cooking with nothing

Lemon and Coconut Bars (FODMAP-friendly)

I’ve been saving a lot of recipes to try out from Green Kitchen Stories, and my sister’s baby shower in the weekend offered the perfect chance to whip up some healthy baking. The recipe below is gluten- and dairy-free, and contains no refined sugars. 

Because the recipe has quite a lot of almond meal in it, it’s best to stick to a very small serving to make sure you don’t go over the serving size for almonds (the equivalent of 10 nuts).

One way to get around it (if you don’t need it to be gluten-free) would be to use spelt flour in the base instead of almond meal, and the small amount in the filling shouldn’t be an issue. 

Here’s the recipe below. If I made it again I think I’ll try throwing some raspberries into the filling before baking it. 

Lemon and Coconut Bars
Makes around 40 pieces

This is a quite big batch, so you could easily half the recipe. Also, the filling is a little more tart than standard. We think it is perfect, but if you know that you are sensitive either add more maple syrup or use a little less lemon juice.

Crust
5 tbsp (75 g) coconut oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups/480 ml (200 g) shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1 cup/240 ml (100 g) almond flour
1 pinch sea salt
2 egg whites (save the yolks for the lemon curd)

Filling
3 eggs + 2 egg yolks
6 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup / 80 ml lemon juice + 1 tbsp zest (around 2 lemons)
1/3 cup / 80 ml  (35 g) almond flour

Dust with 3 tbsp coconut flour (or powdered sugar)

Set the oven to 350°F (175°C). Melt coconut oil in a sauce pan on low/medium heat. Add maple syrup, shredded coconut, almond flour and salt. Stir around until everything is combined. Remove from the heat. Crack two eggs, save the egg yolks for later and add the whites to the sauce pan while stirring. Keep stirring for about a minute. The mixture should be quite sticky now. Line a 12×8 inch (30×20 cm baking dish with baking paper and pour the coconut mixture into it. Use your hands, a spatula or the backside of a spoon to flatten it out. Press it down firmly so it becomes quite compact. Bake for 10-12 minutes and then remove it from the oven. Meanwhile, start preparing the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs + the 2 egg yolks with an electric mixer until frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients. Beat for two more minutes. Pour the mixture over the baked crust in the baking dish. Bake for around 16-19 minutes or until edges are light brown and center is set. Let cool for at least 10-15 minutes before slicing up the bars. You always want to dig in immediately, but it is much easier to eat after it is set. Cut into roughly 1 x 2-inch (3 x 6 cm) rectangles. Dust with coconut flour or powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Stuffed eggplants with feta (low FODMAP)

Serves two

• 2 x medium eggplants
• 1 x zucchini, grated 
• 1 x corn cob, kernels cut from cob
• 1 cup x tinned lentils
• 1 cup x pureed tomato 
• 1 tsp x fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp x oregano
• salt and pepper, to season 
• 1/2 cup x crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup x fresh basil, torn
• 1/4 cup x fresh parsley, finely chopped 

Cut each eggplant in half lengthways and scoop out the flesh, leaving a 5-mm-thick shell. Cut a small slice off the base of each half so it will easily stand in a baking dish. Finely chop the eggplant flesh. 

Preheat oven to 180C. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped eggplant, zucchini, corn kernels, lentils, pureed tomato, thyme and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. 

Place the eggplant shells in an oven-proof dish, and divide the mixture among the shells. Add a bit of hot water to the dish around the base of the eggplants. 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the shells are softened and the contents are cooked through. 

Remove from the oven and sprinkle over some feta, basil and parsley, then season with freshly-cracked pepper. 

Serve with extra greens and some mash or quinoa on the side.  

Super quick crumble (low-FODMAP)

Raspberries and rhubarb are two of my favourite fruits (though rhubarb isn’t technically a fruit at all) and they’re also pretty awesome together.

Cooking the fruit while you toast the crumble topping makes it ready in a jiffy – perfect for a last-minute dessert.

