Tag Archives: low fodmap

Nutty Dessert

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This dessert is inspired by the spices in a Baklava but quite a bit lighter than the Turkish dessert. Easy to make.

Serves 4

200 ml chopped Almonds (blanched), Pistachios, Walnuts and Pecans (or, Low Fodmap – Macademia, Brazil, Pecan, Walnuts, Pine nuts and some Almonds – watch the nut servings per person).

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
1 tablespoon melted butter (or rape seed oil)
2 tablespoon maple syrup
2 tsp lemon juice
Dash of salt

2 tablespoons of blueberries

400 ml Greek yoghurt (or non-dairy alternative).
Blueberries and raspberries to decorate

1. Mix the chopped nuts and spices together.
2. Add the blueberries.
3. Spoon into serving glasses, alternating with the yoghurt.
4. Serve with berries on top.

Salted Choco Vanilla Panna Cotta

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This is one of my favourite desserts. I keep coming back to it, making small changes and enjoying it even more than before. You’ve probably seen a few different versions of this already on my blog. Make in advance and have on hand in the fridge.

It’s wonderful dessert to be enjoyed in small servings – the perfect ending to dinner.

Also, it is a great Low Fodmap, dairy free and vegan dessert.

Serves 8-10 (depending on cup size. I use small espresso cups)

300 ml coconut milk
½ teaspoon Agar Agar Powder (or any other gelatin you feel comfortable working with – if using Agar Agar flakes, much more is needed, about 1/2 table spoon instead)
½ vanilla bean, seeds
Dash of salt
150 g vegan dark chocolate
Coarse salt

1. Dissolve the agar agar in a little cold water.
2. Bring the coconut milk to boil. Add the agar agar and let simmer for at least 3 minutes.
3. Add the seeds from the vanilla bean and a dash of salt. Let simmer another minute.
4. Take off heat.
5. Chop the chocolate and add to the milk. Stir until dissolved.
6. Pour into small espresso cups (or similar)
7. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.
8. Serve with some sprinkled coarse salt on top.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup with Crunch

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Carrot Parsnip Soup-8273

A warm, filling soup – perfect on a chilly evening with some crusty, gluten free bread (why not try the potato bread recipe? You’ll find it in the search bar).
Roasting the vegetables in the oven before adding to the soup, brings out some wonderful strong flavours. Add the pecans and coconut for some nice crunch.

Serves 4

5 medium sized carrots
4 medium sized parsnips
olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Dash of salt

150-250 ml coconut milk
350-450 ml water

100 ml chopped pecans
50 ml shredded coconut
salt
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Chili flakes

1. Peel and cut the vegetables into halves even sized slices and place in a casserole dish
2. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, chili flakes, juice and salt.
3. Roast in oven 200 C about 40 minutes (until caramelized and tender)
4. Deglaze the oven pan with some of the above water (pour the liquid into the hot pan and stir to release the flavours that have stuck to the bottom of the pan).
5. In a saucepan, add most of the milk and water (including the deglazing liquid) with the veggies and let simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Using a handheld mixer, purée until completely smooth. If too thick, add some more liquid.
7. Taste and add more chili or juice, as needed.
8. In a dry pan, toast the pecans and coconut, add some salt.
9. Pour into soup bowls and add the pecans and coconut then drizzle balsamic vinegar, olive oil and/or chili flakes on top

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

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This is a very quick and (almost) healthy recipe for a great chocolate mousse! The creamy avocado provides the thick, fluffy consistency in this mousse. A must try! Also, this recipe is dairy free, vegan and low fodmap (if you eat maximum 1/4 of the whole dessert).

Serves 4 (small servings)

300 ml coconut milk
3 tbsp cacao
1,5 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ ripe avocado
Dash of salt

Decorations:
Blueberries, raspberries, cacao nibs, banana, orange slices…

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and thick.
2. Refrigerate minimum 2 hours before serving.

Variations:
Add some chili flakes to the blender or some crushed licorice candy (gluten free) after the choco mix has been processed.

Fruit Tagliatelle

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Maple Coconut Tagliatelli

Delicately flavored “tagliatelle” makes for a light and fruity dessert. In the photo above, I served this dish with a chocolate sauce but then felt that the chocolate was a little too overwhelming. Instead I would recommend a citrus/berry sauce which balances nicely against the tagliatelle. Please find recipe below.
This recipe is gluten and dairy free. It is low foodmap too if you keep the serving to less that 1/4th of the recipe (60 ml coconut water is considered low fodmap).

Serves 5-6

The base:
400 ml Coconut Milk
200 ml Coconut water
75 ml maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 tbsp agar agar

1. Combine the agar mix in a saucepan.
2. Boil 5-6 minutes.
3. Pour into small round bowls. Do not pour too much into each bowl as this will make the tagliatelle too wide.
4. Chill in refrigerator.
5. When set, remove from bowl and start shaving into tagliatelle (see photo).

