Fodmap Friendly Recipe: Sweet Potato, Black Kale and Quinoa Bowl

This FODMAP friendly kale, sweet potato and quinoa bowl is quick and easy to put together. I like to use leftover quinoa or brown rice that I cooked the night before and leftover roasted sweet potatoes. Cavolo nero or black kale is delicious and it's dark colour means it is packed with antioxidants and phytochemical. 

Pumpkin seeds add crunch to the salad and are well tolerated by many people on the FODMAP diet but leave them out or reduce the amount if you know they aggravate your IBS.

Ingredients:
250g cooked quinoa or brown rice (I used a mix of both)
150g cavolo nero/black kale, finely chopped
A small courgette/zuchinni, coarsely grated
300g cubed cooked sweet potato
1/2tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1tbsp pumpkin seeds
1tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp smoked or regular sea salt

Serves 2-3


Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add the chopped kale and stir fry until it has just softened. Add the smoked paprika, courgette, quinoa and cooked sweet potatoes and heat until everything is piping hot.

Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika over and serve.

FODMAP Friendly Recipe: Italian Style Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a great FODMAP diet friendly family supper - it's basically a burger in a tin — and it's also yummy cold for FODMAP friendly pack lunches. The recipe here makes an Italian flavoured meat loaf but you can switch things up by varying the herbs and spices. A couple of teaspoons of smoked paprika, cumin, coriander and preserved lemon will make a Middle Eastern style meatloaf, or add ginger, lemongrass, spring onion (only the green parts) and turmeric for a sort-of-Asian meatloaf.

Ingredients:

500g leanest beef mince lean steak mince

2 tbsp gluten free oats

2 small anchovy fillets

1 medium egg

A handful of fresh basil

1tsp dried oregano

1 tablespoon grated parmesan (optional - parmesan is low lactose and this is a small quantity but feel free to omit)

1 tablespoon tomato puree

Homemade gluten-free breadcrumbs to top (optional)

Serves 4-6

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Spoon the mixture into a well greased 2lb/large loaf tin and press down. Top with the breadcrumbs, if using. Bake the meatloaf for 45-50 minutes at 180C/375F or until browned on top and cooked through. Let it cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out and slicing.

You can eat it hot or cold.

FODMAP Friendly Salted Caramel Oat Bars

These are the richest, gooey-ist and most more-ish FODMAP friendly oatbars imaginable. The salted caramel style sugar mixture makes them absolutely delicious. Everyone who has tried these has expressed delight that they can have something so naughty tasting on the FODMAP diet.

To ensure these really are low FODMAP, make sure to use gluten-free oats and only golden or maple syrup. Corn syrup in high in frutcose and won't work the same way. 

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks)/250g butter
3 1/3 cups/ 400g rolled gluten free oats
1 1/3 cup/ 250g soft brown sugar
3tbsps maple or golden syrup
1/4tsp salt (or more or less to taste)

Makes 16

Melt the butter over a low heat in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, syrup and salt and stir until the sugar has dissolved and everything is well combined - do not let the mixture boil.

Remove from the heat and stir in the oats.

Pour mixture into a greased 23x23cm pan (9") and bake for 30 minutes at 180C/375 F until golden. Allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before slicing into squares.