Tag: colourful

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.

Roast Vegetables

Serves as much as you can fit in the oven!
Time 50 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

large white potatoes (a)
choko (b)
brussel sprouts (c)
canola oil (d)
salt
Nuttelex Original

Moderate salicylate options

carrot
zucchini
sweet potato (e)

Foodnotes

(a) Use white brushed, coliban, sebago or kennebec potatoes. Check the colour before buying brushed potatoes because they can come in yellow.
(b) Choko is also known as chayote, see photos here. Choko is low FODMAP for fructans at 1/2 cup (84 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP App, Feb 2018)
(c) Two brussel sprouts are low FODMAP for GOS (The Monash University Low FODMAP App, Feb 2018)
(d) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)
(e) Sweet potato is low FODMAP at 1/2 cup (70 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP App and FODMAP Friendly App, Feb 2018 – inconsistency on which FODMAPs)

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
  2. Thickly (double) peel the potatoes, and peel the choko and (moderate salicylate) carrot, zucchini and sweet potato.
  3. Chop all vegetables into large chunks.
  4. Microwave the carrots and sweet potato for 1-2 mins depending on quantity.
  5. Microwave the potato for 3 min.
  6. Mix the vegetables in a bowl with canola oil and salt to taste.
  7. Place the vegetables in a roasting tray lined with baking paper.
  8. Using a teaspoon smear Nuttelex on each Brussel sprout and wrap up all Brussel sprouts together in alfoil.
  9. Bake all vegetables for 40-45 mins, until Brussel sprouts start to brown and the other vegetables become crisp on the outside.
Personal Notes

Watch out for overloading salicyates and stacking FODMAPs when you choose to combine multiple salicylate or FODMAP-containing foods (see Foodnotes). I usually have a full serve of potato and steamed green beans, two brussel sprouts and only a few pieces of zucchini, carrot and sweet potato in total. I don’t eat more than two small or one large piece of sweet potato. Unfortunately chokos are out of season until the cooler months, but at the end of last year, I was having just a 2-3 pieces as part of a meal.

In the last 5 minutes of roasting the vegetables, put some green beans (fresh or frozen) on to steam. Green beans are a great addition to a plate of roast vegetables. I like to use roast vegetables as a side to schnitzel or roast chicken, and use them in salads and quiches. Roast veggies are also great when you get home from work and want a mostly-healthy snack before cooking dinner.

Roast chicken with roast vegetables, showing my usual combination of vegetables (include moderate salicylates). The plate was made by Sarah Schembri Ceramics.

Colourful Stir Fry

serves 5
Time ~ 35 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

300 g diced chicken, or 3 skinless thigh fillets (a)
75 g or 2 sticks celery (b)
150 g green beans (c)
170 g bean shoots
150 g red drumhead cabbage (d)
150 g green drumhead cabbage (d)
9 dark green tips of spring onions (e)
2 tbsp canola oil (f)
1 tbsp homemade cashew paste (g)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp citric acid
200 g thick rice noodles (h)
Water

Moderate salicylate optional additions

1 carrot

Foodnotes

(a) Ensure very fresh meat (as instructed by dietician)
(b) Celery is low FODMAP at 75 g (FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(c) Green beans are low FODMAP at 14 beans (75 g, FODMAP Friendly App, 2018). Frozen green beans can be substituted for fresh green beans and used in the same way.
(d) Red and green drumhead cabbage are low FODMAP at 1 cup (~90 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(e) Tip: re-grow spring onions
(f) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)
(g) Cashew paste (100% cashew) is low FODMAP at 2 tsp (10 g, FODMAP Friendly App). Commerical cashew pastes with lightly roasted cashews are moderate in amines.
(h) Only ingredient in rice noodles should be rice

Instructions
  1. Rinse celery and chop finely
  2. If using carrot (moderate salicylate), double peel and slice into thin strips
  3. Top and tail green beans if using fresh beans, and chop into small pieces
  4. Cut out hard stems of cabbage and chop finely
  5. Dice chicken
  6. Heat a wok with 1 tbsp canola oil on moderate-high heat.
  7. Add celery, carrot (moderate salicylate) and ¼ tsp salt. Cook for about 4 minutes until carrot and celery soften. Remove from wok.
  8. Heat 1 tbsp canola oil in wok, still on moderate-high heat. Cook chicken until sealed, about 4 minutes. If chicken is browning or sticking to the bottom of the wok, add a small amount of water.
  9. Return celery and carrot to the wok, along with green beans, cashew paste, maple syrup, citric acid, ¼ tsp salt. Stir until cashew paste is well distributed, then add 3 tbsp water.
  10. After a few minutes, add bean sprouts. Put the wok cover on and heat until water is simmering. Turn down heat and allow to steam until chicken is cooked through.
  11. Cook rice noodles according to packet instructions
  12. Rinse and chop or cut green tops of spring onions
  13. When chicken is cooked through, add red and green cabbage and green spring onions to the wok. Stir through and then steam for 5 minutes. Add additional water if necessary to stop stir fry sticking to the bottom of the wok
  14. Using scissors, cut rice noodles into small pieces, then drain and add to the wok and stir through
  15. As this meal contains meat, serve immediately or freeze immediately
Variations
  • Beef strips instead of chicken
  • Bamboo shoots (add at the same time as green beans)
  • Sprouted mung beans (add at the same time as cabbage), limit to 50 g
  • Peeled choko (add at the same time as celery), limit to 100 g
  • Serve with long-grain or medium-grain white or brown rice instead of mixing in rice noodles
  • Moderate amine: firm tofu instead of chicken or in addition to chicken
  • Moderate amine: commercial cashew paste (100 % lightly roasted cashews)
  • Moderate salicylate: peeled zucchini (add at the same time as green beans)
Personal notes

Stir fry is one of my favourite meals – relatively quick and always delicious. There are also so many variations depending on what is available at the shop/markets in a particular week. This recipe originally had chickpeas as well (as seen in the photo), but the GOS in chickpeas stacks with the GOS in cashew paste, so I have moved the chickpeas to a new recipe (White and Green Stir Fry). As there are so many vegetables that can be included, this stir fry can also be made vegetarian very easily – I have done this before and it works well. The recipe above (with carrot) is my favourite combination so far.