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Berries:
100-150 ml mixed berries
A little maple syrup
Juice from ½ lime

1. Marinate the berries in the syrup mix for a few minutes.

Sauce:
150 ml frozen berries
1-2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
50 ml water

1. Slightly thaw the berries
2. Run the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor

Decorations:
Lime zest

Lemony Coriander Hummus

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This hummus is easy to make your own, bursting with fresh coriander/cilantro and lemon flavours. The hummus can be served as a dip or as a sauce. Here I’ve simply made individual servings as starters (with some crackers on the side). Enjoy! (This is a low fodmap recipe.)

The hummus:
400 g canned (or soaked and cooked) chickpeas, drained
2 lemons, juice
150 ml loosely packed fresh coriander
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
A pinch of salt
(a few drops of maple syrup to bring out the flavour, optional or, agave, if you are not low fodmap)
Some olive oil, if needed, so create a softer texture. (to be added last, if needed)

To serve:
½ of lemon per person
1 coriander leaf per person
(optional, some olive oil to drizzle over the dish)

1. Place all the ingredients for the hummus in a mixer and run until smooth.
2. Taste and add more coriander or lemon if needed.
3. Take half a lemon and cut off a small piece of the base so that it can steadily stand on a plate.
4. Cut of a thin, long strand along the top of the lemon (see photo) and keep it attached at one end. Make a knot on the lemon strand.
5. Using a small ice cream scoop, melon baller or similar, create little balls, flatten the base and place on top of the lemon.
6. Add a fresh leaf of coriander on top.

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Amazing Cake Base

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This cake base is made in a few minutes only. I like to chill the base in the fridge for an hour or so before using, but this is not necessary. Any topping goes, here I have made one with cream cheese and vanilla. Don’t forget to strain the sauce as it comes out much nicer without the seeds.
I have created the base to be able to serve it dairy free, low fodmap, vegan and raw as well as gluten free of course. The rest depends on what sauce and topping you choose. For a more interesting look, I would sprinkle some freeze dried strawberry powder on top, but, at the time of the photo shoot, I didn’t have access to any.

Serves 4

The base:
100 ml desiccated (dried and grated) coconut
2 tbsp cacao nibs
1 tbsp almond butter
1,5 tbsp melted cacao butter
1 tbsp rice syrup
50 ml fresh raspberries
Dash of salt

Topping:
2 tbsp crème fraiche,
100 g Philadelphia cream cheese
½ tsp vanilla extract

Sauce:
250 g frozen raspberries cooked with
25 ml water
1 tbsp icing/powdered sugar
Some extra raspberries for decoration

1. Mix the base ingredients with a fork. Press into 4 ring moulds. Add some topping and refrigerate.
2. Combine the ingredients for the topping. Pipe onto the cake base. Refrigerate.
3. Simmer the raspberries with the sugar and water over low heat. Add more water if needed. When slightly thickened, strain and cool.

Veggie Rolls

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Such a great appetizer! Healthy, fresh and very tasty. Perfect finger food. Just make sure the stuffing is cut into small pieces and won’t poke holes into the rice paper. I do not deep fry my rolls but eat them fresh or bake them in the oven.

Makes about 12 rolls.

1 carrot
1/3 fennel bulb
1 small red pepper
½ courgette (zucchini)
1 stalk lemon grass
½ red chili, seeds removed
1-2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce

Bean sprouts
Rice paper for spring rolls
Sweet chili sauce (either make you own – see this link, a great sauce but NOT low food map – or buy the Go-Tan brand which IS low fodmap)

1. Remove the outer layers of the lemon grass and cut the inside finely
2. Finely chop the red chili
3. Cut all remaining vegetables (except for the bean sprouts) into fine sticks and gently fry in a little oil.
4. Season with ginger and soy sauce and taste.
5. Add the bean sprouts and quickly stir fry for another minute.
6. Soak the rice paper in hot water for a maximum of 10 seconds. Take out and place flat on a plastic cutting board or ceramic plate (the rice paper might stick if using a wood cutting board)
7. Place a line of vegetables on the rice paper and into a roll. Start them roll by folding a small piece over the ingredients, then fold in the sides to lock the filling in, lastly, roll the remainder of the paper.
8. The rolls are ready to eat as they are, or you may want to brush (or spray) them with oil and bake them slightly in the oven (about 10 minutes on 180C)
9. Serve with the sweet chili sauce

Strawberry Ice Cream – Dairy Free

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If you can find fresh coconuts (can be bought on-line), this is a very easy ice cream to make. Only takes a bit of planning (the soaking takes a lot of time). To make it even creamier, or if you don’t like almonds, you may substitute the almonds for cashews. With almonds though, it is not just dairy and gluten free but also low fodmap (with a limit of a 12 almonds serving, you can safely eat 1/5th of this ice cream).

