Low FODMAP Ninja

*Note - quick if you’ve already roasted some veggies! ;)

Roasted veggies:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Cover baking sheet in foil
• Slice zucchini and/or yellow summer squash into no thicker than 1/4 inch rounds
• Slice cherry and/or grape tomatoes in half, place skin down on foil (or just do them whole - I do this when I’m lazy - that’s most of the time)
• Drizzle with high-heat olive oil
• Season with salt, pepper, and herbs (I like oregano)
• Bake on middle shelf for 20-30 minutes, until soft
• (Note - you can roast pretty much any vegetable using this method.  I like roasting carrots (though they take longer to cook) and potatoes - just roast until fork tender)

Polenta:

To speed this up, I used Trader Joe’s tube polenta

• Heat high-heat olive oil in 12-inch frying pan
• Slice polenta into 1/2 inch disks (about 4-6 slices per serving)
• Place polenta in pan.  Sauté 5 minutes per side
• Top with thinly sliced or shredded parmesan cheese and roasted tomatoes/vegetables

This dish usually hits the spot for my fishstick cravings.  This is another recipe where I never measure any of the ingredients ahead of time; accordingly, the amounts listed below are approximate.

Ingredients

• Approx. 1 lb fresh white flaky fish (I prefer hake or cod)
• salt and pepper
• Coarse corn meal, approx 2/3 cup, in a bowl
• high-heat olive oil or canola oil

Instructions:

• Heat non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium to medium-high heat.
• Heat 3 (ish) T oil in pan.
• While oil is heating, slice fish into filet-sized portions.
• Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides, then dredge in cornmeal.  Press until coated. 
• Once oil is hot, add fish to pan.  Cook undisturbed until cornmeal is golden brown, approx. 8-10 minutes; flip once.  Cook until golden brown on both sides and fish flakes apart with a fork. 

I was pretty lazy last time I made it (pictured) and just made a side of summer squash.

is Whole Foods’ Gluten-Free Light White Sandwich Bread.

It makes beautiful grilled cheese and french toast that is pretty darn close to the real thing.  

At 150 calories per slice (!!!!), this bread is not something that I try to eat every day lest I feel too starchy afterward.

Whole Foods also makes a pretty tasty GF Cinnamon Raisin bread that isn’t so heavy on the raisins that it would be unfriendly to Low FODMAP folks.  Toasted with butter, it made an excellent dessert for me. (Bread for dessert - I know, I know.)

I wanted a mediterranean fix this week but didn’t have the time or energy to make the meatloaf required for proper gyros.  So I did made a deconstructed (lazy) version instead.  Ingredient amounts are approximate because I didn’t really measure anything (except for the lamb); I just tossed everything together — modify to your preferences.

Ingredients:

(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s Creamy Potato Salad)

It’s just about summer, which means it is time for some potato salad!

• 2 pounds medium potatoes (I recommend Yukon Gold and I do not peel my potatoes)
• 1.5 cups mayonnaise (I use Trader Joe’s regular (non-organic))
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar 
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 
• 1 cup green spring onions, chopped (green parts only!)
• 1.5 cup celery, chopped 
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1/2 cup chives, chopped
• Paprika (for color)

1.  Boil potatoes in covered pot until tender, drain.  Let stand until cool enough to handle.  Cut into cubes.  

2.  Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in large bowl.  Toss with potatoes, celery, green onions, and chives.  Stir in eggs.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to blend flavors and chill.  Store covered in refrigerator.  

This salad goes great with anything on the grill or by itself.  

One of the first thing you notice when eliminating High Fructose Corn Syrup is that it is in nearly Every. Single. Prepackaged. Salad. Dressing.  Disgusting!  (Nevermind the also-everpresent soybean oil).

Instead of dousing your healthy salad in a highly-processed pool of manufactured gunk, try one of these recipes:

• 1 T high-quality olive oil (I use Olave)
• 1 teaspoon part balsamic vinegar
• pinch of salt

OR

• 1 T high-quality olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon or yellow mustard
• pinch of salt (optional)

Each of the above is for 1 serving; if you need leftovers or more servings, just remember to use a ratio of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar (and 1 part mustard, if used).  Easy peasy!

Okay, I literally cannot stop eating these.  Thank goodness I’ve been hitting the gym a lot.  

