly did a somersault when I found out that fennel was of the ‘yes, you can’ class of the low FODMAP list. So, I went straight to the shop to buy some beautiful fennel bulbs with this salad specifically in mind.  

Have you tried wild rice before? It's so beautiful, it is this lovely deep purple colour and it tastes amazing. The other good news is it's actually lower in carbohydrates that white or brown rice. Excellent. When cooked it's soft but still has a nice crunchiness to it, making it perfect for salads. Wild rice can be expensive, but you can find it cheap if you look in the right places. Stay away from the supermarket, they'll charge you a small fortune, try larger scale health food/organic grocery stores. 

I would suggest making the wild rice ahead of time if you can so you can let it sit and cool down while it's draining. That way you get the beautiful warmth and sweetness coming from the fennel contrasted against the freshness of the rest of the salad. This of course can be eaten when the fennel has cooled, but when it's warm it really adds another dimension. 

For this salad I add a small amount of creamy goats cheese at the end, but you could easily omit it without great consequence for a dairy free option. If you can, try get smaller fennel bulbs as opposed to the large ones, I find them to be a little sweeter. Let me know what you think! 

Ingredients 

1 cup wild rice 

2 small fennel bulbs 

30g butter (this doesn't have to be exact) 

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp caster sugar 

1 tsp fennel seeds 

1/3 cup finely chopped dill 

1/3 cup finely chopped parsley 

Zest of 1/2 lemon 

2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Olive oil to drizzle 

75g soft goats cheese (e.g., chèvre) 

  Method 

Start of by boiling the wild rice until it's soft. Keep in mind that wild rice is not as soft as white rice, it's more similar to brown rice in that it still has a bit of a crunchy bite to it when cooked. 

While the rice is cooking, prepare the fennel bulbs by removing the fronds (upper leafy part), cutting off a little of the root and removing any brown outer layers. Don't discard any of these. Keep the fennel fronds for garnishing and keep the stalks and outer layers to use in stocks. When your fennel is ready, cut in half and then into quarters making sure to cut vertically through the root so that all the layers remain intact. From your quarters you can then place one of the flat surfaces face down and cut thin slices, about half a centimetre thick. 

Now that your fennel is sliced and ready you can start to caramelise it. In the ingredients list I said that the amount of butter didn't really matter. That's because I don't normally measure it out, I just put a small knob of butter in with a small glug of oil (maybe a tsp) and then let that foam up. When it begins to foam add a layer of fennel. I don't like to put too many in at a time because it can be easy to burn them or make them too dark if you're not being careful. When they start to turn golden brown, flip them over to brown the other side, remove from the pan and place on some paper towel. Do this until all the fennel slices are cooked, adding butter and oil when needed. 

Once all the fennel bulbs have been seared, add a little more butter, the sugar and the fennel seeds to the pan. Fry for around 30 seconds and then return all the fennel into the pan to caramelise. I try not to stir these too much so that they don't fall apart, but roll the pan around a little to make sure all the fennel is coated (around 1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside. 

While the fennel is cooling slightly, take your wild rice and mix it with the dill, parsley, lemon rind, oil, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Try this mixture to make sure the taste is right. You want to have a big punch of fresh herbs and just a hint of lemon. Then, add the fennel and stir through gently. Try again to make sure you've added enough salt. Place in a beautiful serving bowl and top with the creamy goats cheese if using. 

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Gluten Free Banana and Chocolate Loaf

If you're anything like me you would have skipped past this description and gone straight to the ingredients so you could calculate exactly how many minutes it would take for you to have a warm piece of chocolate-y, banana-ry goodness in your mouth. And, if you are like me you probably would have seen there are four different types of flour and gone straight back to hunting for an easier option to get your fix. If this is the case, then I hope that for some reason this has managed to catch your eye.

In previous posts I have expressed my discontent when it comes to using multiple gluten free flours. I'm not a big one for planning, and I have never considered having an impressive gluten-free flour collection as something that was worth investing my hard-earned dollars in. But, here's what you need to know: it was so delicious. Not dry or crumbly, or stodgy. The outside was crispy and golden and the inside was so moist and springy- just like the real thing!

I think I'm going to have to eat my hat.... but it's worth it for a few more slices of this loaf.