100 ml soaked almonds (about 55 almonds)
100 ml young coconut meat (should be enough in one small coconut)
Pinch of salt
25 ml maple syrup
25 ml rice syrup
50 ml almond milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
400 ml fresh strawberries, cut up
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1. Soak the almonds 24 hours, after half the time, change the water.
2. Crack the young coconut open with a meat cleaver and scrape the meat out with a spoon.
3. Combine all ingredients (except for the oil) in a blender. Process until smooth.
4. Slowly incorporate the oil while processing. Do not overblend.
5. Pour into ice cream machine and make according to the manufacturer’s instruction – OR – pour into plastic container and place in freezer. Remove and stir every hour until frozen.
With this dish I like to serve some dehydrated strawberry slices. They are wonderful, intensified in flavour and naturally sweet. If you own a dehydrator, I can definitely recommend dehydrating thinly sliced strawberries.
Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Parma Wrapped Hake with Kimizu Sauce

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160518 Parma Wrapped Hake with Kimizu Sauce-2943

Kimizu Sauce is both creamy and light. This is one of the few instances I actually cook with sugar because the sauce will not be the same without it. Roasted asparagus sprinkled with sea salt, grilled salmon or any other salty dish should go nicely with this sauce. In this recipe I serve it together with parma wrapped hake. Dairy free and low fodmap.

Serves 4

3 parsnips
500 g hake, fillets
4 large basil leaves
Black pepper
4 slices of Parma ham (or Serrano)
4 tooth picks

Kimizu Sauce:
3 egg yolks
Dash of salt
3 tbsp of rice vinegar
1,5 tbsp of sugar

3oo ml quinoa, cook according to manufacturers instruction
Black olives, chopped
1 lemon, zest from the whole and juice from ½

Spinach
Salt and pepper

1. The parsnips make for a beautiful addition but are not essential to the dish. If you have a dehydrator, slice the parsnips thinly and dry at about 45C overnight. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and grind some salt on top.
2. Prepare the hake parcels. On a piece of ham, place 1 leave of basil, a generous amount of pepper and a piece of the fish (about 125 grams). Wrap the ham around the fish and secure with a toothpick.
3. The sauce: Whisk the yolks in a bowl with a round bottom and add the salt, sugar and vinegar. Place the sauce over a pot with boiling water and whisk continuously. You must whisk vigorously with no breaks until the sauce has thickened. If you take a break the eggs will coagulate and you end up with scrambled eggs… The sauce will become think and “foamy”. When the sauce is thick enough (after about 5-6 minutes) remove it from heat and place the bowl in another bowl containing cold water and ice cubes. This is so that the sauce will quickly cool. The sauce is to be served at room temperature (or chilled).
4. Cook the quinoa. When done combine with the olives and lemon.
5. Fry the spinach, season.
6. If you have a steam oven please use it. The fish will be so moist and tender. If not, set oven at 180C and cook for about 12 minutes, until done.

Coco Thai Chicken

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160511 Coco Thai Chicken-2914

It is all in the sauce! Really! This sauce is just amazing! I like to steam the chicken in my steam oven but will give the recipe for an oven baked chicken below. A quick and easy recipe but the chicken should be marinated for about 6-8 hours so don’t forget to allow time for this. The dish is also dairy free and low fodmap.

Serves 4
Marinade:
2 green chilies, seeds removed
2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp soy sauce (light)
12 coriander leaves
2 limes, zest and juice
1 tsp sugar (can be omitted)
400 ml coconut milk

1 tsp cornstarch (to be added to the sauce at a later stage)
5-600 grams chicken breast, mini fillets
250 ml wild rice
Chili flakes to decorate

1. Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a blender and run until smooth.
2. Place the chicken in the marinade for 6-8 hours, refrigerated.
3. Cook the rice according to the manufacturers instructions (generally 20 minutes in double amount of water)
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and bake in a 200 C oven for 20 minutes (or until done).
5. In a small saucepan, heat the marinade/sauce. Combine the cornstarch with a little water (1-2 tsp) and stir until dissolved. While stirring, add the cornstarch mix to the sauce and make sure the sauce has been brought to a boil before removing from heat (otherwise it won’t thicken).
6. To serve, put a spoonful of sauce on the place and then, using a spoon or any other kitchen tool, spread the sauce out in a semi circle. With the help of a ring mold, add the rice to the plate. Add the chicken sprinkled with chili flakes.

Cod Sweet Potato and Tapenade

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A wonderful fish dish where the sweet potato puree contrasts with the salty/spicy tapenade. Don’t forget to spice up the puree so it doesn’t get too sweet. Also, spread it quite thin on the plate so the taste of the fish and tapenade is not over shadowed by the puree.
This is a low fodmap dish.