(I promise I will get some non-blurry pictures of everything on this blog at some point.  Until then…)

Full credit to Kate Scarlata for this recipe - I made a few tweaks for my personal taste.  I also refrigerate my dough because I like how it gives the cookies some structure.  Try not to eat it all before it goes into the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (8T) butter, at room temperature (this is very important - if the butter is too hard/cold, it will not combine well)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup oat flour (I use Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup chopped cashews (CAUTION!) or walnuts (Kate uses walnuts, I prefer cashews! I tried pecans but I didn’t love the flavor.  Peanuts might work, though.  ****Obviously, don’t use any nut that gives you FODMAP-related symptoms.  Cashews seem to be kind to me but I try to not eat too too many of these cookies at once, as cashews do have some FODMAPs in them.  So - use with caution but if you are past the elimination phase, see if cashews can work for you because they are delicious! ******Seriously if cashews give you grief, don’t eat them, as they have been recently labeled a FODMAP offender.)
• 1 oz. Gharidelli 60% bittersweet chocolate or other high quality baking dark chocolate (I actually don’t like a lot of chocolate in my chocolate chip cookies, so add more if you do), finely chopped/shaved  OR 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, unchopped (I tried this recently and preferred it to the shaved chocolate)

Instructions:

• Mix butter and sugars until creamy.
• Blend in egg and vanilla.  (I usually whip mine for a while because I think it helps the cookies get slightly fluffier)
• Stir in oat flour and baking soda.
• Fold in oats, nuts and chocolate.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (longer is better, if you can manage not to eat all the dough).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Shape dough into small pucks, about 1/2 inch thick and 1.5 inches in diameter (I make a circle between my index finger and thumb as a rough guide for size).
• Bake for about 11-13 minutes–should be slightly gooey in middle but every so lightly browning on the bottom and edges.
• Let cool for a few minutes on baking sheet after removing from oven. 

WARNING:  This stuff smells so good when it’s baking that it may induce erratic behavior, including trembling, impatient outbursts, and excessive drooling. 

(Adapted from Chow.com Turkey Meatloaf)

Ingredients:

• Butter or cooking spray, for coating the pan 
• 2 pounds ground turkey breast 
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Simply Heinz ketchup (no high fructose corn syrup!)
• 1/2 cup chopped green spring onion/scallion
• 1.5 tsp dried parsley (crushed)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (this doesn’t bother me in this small of an amount, omit or decrease if you’re sensitive)
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free low-sodium soy sauce (I use Tamari)
• 1.5 tsp dried thyme leaves (crushed) 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

• Heat oven to 400 F
• Grease loaf pan/baking pan
• Wash your hands!
• Place all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix until combined (don’t squeeze or overwork)
• Transfer the mixture to the pan, spread to the edges (or in a loaf shape if not using a loaf pan - I do it this way), and smooth out the top
• Bake until cooked through, about 1 hour (until thermometer indicates internal temperature has reached 180 F)
• Let sit 10 minutes before serving (hard, I know)
• ENJOY.

(adapted from SkinnyBlog)

These are great by themselves or on top of pasta.  The trick is to make sure the cheese is frozen prior to baking the sticks.  I haven’t had complete success preventing the cheese from oozing out of the crust (it could be the lack of glutenous flour) but hey, it’s baked, melted cheese - I’m not complaining. 

Ingredients:

• 12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento), frozen
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp gluten-free flour (I use King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour)
• 5.5 tbsp gluten-free breadcrumbs (I use Glutino Breadcrumbs)
• 2 tsp parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1.5 tsp dried basil

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. 
• Line a baking sheet (with sides) with foil and lightly oil.
• Remove frozen cheese sticks from packaging and cut in half to yield 24 pieces.
• Place flour on a plate; beaten egg in a bowl; and breadcrumbs, parmesan, and herbs in a second bowl, stirring to combine.  (Be sure to release the flavor of the dried herbs by crushing the leaves with your hands to turn them into a finer powder.)
• Roll the frozen cheese sticks in the flour, then tap to remove excess. 
• Roll the cheese sticks in the egg bowl to coat. 
• Place the cheese sticks in the breadcrumbs bowl and gently shake or stir until coated. **
• Place coated cheese sticks on oiled foil on baking sheet. 
• Bake for 3-4 minutes.  Turn.  Bake for another 3-4 minutes until crust starts to turn golden brown OR until enough cheese oozes out that you feel silly calling them mozzarella sticks. 