I now have a lovely gluten free flour collection that I am indeed proud of and I'm enjoying the results. Mixing different flours together really gives your baking the right flavours and texture required to make gluten free cooking enjoyable. I have been experimenting a lot lately with different flours and will be posting my baked treats soon including the best cookies ever, the most delicious bread and a pretty tasty savoury tart. Stay tuned. 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup tapioca flour 

1/2 cup white rice flour 

1/2 cup buckwheat flour 

1/2 cup maize flour 

4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon  

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup raw sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

 4 ripe bananas, well mashed 

125g butter, just melted  

2 eggs, lightly beaten 

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped chocolate or walnuts (optional) 

Method 

Preheat the oven to180 °C and grease and line a square loaf pan. 

In a large mixing bowl sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and then stir in the sugars. Then, in a separate bowl or jug, mash the bananas and combine them with the butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then, stir through the chocolate (or walnuts if you decide to be slightly healthier) if using. Lastly, pour the mixture into your lined loaf tin and cook for approximately 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve on its own, or warm with butter. 

* I should also note that if you don't happen to have these flours, don't want to buy them, or need that quick fix right NOW, just replace the flours and baking soda with 2 cups of gluten free self-raising flour. 

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A Simple Slaw

The other night I made vietnamese marinated pork and served it with this simple slaw and I was in heaven. I have had a few epic fails in the kitchen recently, so it felt so nice to serve up and eat something that I could be proud of. I will post the recipe for the pork at another time, but for now I wanted to introduce you to the most delicious and simplest slaw I know. I was originally introduced to this recipe by a dear friend and I was pleased when I saw that it could be easily adapted to fit the low FODMAP friendly criteria. 

Firstly, let's get a few things straightened out. As I've mentioned before, many people fail to stay up to date on the research out there about the do's and don'ts of the low FODMAP diet. It is so important that you DO. It is still a relatively new diet and sometimes things change. It's worth the time because if you're lucky you find out that another food has been added to the do list, and you can celebrate! I myself do not have an intolerance to FODMAPs, but my partner does. As you can imagine, I tirelessly research in a desperate attempt to find as many foods as possible that I can use when cooking for Alex. If it wasn't for this effort I never would have known that cabbage was a go'er. Also, while large amounts of almonds may promote irritable bowel symptoms, in small amounts (around 10 nuts) they are usually tolerated. 

It is very important to note that not all cabbage varieties are good for the average low FODMAPer. For instance, while the common cabbage is fine, savoy cabbages are high in Oligos-fructans and should be avoided. So stay away from those tasty stuffed cabbage rolls you often see in Middle Eastern cafes. Also, I have yet to find any solid information on red cabbage, so if you anything about it let me know!  

So, how do you stay up to date? I am 100% aware how hard it is to find good, informative and current information on the internet about the low FODMAP diet. I have mentioned before how handy the Monash University low FODMAP app has been for me. This comes straight from the source, so try and get your hands on this ASAP if you don't already have it. 

Now, back to the slaw. This recipe is simple and fresh. It's full of flavour and has a great citrusy bite and beautiful crunch. It makes a great side dish for meat and fish. Because it is so light and fresh it also goes really well with richer foods like a goats cheese and fennel tart (recipe coming soon). You could also try bulking it out with some FODMAP friendly tempeh for a delicious vegetarian lunch or dinner. I don't really have an exact recipe for this slaw (sorry!), because I just usually chuck it all in. Here is a rough guide though. I hope you enjoy it. 

Ingredients 

For the dressing 

1 clove of garlic, lightly crushed with a knife so that it still holds together but will release the flavour * 

~ 6 tbsp olive oil 

~ 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 

1/2 tsp seeded mustard 

1/2 - 1 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar

Squeeze of lime juice 

Salt and pepper to season 

For the slaw

About 1/4 of a head of common cabbage, shredded finely 

1 small handful of baby spinach or silver beet, chopped finely 

About 6 spring onions, finely sliced, green parts only

1 big handful of parsly, chopped finely

Raw almonds, lightly toasted under a grill and crushed into chunks. You can do this in a motar and pestle or simply chop them roughly with a knife. I almonds don't sit well with you try another low FODMAP nut, such a pecans.

1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted 

* GARLIC?? Don't freak out, this will simply sit in the oil to flavour it, and will not actually be used. If you're uncomfortable with this, substituting with a little garlic oil is also fine. 

Method 

Prepare the dressing first so it has time to absorb the flavours of the garlic while you are preparing the rest of your meal. If you are using garlic oil, the dressing can be made at the time of serving. 