Serves two

• 3 x rhubarb stalks, cut into 2-cm pieces
• 1 tsp x cinnamon
• 1 cup x raspberries, fresh or frozen
• maple syrup or stevia, to taste
• 1/4 cup x whole oats
• 1/4 cup x rice or quinoa flakes
• 1/4 cup x coconut thread
• 1 TBSP x coconut oil

Put the rhubarb in a saucepan with the cinnamon, and add an inch or so of water in the bottom. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Stir in the raspberries and simmer for another 5 or so minutes, until you get a thick, syrupy consistency. Sweeten to taste with stevia or maple syrup.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and rub together so the oil is evenly distributed. Sprinkle on a tray or in a baking dish and grill for a few minutes until browned.

Spoon half of the fruit mixture into a bowl and top with half the crumble mixture, then serve.

amzyydoodles asked: Hi, I'm about to start a low-fodmap diet with my dietician due to tummy issues - just wondering what you would recommend for breakfast that's dairy/gluten free? I don't know if it needs to be dairy free or just lactose free :/ I don't like eggs - and eggs are all I can find online! Thanks :)

Hi there, 

Hopefully the diet works as awesomely for you as it did for me! On the low-FODMAP diet you can still have lactose-free dairy (unless of course you’re dairy intolerant, but try it for now and see how you go. Your dietician should be able to monitor that). Here are a few brekkie ideas that should keep you going…

Spelt or gluten-free toast with toppings. I’d suggest:

• peanut butter (choose non-hydrogenated)
• 1/4 avocado, fresh tomato, basil
• mashed banana, cinnamon and a bit of maple syrup 

Most cereals are full of FODMAPs (large quantities of oats, dried fruit, wheat etc.) so it’s best to make your own. To make sure I’m getting the quantities right I just throw mine together each morning by mixing 1/4 cup oats and topping it up with another grain. Just make sure there aren’t any other ingredients hiding in there, so check the list carefully. Here’s my recipe: 

• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup puffed rice, quinoa or spelt 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 TBSP shredded coconut
• 1 TBSP dried cranberries
• A handful of walnuts

Mix these together then serve with lactose-free milk or rice milk (again, check the ingredients of the rice milk. Some have proteins added that aren’t suitable for a low-FODMAP diet.) You can also have soy milk but only if it’s made from soy protein rather than whole soy beans. 

You can also make a smoothie, but hold back on the amount of fruit to just one serving. If you’re game for some greens for brekkie, you could try a green smoothie. Blend 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, 1/4 avocado, 1/4 cucumber, TBSP LSA mix, handful of spinach or silverbeet leaves and a tsp of spirulina or barley grass powder. If fruit’s more your thing, that’s fine too. Just don’t have more than one serving per sitting. To make a low-FODMAP fruit smoothie, blend 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup allowed berries (rapsberries, blueberries, strawberries) with rice milk or lactose-free milk. You can also add a bit of lactose-free plain yoghurt if you like. 

Hope that helps for now, and let me know how you get on (or if you need any more ideas!) 

Anonymous asked: I ask for the brand of canned lentils because the few I've found have FODMAPS like onions. I can't find a plain canned lentil product, so I was hoping you could share your brand. Thanks in advance.

I’m in New Zealand so it might not be very relevant, but I use Ceres Organics. Hopefully you can find some plain ones at a local organic store. Otherwise, the app says 1/4 cup boiled lentils should be okay, so that could be a back up! 

Anonymous asked: what brand of canned lentils do you buy that is ok for the FODMAPS diet? I'm in the US.

Hi there. The brand shouldn’t matter too much, but I buy organic tinned lentils to make sure there are no crazy ingredients added. As with most things on the low-FODMAP diet it generally comes down to trial and error! 

Simple Lentil Salad (low FODMAP)

Lentils? Low FODMAP? Whaaaaaaa…? Yep, it’s apparently true. So says the new Monash University low FODMAP app I’ve been raving about lately. And now I’ll start raving about bringing lentils back into my life.