** - the original recipe calls for the sticks to be placed back in the freezer at this point.  This is probably not a bad idea because I have yet to successfully bake them without the cheese melting too soon as I cannot wait this long for melted cheese once I start making them.  I will try to experiment in the future and update if I can manage it. 

Let’s get this out of the way:  there’s no substitute for wheat-filled, gluteny pizza. We have to accept this. 

Phew.  Okay.  On to the good news:  there is a way to have FODMAP-friendly pizza! Here’s how I do it:

1a.  Schar Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

This stuff does not come cheap, but it is better than many others I have tried.  Bonus (for some): it is also soy-, egg-, and preservative-free. 

1b. King Arthur Flour Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix

I had a box of this in my kitchen for more than a year (and in fact it was past the expiration date!) but made it recently and was pleasantly surprised.  I would recommend trying this if you have some more time to burn (on a weekend, perhaps) as the dough requires resting/rising time and additional baking time.  The box makes 2 crusts-worth of pizza and has a texture closer to real pizza than the Schar crust can provide.  I would recommend making it on the thinner side (which can be tough because the dough is very, very sticky) because the thicker pieces tasted very obviously starchy to me.  That said, I made this with a friend who is not FODMAPping and she was either very honest or very kind and said that it tasted like real pizza and was very delicious.  

The bonus of 2 pizzas is a lot of leftover pizza! I have some in the freezer just waiting for me to pop in the toaster oven to reheat.  Yum. 

1c.  Gluten-free english muffins - I found some frozen english muffins at Whole Foods (orange label - can’t remember the brand - oops!) and they made perfect lil pizzas:

2.  Mario Batali Pizza Sauce

What’s this you say?  A pre-made sauce with neither onions nor garlic?  Yes!  And it’s tasty, too.  Must be the San Marzano tomatoes.  In a pinch, for a substitute, I use Prego Three Cheese pasta sauce (which contains small amounts of garlic).

3.  Part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese - I use the frozen kind and apply directly on top of the sauce.

4. Finely-chopped green spring onions (green parts only, of course!).  Maybe also some sliced pepperoni (check the ingredients!) or very thinly sliced red peppers … and possibly a mushroom slice or two per slice of pizza, if you can handle them.

5. A sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese. 

I oil the bottom of my crust with high-heat olive oil and bake at 15-20 minutes at 425 F until the cheese turns golden brown at the edges, taking care that the crust does not burn on the bottom.  I generally try to only eat half the Schar-crust pizza in a sitting, but sometimes I’m really hungry and only have 1/4 of the pie left over at the end.  A small price to pay for a FODMAP-friendly pizza that hits the spot.  

Glutino makes a tasty FODMAP-friendly line of pretzels.  

I’ve eaten these plain, with cheddar cheese, and with nuts, and also drizzled melted dark chocolate on top for dessert.  

I don’t like to eat too much starch because it’s easy to get into starch overload, but sometimes I just need a pretzel.  

I’ve only found one granola bar in my two years on the low-FODMAP diet that I can eat:

Cascadian Farms Organic chewy chocolate chip granola bars.  No wheat or honey!  They are a little bit sticky due to the tapioca and rice syrups.  Fortunately, however, I’ve never felt an ill effect after eating these bars so they are squarely in my “safe” food stockpile and, if they are on sale, I will buy out the entire supply at the supermarket. 

For whatever reason, none of Cascadian Farms’s other flavors (including Vanilla Chip and Peanut Butter Chip) are low in FODMAPs, as they contain INULIN.  Always read your labels, folks!

While perusing the noodle aisle at the local asian supermarket looking for buckwheat noodles to add to my stir-fry, I was very sad to find that all of the buckwheat noodles also contained wheat.

Then, I spied a package of millet noodles.

Ingredients:  Millet and water.  Excellent!

I wouldn’t know millet if it hit me in the face, but these noodles have risen above rice noodles in my book.  I cooked and drained the noodles like normal pasta, sautéed them in a little bit of sesame oil, placed them in the bottom of a bowl, and topped with the stir-fry.  Although the millet noodles did not get crispy like wheat noodles do, they were softer than quinoa pasta, more substantial than rice noodles, and maintained their structure without crumbling like brown rice pasta (the worst!). The package’s pictured “serving suggestion” appears to have tomato sauce on top, suggesting they might also be a good spaghetti alternative.  I’ll just stick with the stir-fry. 

I believe millet is also gluten free but please don’t quote me on that.