The rest is simple. Chop the cabbage, spinach, spring onions and parsley into the desired thickness and place in a large mixing bowl. I like to chop the cabbage super fine (use a japanese mandolin if you have one) and have the rest of the ingredients somewhere between fine and coarsely chopped. On a piece of baking paper or foil, toast the almonds and sesame seeds separately under the grill, making sure to mix them around every 30 seconds or so. In particular, keep an eye on the sesame seeds to avoid burning them. Once cool, coarsely chop the almonds and add them to the mixing bowl. Just before serving, taste your dressing, it should be sweet and citrusy but not to much of either, adding in any of the ingredients you think you need. Finally, mix through the dressing until the slaw is totally covered. Only use enough to cover it though, you don't want it to be sloppy and wet, so do it slowly. Place into a bowl for serving and top with extra sesame or almonds if needed. 

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Gluten Free Coconut and Lemon Short Bread

These gluten free lemon and coconut short breads tasted great and held together really well. So well that when I took a bite and looked down at the short bread in my hand it was still there. It didn't crumble away into nothing. It didn't break my teeth or scratch my throat. I didn't even start choking because I breathed in the dust that sometimes is gluten free baking. Nope, these little short breads are total bliss.

Another thing I learnt is that letting the dough rest in the fridge overnight allows it to draw in moisture from the butter, making it less inclined to crumble in your hands before you can even get it close to your mouth. It also makes the dough a lot easier to work with and you can roll it out quite thin. So no cheating please! If you don't have any coconut flour you can use all rice flour and try adding a little desiccated coconut. Or, try emitting the lemon and coconut flavour all together and use some orange blossom or rose water (~1 tsp). 

Ingredients 

1 cup white rice flour 

1/2 cup coconut flour*

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

3/4 cup castor sugar 

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 

Zest of half a lemon 

1 free range egg 

* You can find coconut flour at whole foods stores, if not you can easily use all rice flour and add a little desiccated coconut, or omit it entirely and just use the lemon to flavour the short breads. 

Method 

Mix together the flours and cardamom in a bowl and set aside. Then, cream the sugar and butter until light and smooth using an electric mixer. Add the egg and lemon zest and continue to beat until it is mixed through. Slowly mix in all the dry ingredients. Cover and chill overnight (or for at least 6 hours). 

Preheat the oven to 150° Celsius. You can either roll the dough into balls and squish them down with a fork country style, or roll it out flat and use a cookie cutter. If you are rolling out the dough, place it between two sheets of cling wrap. This way you can get a nice even size without it sticking to the bench or your rolling pin. 

Place on a lined baking tray and cook for around 20-30 minutes, depending on size. You want to cook them until they are firm, but haven't started to brown on top. When they are ready let them cool and, if you like, ice them with lemon icing sugar. 

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Baked Eggs with Silverbeet and Smoked Paprika Butter

Luckily for me silverbeet is absolutely thriving in my garden at the moment. Why am I lucky? Well, firstly because I love silverbeet. But more importantly, because this morning I found myself marooned with no food in the house, and it was indeed a dreary day outside. So, I pooled resources and was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this very enjoyable brunch. This dish was inspired by a recipe from one of my favourite cook books at the moment: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. The end product was delicious- oozy baked eggs on a bed of sauteed silverbeet topped with garlic yoghurt and drizzled with a mouth watering smoked paprika and tarragon butter. This can be separately portioned into two oven proof dishes or made in one large pan to share with crunchy bread on the side.  Absolutely perfect for a chilly Autumnal day. 

Ingredients | Serves 2 

300g silverbeet 

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt

4 eggs 

150g greek yoghurt 

1 tsp garlic oil

50g butter 

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Pinch of chilli flakes

1 stalk of tarragon, most chopped finely but leave some whole   

  Method 

Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees. In a large pan, sautee the silverbeet in the oil with a pinch of salt until wilted, this should be relatively quick. If you like, you could also use other leafy greens such as baby spinach, rocket or kale in place of the silverbeet. Note, if you are to use kale I would suggest cutting the stalks out so the leaves are able to become tender. Place the wilted greens into your oven proof dish and push them around to make four large divots. Crack the eggs into the prepared gaps, taking care not to break the yolks, and bake in the oven for around 10-15 minutes. 

