Category: Salads and Dressings

Closing of Website

Hi everyone,
Thank you for your interest in this website, chemical free chemist.
As you are aware, the website hasn’t been updated in a few years. As such, I will be taking it down in three weeks (23/02/2021). Please take this opportunity to download any of the recipes before they are unavailable.
I wish you well on your food journey.
Dr Gemma

Vermicelli and Poppy Seed Salad

Serves 3 large
Time: 15 min
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

150 g white or brown rice vermicelli (a)
80 g sprouted mung beans
70 g bean sprouts
30 g or 1 stick of celery (b)
75 g red cabbage (c)
60 g green cabbage (c)
2 tbsp poppy seeds (d)
3 dark green spring onion tips (e)
5 chives
2 tbsp canola oil (f)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (g)
1 tbsp water
2 pinch salt
1 pinch citric acid

Foodnotes

(a) The only ingredient in vermicelli should be rice.
(b) Celery is low FODMAP at 75 g (FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(c) Red and green drumhead cabbage are low FODMAP at 1 cup (~90 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(d) Poppy seeds are failsafe (RPAH Elimination Handbook, 2011)
(e) Tip: re-grow spring onions
(f) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321).
(g) Use pure maple syrup, not maple flavoured syrup.

Instructions
  1. Cook vermicelli according to packet instructions, rinsing with cold water once cooked.
  2. Rinse mung beans, bean sprouts, celery, cabbage, spring onions and chives.
  3. Finely chop celery, cabbage, spring onions and chives. Chop bean sprouts coarsely.
  4. In a jar, shake together canola oil, maple syrup, water, salt and citric acid to form an emulsion.
  5. Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the salad, sprinkle in poppy seeds and toss before serving
Personal notes

This is a tasty salad that is quick to throw together, colourful and great for a weekend lunch. I think the poppy seeds really make the salad – they look good scattered over the pale noodles and it’s nice to incorporate some seeds for a change. I have made the salad with both white and brown rice vermicelli and I prefer brown rice, mostly for the novelty and extra fibre, but either work. Sprouted mung beans can be difficult to find, especially in the supermarket. I have found them at fresh food markets, but not necessarily every week.

If you want to change it up a bit, you can add up to 60 g of drained, well rinsed canned lentils and it will still be low FODMAP.

Basic Salad Dressing

Serves 4
Time: 3 minutes
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

2 tbsp canola oil (a)
2 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp brown rice malt syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp citric acid

Variations

Add 1 tbsp chives
Use pure maple syrup instead of brown rice malt syup for a sweeter dressing

Foodnotes

(a) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)

Instructions
  1. In a glass jar, dissolve brown rice malt syrup, salt and citric acid in hot water with shaking/stirring. Release pressure often if shaking.
  2. Add canola oil and finely chopped and rinsed chives (optional) to the jar.
  3. Shake immediately before use.
Personal notes

I recently tried brown rice malt syrup instead of pure maple syrup in this recipe and was pleasantly surprised – it is more mild in flavour and less sweet, which is perfect for a salad dressing. The dressing keeps well in a jar in the fridge, so I recommend dressing your portion of salad when you are about to eat it so that the salad doesn’t go soggy.

This dressing can be used with the Friends-and-Family Friendly Salad. A photo of this dressing can also be found as part of that recipe. The dressing can be made more familiar to the “normal” person by excluding the chives and using maple syrup, but the citric acid is essential. Bring your own citric acid if you are not sure if your friends will have some. Sometimes people keep it for cleaning out coffee machines, so it may not be in the location that you expect.

Friends-and-Family Friendly Salad

Serves 4
Time: 5 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

iceberg lettuce
red drumhead cabbage (a)
bean sprouts
10 green beans (b)
2 sticks celery (c)
4 dark green tips of spring onion (d)

Optional moderate salicylate additions

1/2 carrot
1/2 cucumber

Foodnotes

(a) Red drumhead cabbage is low FODMAP at 1 cup (89 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(b) Green beans are low FODMAP at 14 beans (75 g, FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(c) Celery is low FODMAP at 75 g (FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(d) Tip: re-grow spring onions

Instructions
  1. Rinse all ingredients.
  2. If including carrot and cucumber (moderate salicylate), peel vegetables. Top and tail green beans.
  3. Tear or chop up lettuce and red cabbage and add to salad bowl.
  4. Chop celery, green beans, dark green tips of spring onion and (optional) cucumber and carrot into small pieces.
  5. Add green beans, celery, dark green tips of spring onion, bean sprouts and (optional) carrot and cucumber to salad bowl.
  6. Dress salad with basic salad dressing immediately before serving.
Personal notes

I have come up with this salad because the ingredients are familiar to most people and it is comforting for family and friends to find a recipe that they can try. In particular there are no unusual and hard to find ingredients like large white-flesh potatoes, sprouted mung beans or choko! It is really great to encourage people to attempt to cater for you, especially when it is not too difficult. I have helped make this salad at a family friends’ house when we were having a BBQ.

I usually make the salad without the carrot and cucumber, but if you can tolerate moderate salicylates, this makes the recipe even more familiar for people – although they might ask about peeling the vegetables! The green beans were a new addition tonight, and I like the crunch and flavour that they bring to the salad – if you don’t have any they can be left out.

If you are cooking for one, or not eating all of the salad at once, make the dressing in a jar and just add the dressing to the salad on your plate. The salad will keep fresh much longer undressed.