You may have noticed from my posts, but I’m not a huge meat eater. That’s pretty tricky when you can’t have legumes, since beans, chickpeas and all their gassy little friends are high in FODMAPs. Well, so I thought. The app suggests that 1/2 cup of tinned lentils, well rinsed, should be just fine. And 1/4 cup canned chickpeas should be dandy too. 

The important thing here is the ‘canned’, though. Canned legumes/pulses have lower FODMAP content because the water soluble Oligos-GOS and fructans leach out. So stick to the serving size and you should be fine. I think I hear vegetarian low-FODMAP folk around the globe shouting hurrah. 

Here’s a quick throw-together salad that utilises my re-found friend. And if you’re wondering why I’m using dairy after complaining it was making my skin unhappy, I’ve found goat’s milk products much better! 

Serves two

• 1 cup x organic tinned lentils, well rinsed 
• 2 big handfuls x salad greens
• 1/2 cup x cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 1 x red capsicum, sliced 
• 1 cup x alfalfa sprouts 
• 1/2 cup x crumbled raw organic feta 
• 1/2 cup x basil leaves, torn 
• 1/4 cup x chives, diced 
• Sea salt and pepper, to season
• 2 slices x sourdough spelt bread, toasted and spread with organic butter (to serve)

For the dressing: 

• 1 tsp x wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 TBSP x cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil 

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients well, then toss through the salad. Serve with the toasted sourdough spelt bread. 

Kedgeree-inspired fish cakes (low FODMAP)

I’ve previously mentioned my love of kedgeree (and that hypoallergenic recipe would actually be okay if you just take out the onions, garlic and leeks!), but for today’s lunch I decided to shake things up a bit by making a fish cake that bears (most of) the hallmarks of the brunch dish. 

And before I forget, those of you who haven’t downloaded the Monash low FODMAP diet app yet should get your hands on it. I was unknowingly still consuming FODMAPS and didn’t realise I could actually be eating things I’ve been leaving out! The main offenders for me were:

• Oats (only 1/4 x cup is allowed, whereas I was eating a bowlful for brekkie and occasionally having unexplained symptoms. I now mix 1/4 cup oats with another grain, such as rolled spelt, rice flakes or puffed quinoa)
• Beetroot (the initial data I received said 4 x slices of beetroot is okay, but the app disagrees) 
• Celery (1 x stick used to be the approved limit, but the app recommends to steer clear) 
• Raisins (I was previously told 1 x TBSP dried fruit would be okay, and sometimes sprinkled raisins on my cereal or used them in cooking. Dried cranberries are the safest option, though they’re often sweetened with sugar, which I’m trying to avoid. Dates are also a no-go, and are often used to sweeten health bars etc.)

For those who are unable to download the app, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about specific foods! 

Now, back to the recipe:

Serves two as a light meal

• 1 cup x grated sweet potato
  
• 1 x smoked fish fillet, flaked 
• 2 x organic, free-range eggs 
• 1 handful each x fresh coriander, parsley, spring onions (green part only) 
• 1 tsp each x ground coriander, cumin, curry powder 
• 1 x chilli, finely chopped (optional) 
• Coconut oil or ghee, for frying

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a few tablespoons of the mixture to the pan, flattening with a spoon into circles. Cook until browned on each side and serve with a green salad or green beans. 

Anonymous asked: How long do you wait before and after eating to drink?

When I was trying out food combining I was quite strict with it… only drinking either half an hour before or one hour after eating. I’ve since become a bit more relaxed since the low-FODMAP diet really seems to have my symptoms under control, but I still try not to drink with my meal. Occasionally I’ll sip on a glass of wine with dinner, but otherwise I wait at least half an hour either side. Hope that helps! 

captivesonacasinoship asked: Do you think you could possibly post a recipe for the curries you make? I haven't had curry in months because I don't know how to make a low fodmap one that tastes good and it is killing me! Also I adore your blog :) thanks!

Of course! There’s one here: http://cookingwithnothing.com/post/30802787482/tofu-curry-low-fodmap

And another here: http://cookingwithnothing.com/post/28768411196/thai-green-curry-low-fodmap

And I’ll be making an aubergine one this week, so I’ll post that later. Enjoy!