While the eggs are cooking, mix the garlic oil through the yoghurt with a pinch of salt and set aside until needed. If you decide to prepare the yoghurt in advance make sure you pull it out of the fridge early so that it can be served at room temperature.

Melt the butter in a frypan and add the smoked paprika, chilli flakes and just a dash of salt until it starts to bubble and turn a golden red. At this point, add the tarragon and stir around before taking off the heat. 

When the egg whites have set remove them from the oven.  Top with a spoonful of the yoghurt and drizzle generously with the smoked paprika and tarragon butter. Serve by itself or with nice crunchy toast. 

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Green Beans with Olives and Lemon

Recipe by Nina Renee

Struggling to find a tasty side salad, something to take on a picnic, or to your next potluck dinner party? These beans with lemon and parsley are so lovely and fresh and are perfect as a side salad or for a lunchtime treat. Even better, they are so quick and quite versatile. On this particular occasion the beans were made with olives and parsley, but feel free to mix and match. You could finely chop some capers, or add roasted almonds instead of the olives. Do make sure you properly blanch the beans to ensure they stay crunchy and green! Enjoy. 

Ingredients 

500g green beans

1 tbsp garlic oil

1 tbsp olive oil 

50g kalamata olives, pitted* and roughly sliced

Zest of 1 small lemon

2 heaped tbsp of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley 

Salt, to taste

* For the best flavour I like to buy the olives whole and slice around the pip.

  Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Meanwhile, top and tail the beans by cutting off both ends. Prepare a large bowl of cold water with plenty of ice and set aside by the sink until needed. When the salted water has boiled, fully immerse the beans for around 40-50 seconds. Then drain and immediately submerg in the ice water. It is important that you do these steps quickly; blanching the beans will ensure they stay crisp and vibrant green. Leave the beans to cool in the water while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 

For the dressing, heat the oils with the lemon zest until it starts to bubble. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. 

When the beans are completely cold, drain and pat dry with a cloth. Mix through the parsley, olives, prepared oil and salt to taste. 

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Here it is: I have been neglecting those of you who are intolerant to lactose.

For this I am truly sorry. In a desperate attempt to rectify my shortcomings I have sought help from my dear friend Nina Renee. Nina is an expert in vegan and lactose free cooking, and makes some of the most delicious salads that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. So, hang tight- heaps of lactose free recipes coming your way! x  

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The Humble Oat Porridge

Oats are your friends! Well, they could be. 

Yes, the jury is still out on whether oats contain gluten. However, it's important to remember: as a low FODMAPer, you don't actually have an intolerance to gluten. As it happens, most products containing gluten are not suitable to someone following a low FODMAP diet, but the gluten itself is not to blame. Oats contain Oligos-fructans, which are not your friends; but, in small amounts (no more than half a cup as recommended by Monash University research), oats should be tolerated by most. 

So, have some porridge for breakfast tomorrow morning! Remember, keep it simple. Add a little salt, a little cinnamon and your favorite milk. Top with brown sugar, berry compote or bananas and nuts. You're in for a treat. 

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Carrot Cup Cakes with Mascarpone Icing

I find that many gluten free, FODMAP friendly cake recipes often contain multiple flours. This can be quite annoying, expensive and more time consuming if you don’t have them handy in your pantry. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, white wings makes an excellent gluten free flour. It too is a blend, but much easier for those spur of the moment sweet treat cravings. This recipe actually makes a cake, but I had a little extra mixture left over so I made these lovely little muffins which looked too cute not to photograph.

*Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver.

  Ingredients

250g unsalted butter (or dairy free alternative if required)

250g brown sugar

5 eggs, separated

1 orange, zested and juiced

170g gluten free self raising flour

1 teaspoon of gluten free baking powder

100g almond meal

100g whole walnuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

A pinch of ground cloves

A pinch of ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

Icing

100g mascarpone cheese

200g cream cheese

85g icing sugar

Zest and juice of 1 lime

  Method

Preheat the oven to 180. Cream the butter and sugar together by beating vigorously (or using a food processor). When the mixture is light and fluffy add the egg yolks one by one followed by the orange zest and juice. Then, stir in the flour, baking powder, ground almonds, walnuts, spices and grated carrots and mix together.

In a separate bowl mix the egg whites with a little salt until stiff. When this is done fold them into the cake mix. The mixture will be nice and thick. Spoon it into a lined cake tin and bake it in the oven for 50 minutes. My cake tin allowed a little extra so I made little muffins (featured above). These cooked a little faster, though I didn’t time them.

