FODMAP Friendly Pumpkin & Sage Risotto

This Halloween I decided to actually try cooking with pumpkin for the first time, I really miss being able to eat butternut squash on the fodmap diet and this seemed like a good alternative.

I was also very excited to find a fodmap friendly stock – now I can’t say 100% that it doesn’t include onions or garlic but Knorr don’t list them as ingredients, and Knorr do generally list garlic etc as an ingredient in all of their other stocks, so I am pretty sure they would have said if it was in this one.

First tip for this risotto is to buy a pumpkin that is supposed to be used for cooking, ones from farm shops generally are anyway but the ones in Tesco’s etc will not be as nice. They do do ‘culinary’ pumpkins in supermarkets also.

This is not a healthy risotto, it’s full of butter and cheese, which is why it is so great.

Ingredients

• Spring onion tops
• Risotto rice
• Butter
• Stock (we use Knorr)
• Pumpkin
• Sage (ideally fresh)
• Garlic Oil
• Chilli Oil
• Wine
• Parmesan
• Streaky bacon

Method

1. Heat your oven to 180c and chop up your pumpkin, I roasted half of mine in the oven and then cooked the other half within the risotto to get a mix of textures. For the roasted pumpkin cut it up into big-ish squares and for the one in the risotto cut up into smaller pieces
2. Reserve the pumpkin seeds for later
3. Put half your squash into a roasting dish in the oven and sprinkle over salt and chilli oil and set the time on the oven for about 45 minutes
4. Whilst this is cooking heat a good glug of garlic oil and a knob of butter in a heavy pan and chop your spring onion tops
5. Add the onion and cook on a low heat, whilst this is cooking chop up a good handful of sage and then add to the pan for 1-2 minutes to get a little crispy
6. Add in your small chopped up pumpkin to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes
7. Make up your stock according to packet instructions
8. Add in your rice to the pan, when the grains turn a little translucent add half a glass of white wine
9. When the wine is absorbed, add your stock bit by bit stirring continuously
10. This is the most important part of your recipe and the only way to make a truly great risotto, with your left hand hold a glass of wine and drink throughout whilst stirring continuously with your right hand
11. The risotto will take about 45 minutes, the rice should have a bit of a bite but be lovely and creamy
12. When your risotto has about ten minutes left, take your pumpkin seeds and spread on a baking tray. Sprinkle them with olive oil and salt and pop in the oven for about ten minutes, or until they are nicely brown
13. If, like my boyfriend, you cannot resist adding streaky bacon to everything, chop up a few rashers of bacon very thinly and cook until crispy at this point
14. When everything is cooked, remove your roast pumpkin from the oven and add into the risotto with the streaky bacon
15. Grate a big handful of parmesan cheese and into the risotto with another knob of butter, this will give the rice a lovely shiny look
16. Serve up with some fresh sage, parmesan and crispy pumpkin seeds on top
17. Enjoy!

Fodmap Friendly Sticky Chilli Sesame Salmon with Coconut Pumpkin Noodles

This is a really simple, quick recipe that should take you no more than 15 minutes from start to finish. Perfect comfort food for when you need a big bowl of something quick, hot and delicious.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Salt & pepper
• Sesame seeds
• Chilli flakes
• Soy sauce (we use Sanchi Tamari)
• Chilli sauce (we use Linghams)
• Soba noodles (we use King Soba but any gluten free noodles would be fine)
• 2 x salmon fillets
• Spring onions
• Coconut milk

Method:

1. Season salmon with salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes
2. Cook noodles according to packet instructions
3. Whilst they are cooking, chop up your spring onions (green part only) and fry lightly in a wok with a splash of soy sauce
4. Add in a tin of coconut milk to the wok and leave on medium heat until the liquid reduces
5. Meanwhile, pan fry your salmon skin side down until crispy (approximately four minutes) then flip and fry for another four minutes on the other side
6. Two minutes before the salmon is done, add in a splash of chilli sauce and sprinkle over your sesame seeds
7. When your noodles are cooked, drain and add them to the wok with the coconut milk and spring onions and mix in
8. Serve your salmon on top of your noodles and sprinkle over more spring onions

Low Fodmap Cripsy Salt & Pepper Prawns with Rainbow Rice, Chicken Spring Rolls & Satay Sauce

This is one of my favourite meals we have at home, it is definitely one for the weekend as it takes a bit of prep and a little more washing up than usual but is definitely worth it.

The spring rolls can be eaten without frying, but if you are missing a bit of naughty takeaway food it’s a nice touch to make them crispy.

Ingredients

Salt and pepper prawns

• 250g raw king prawns
• Cornflour
• Salt
• Pepper

Rainbow rice

• 2 x packs of Uncle Bens microwave basmati rice
• Pak choi
• Seasame seeds
• Carrot
• Tamari gluten free soy sauce
• 1 x egg

Satay sauce

• Peanut butter
• Coconut milk
• Chilli flakes
• Tamari gluten free soy sauce
• Brown sugar

Spring rolls 

• Rice paper wraps
• Carrot
• 2 x chicken breasts
• Pak choi
• Tamari soy sauce
• Cholula hot sauce

Method

Satay sauce:

1. Add coconut milk to a pan and when hot add in your peanut butter, chilli, brown sugar and soy sauce
2. Cook on a medium heat until it forms a thick sauce and set aside to cool

Rainbow rice:

1. Grate your carrott and mix with seasame seedes, set aside in a dish ready to serve
2. Dry fry your pak choi in a pan, when it is nearly done add a tiny bit of water to soften, cook the water out and put in a dish ready to serve
3. Cook your rice in the microwave, according to packet instructions
4. In a hot frying pan, add a beaten egg or two and make a thin omelette, when ready take out of the pan and chop up into pieces
5. Add your cooked rice into a large sauce pan, stir in your fried egg and add in tamari sauce to taste
6. Put your rice and pak choi in oven proof dishes and leave in oven to keep warm while you prepare everything else

Chicken spring rolls:

1. Fry your chicken in a frying pan until golden brown
2. When cooked through, chop up until very small pieces on a chopping board until it resembles mince
3. Add back into pan with some grated carrott, sesame seeds and chopped pak choi
4. Add in tamari sauce and hot sauce to taste and set aside when done
5. Boil some water and put in a large shallow dish
6. Take your rice paper and place in the water until it’s soft, this usually takes around 10 seconds
7. Take the rice paper out and put a small amount of your chicken mixture in the middle, roll your paper around to make into spring rolls
8. Continue to make around 6 rolls, or until your mixture runs out
9. When you are ready to serve up, heat some rapeseed oil in a pan and lightly fry your rolls until they are golden and crispy, put in an oven proof dish and leave in oven to keep warm

Crispy salt and pepper prawns:

1. Mix up prawns, cornflour, salt and pepper in a bowl
2. Heat a good few glugs of vegetable oil in a pan
3. Shallow fry your prawns in the oil until crispy

Serve all the individual components in the middle of the table and let everyone build up their own rice bowls.

Enjoy!

Low FODMAP Spaghetti with Roast Tomatoes, Courgettes, Mozzarella and Pine Nuts

To me, there is nothing better in the world than a big bowl of spaghetti. This is one of our regular midweek meals as it is incredible, tastes great and is full of lovely vegetables.

We add bacon in because my boyfriend has an unhealthy obsession with it, but it can easily be left out if you prefer it.

Ingredients

• Gluten free spaghetti
• Streaky bacon
• Baby plum tomatoes
• Brown sugar
• Courgettes
• Lemon
• Pine nuts (less than 10 per person to keep low fodmap)
• Olive oil
• Buffalo mozzarella

Method

1. Heat your oven to 180c and chop your tomatoes in half
2. Lay the tomatoes in a glass oven-proof dish with olive oil and a little bit of brown sugar on top
3. Put in the oven for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes have become roasted and saucey
4. Meanwhile core the courgettes, discarding the seeds, then slice them into thin strips and chop your bacon into small pieces
5. Fry your bacon in a frying pan until crispy and set aside
6. When your tomatoes have around 15 minutes left, boil your kettle for the pasta
7. Put your spaghetti in a large pan and boil according to packet instructions, add a little salt to the water and keep stirring throughout to avoid the spaghetti sticking together
8. Take your frying pan and fry your courgettes on a medium heat with salt and pepper and the juice of half a lemon
9. Add your pine nuts to the pan for the last minute to toast and take off heat
10. When your spaghetti is cooked take half a cup of the cooking water out of the pan and drain
11. Remove your tomatoes from the oven and stir into your pasta along with the courgettes and bacon
12. If the spaghetti needs it, add some of the starchy cooking water
13. Divide onto plates, rip up your mozzarella and place on top of pasta
14. Serve and enjoy!

FODMAP Free Beef Tacos with Homemade Salsa & Wedges

Before I began the FODMAP diet, we always had some a bit special for dinner on Friday’s, occasionally a takeaway and more often than not we would eat out.

Whilst still on the elimination part of the diet, I have decided for now not to tempt fate with either of these options. So instead, my lovely boyfriend decided to cheer me up this Friday with these amazing tacos.

I was not holding out much hope for salsa without onions and garlic and mince minus or our usual Old EL Paso spice mix, but these were better than ever and I highly recommend everyone trying them immediately!

Recipe

Serves 2/3

Ingredients:

Spice mix:

• Pinch of dried chilli flakes
• 1x tsp tumeric
• 1x tsp cumin
• 1x tsp asafoetida powder (available in Tesco, great stuff)
• Pinch of salt

Salsa:

• 2x roasted red peppers from jar (we use these)
• Half a fresh red pepper
• 1x tbsp passata
• 1x red jalapeno pepper
• 1x tbsp of vinegar from jalapeno jar

Tacos:

• 500g lean beef mince
• Pack of taco shells (we use these)
• Sour crème
• Mild cheddar cheese
• Lettuce leaves

Wedges:

• 2x baking potatoes
• Butter/olive oil (we use Lurpak)
• Rosemary
• Salt

Method:

1. Turn your oven to 180c and leave to heat
2. Cut up your potatoes into thick wedges and boil for five minutes
3. Whilst this is boiling, make your spice mix by taking all of the spices listed above and bash up in a pestle and mortar
4. When potatoes have boiled for five minutes, drain and mix with a knob of butter in pan
5. Toss onto a baking tray and cook for 20/25 minutes (or until crispy on the outside)
6. Take a large pan and heat with a tiny bit of olive oil before adding your mince beef, fry on a high heat until brown
7. Whilst your mince is browning, make your salsa by adding all of the ingredients listed above to food processor and blitz. We had ours very smooth but it would also be nice a bit chunkier.
8. When mince is browned, add your spice mix and continue to cook until it looks well done
9. Add some rosemary leaves to your potatoes when they have ten minutes left from the oven
10. Put your tacos in the oven for 2 minutes (or according to packet instructions)
11. When all your food is done, serve up in the middle of the table with sour crème, grated cheese and lettuce leaves and let everyone make up their own tacos at the table
12. Enjoy!