Serves 4

Tapenade:
12 green olives
12 black olives
70 g marinated char grilled red peppers
4 sundried tomatoes
1 red chili, seeds removed
1 green chili, seeds removed

Sweet potato puree:
3 large sweet potatoes, pealed and cut into thick slices
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
Salt
Chili flakes
1 tbsp olive oil

600 g cod fillets
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

1. Chop all tapenade ingredients into small pieces and set aside in a bowl.
2. Place the potato on an oven sheet and add the oil and salt on top.
3. In an oven at 200 C, roast the potato for 30-40 minutes, until soft.
4. Using a blender, puree the potato and add the lemon juice, salt and chili flakes. Taste and add more spice/juice as needed. Lastly, add the olive oil for a smoother texture and shine.
5. In 200 C oven, bake the cod with some olive oil and salt until done. About 15 minutes depending on thickness.
6. Assembly: Put a spoonful of puree on the plate and spread out with a knife. Place the fillet of cod on top and add the tapenade.

Nacho Cheese Sauce – Dairy Free

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A spicy dip to be served with nachos, cucumber or any other vegetable. Dairy free, gluten free and low fodmap. Quick and easy to make. Can be served directly, still a bit warm from the boiled vegetables, or cold.

4 medium sized potatoes
2 medium sized carrots

100 ml water
75 ml almond milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
100 ml nutritional yeast
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
75 grams roasted, marinated red pepper (I like the Sacla brand) or roast your own with olive oil and salt

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots until soft. Place in a food processor.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
3. Taste. Add some smoked paprika, lemon juice and salt as required. Remember, cheese is quite salty so if you want to imitate the nacho cheese sauce you may need more salt.

Serve with Nachos

Heavenly Hazelnut Pralines

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An amazing treat that I have adapted to become low fodmap as well as gluten and dairy free. Takes a bit of time to make but is absolutely worth the effort!!! Make a larger batch and store them in the refrigerator (although unsure how long they last…they tend to get quickly eaten no matter how many you make).
For this recipe, you need to temper chocolate (please see further down this page). If you’ve done this before, just follow the recipe. If you have never tempered chocolate before, you may want to read up on all the “dos and don’ts” in this exact procedure – there are lots of great websites discussing this.

Hazelnut filling

250 ml hazelnuts (which comes to about 150 nuts, so if you follow a strict low fodmap diet you will need to calculate how many balls you can eat as you should eat a maximum of 15 hazelnuts). (My melon baller makes 40 small balls, which means 3.75 hazelnuts in each).
75 ml pure maple syrup
2 tbsp rice syrup
150 ml hazelnut milk (almond milk will also work but give a different flavour)
75 ml cacao butter, (as measured when melted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt (brings the flavour out)

1. Process hazelnuts in a blender until a smooth butter is formed (if you use ready made hazelnut butter you only need about 170 ml).
2. Add all other remaining ingredients except the butter. Blend.
3. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Do not overbeat! You can also use a spatula towards the end if it is not thoroughly mixed.
4. Pour the mix into a container and place in the freezer until firm.
5. Scoop out with melon baller and make small balls. Again, place in freezer until ready to be coated with the chocolate.

The chocolate

The chocolate needs to be tempered; heated and cooled to exact temperatures. The tempering allows for a smooth and shiny dipping chocolate that “snaps” when you bite into it. Don’t forget to use completely dry utensils.

250 ml cacao powder
375 ml cacao butter, finely chopped + 1 chunk to be used later (size of a thumb)
125 ml maple syrup
1,5 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
You also need a candy thermometer.

1. Melt the powder and butter (but save the chunk for the next step) in a bain marie (a bowl over water, simmering at a low temperature). Whisk the melting chocolate until it has reached 46C. Remove immediately!!
2. Add the syrup, vanilla extract and salt plus the large chunk of cacao butter, continue to whisk until the temperature has cooled to 29C. The chunk of cocoa butter is to assist you in the cooling process. When at 29C just remove what may remain of the chunk.
3. Put the bowl back on top of the saucepan and heat again. When at 31C remove immediately. The chocolate is now in temper and will produce a wonderful coating for your hazelnut balls.

Dipping

Shredded coconut
Chopped nuts
Cacao nibs

1. Using a toothpick, dip your hazelnut balls into the chocolate mixture, carefully coating all sides. Then dip into a bowl with the topping of you choice. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn’t cool down too much.
2. Store in the refrigerator.

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Grilled Aubergine with Crab Appetiser

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151230 Grilled Aubergine and Crab Starter-0991

A festive starter and so easy to make. As well as being guten free it is a dairy free and low fodmap dish.

Makes 5-6

1 Aubergines, sliced lengthwise
Olive oil
Crab – 120 g
2 tbsp chopped dill
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt

  1. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
  2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Place of spoonful of mix on each aubergine slice and fold.