When the cake is has cooled completely (resist the urge to ice it and eat it straight away as the icing will melt), mix all ingredients for the icing together and ice generously.

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Meatballs

I'm no Italian Mumma, but these meatballs are pretty tasty and, lucky for you, completely FODMAP friendly. You could make these meatballs small and serve them with pasta, but if you're any thing like me, you want nice big ones to serve with crusty gluten free bread with a bit of salad on the side! What I love about this recipe is that you can prepare it in advance and leave them in the fridge until you're ready to use them. Bellissimo! (or any other Italian cliché you may wish to insert).&nbsp ; 

  Ingredients 

2 slices of gluten free bread made into bread crumbs*

500g minced beef (or a mixture of beef and pork mince) 

3 sprigs of rosemary, finely chopped 

1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped 

1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley 

4-5 basil leaves, roughly torn 

Pinch of chilli flakes 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp wholegrain seeded mustard (could also use Dijon mustard)

 Zest of 1 lemon 

1 egg 

1 tsp garlic oil

Salt and Pepper 

4 basil stalks, finely chopped 

1 small red chilli, seeds removed

2 tins of tomatos 

Nice glug of balsamic (probably about 2 tbs) 

Salt and pepper

Basil leaves, roughly torn 

  * I say made into bread crumbs, but I just cut them as fine as possible because I don't have a food processor. Feel free to do the same thing. 

    Method 

Remove the crusts from two pieces of gluten free bread and place them in a food processor to make breadcrumbs. Place the mince, breadcrumbs, herbs, spices mustard, lemon rind, salt and pepper, and egg in a large mixing bowl. With clean hands combine all ingredients until everything is mixed through. Then, with the hands, form the mix into balls. I like to use about 3 heaped tablespoons worth, but make them as small as you like. Place the rolled balls on a tray and coat generously with oil. Place the meatballs in the fridge until ready to use. 

  In a large pot heat some olive oil and lightly fry the basil stalks and chilli until soft. Add the tomatos with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the balsamic vinegar and leave to simmer, tasting as you go to add spices, salt, pepper and sugar if needed. Then, in a large heavy based pot heat some olive oil and lightly fry the meatballs, turning gently until the balls turn golden. Importantly, you are not trying to cook the meatballs here, you are just giving them a nice colour. When all the meatballs are fried (I do them in batches so I don't burn them), return all  to the large, heavy based pot and pour over the tomato sauce. Cook for around 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce looks at a nice consistency and the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle. Finish with plenty of fresh basil. Serve with parmesan cheese, bread and a lovely fresh salad. 

[lowfodmap-blog-blog]

Meet your new best friend.

I was doing a little research this morning and came across the most handy thing I've seen since I started researching the low FODMAP diet: an app with recipes, information about safe and not so safe foods, and shopping lists. This little beauty has been developed by Monash University, who initially realised the effects of FODMAPs on those with IBS and continue to update and refine the diet. Because of this you can be assured that the information on this app is up to date and safe. No more wading through endless websites with conflicting information! Just search "The Monash University Low FODMAP diet" in your app store and you'll find it. No androids yet, sorry. 

[lowfodmap-blog-blog]

  Polenta with toppings 

  Polenta is gluten free and very versatile. It can be used to make gnocchi, serve with stews or, as in this case, as a tasty base to enjoy with delicious toppings. I split the mixture from the recipe below and made two dishes: one with proscuitto, basil and goats fetta and the other with zucchini, lemon rind, mint and taleggio.  It also tastes fantastic served with roasted tomatos. Be creative with it! It's great for dinner parties or served as a main with a lovely fresh salad. 

  Ingredients

80g instant polenta

1/2 cup grated parmesan 

2 tbs butter 

1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped 

1 tbs chopped parsley 

100g teleggio cheese, cut into chunks 

salt and pepper 

  Method

  In a medium sized saucepan bring the stock to boil and slowly stir in the polenta. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until cooked. You can tell when the polenta is cooked because it becomes thicker, but still remains runny. This should only take about 5 minutes. When polenta is ready stir in the other ingredients. Then, split the mixture into two and roll out onto a grill tray lined with foil (make it about 2-3cm thick). Place under the grill for around 5-10 minutes. Then, place whatever ingredients you would like to use as toppings and put back under the grill to warm them or cook them (depending on what you are making).