Tag: easy

Fried Potato Omlette


Serves 1
Time: 15 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

1 large white potato (a)
1 tbsp canola oil (b)
2-3 eggs
3 cm or 7 g celery (c)
25 g dark green tips of leek (d)
1 pinch citric acid
1 pinch salt

Foodnotes

(a) Use white brushed, coliban, sebago or kennebec potatoes, or other large white potatoes with white flesh. Check the colour before buying brushed potatoes because they can come in yellow.
(b) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)
(c) Celery is low FODMAP at 75 g (FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(d) Dark green tops of leeks are low FODMAP. They are also slightly higher in salicylates than the white part although suitable for failsafe elimination. Tip: re-grow the leeks.

Instructions
  1. Thickly (double) peel the potato and then slice thinly
  2. Rinse the dark green tips of leek and celery and chop finely
  3. Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan on high heat
  4. Fry the thinly sliced potato until all the potato has started to go transparent and some is lightly browned
  5. Add the green tips of leek, celery, salt and citric acid to the potato and cook until the celery begins to go soft
  6. While the potato is cooking, separate the eggs into whites and yolks
  7. Beat the egg whites until light and fluffy and then gently fold in the egg yolks
  8. Pour the egg mixture over the potato and spread evenly
  9. After a couple of minutes, flip the omlette
  10. When the egg is cooked through, remove from the pan and serve immediately
Personal notes

Usually the omlette falls apart in the flipping stage, probably because my frying pan is much larger than my egg flip, but even if it does, it will taste good.

This is my go-to meal when I’m short on time or resources, or cooking at someone else’s house. I’m actually surprised it’s taken me this long to get it up on the blog, but I guess I must have been more organised in the last few months! It’s good because the ingredients are things I almost always have in the house (especially now I grow my own leeks) and most of my family and friends have them too. If not, eggs and a potato are very easy to pick up at the shop. If citric acid and celery are not on hand, they can easily be omitted; likewise, if fresh chives are on hand, they make a nice addition. So the ingredients are readily available, it’s fast to cook and it’s filling – can’t ask for much more in terms of convenience! I most often have this for lunch on a Saturday morning when I’ve run out of food before doing the weekly shop, or as a light dinner if I’ve flown in late to visit my family and they haven’t had a chance to get to the butcher and buy some fresh meat for me.

I actually made this particular omlette a couple of weeks ago as I had a choir concert on in the evening and I wanted to bring a light dinner with me that wouldn’t require refrigeration for the day. I only managed one bite before the concert as everything was a bit hectic, but it was very welcome immediately afterwards. Because of the eggs, the omlette should be eaten the day it is cooked rather than as leftovers. Cooked eggs build up in amines if left for a day or longer.

This week I need to use up lots of eggs as one of my friends has given me some of her chooks’ eggs and I’m going away soon. I actually made quiche last week, so it might be too soon for another quiche, but perhaps some salads… Last time I tried to make an egg salad I decided to boil all the eggs at once and then freeze the last. I discovered that hard boiled egg whites do NOT freeze well. While the yolk maintains it’s original consistency, defrosted egg white turns rubbery and is quite unpleasant – an experiment that doesn’t need to be repeated. The quiche recipe won’t be appearing here any time soon either as I am liberalising some salicylates back into my diet and so the quiche was filled with high and moderate salicylate vegetables like jap pumpkin, zucchini, carrot and sweet potato (low FODMAP at 1/2 cup or 70 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP App 2018). It was delicious though, and I don’t seem to have reacted!

Jacketless Potatoes


Serves 1
Time 1 hr 40 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~ vegetarian ~

Ingredients – potato

1 large white potato (a)
1/2 tbsp canola oil (b)
1 tbsp Nuttelex Original
1/4 tsp salt

Suggested toppings

15 g / 1 iceberg lettuce leaf
22 g / 1 red cabbage leaf (c)
8 g / 2 dark green tips of spring onions (d)
1 tbsp chives
12 g / 1/4 stick celery (e)
15 g / small handful of sprouted mung beans
20 g / small handful of bean sprouts
1/4 cup tinned chickpeas, well rinsed (f)
30 g / 5 green beans (g)

Foodnotes

(a) Use white brushed, coliban, sebago or kennebec potatoes, or other large white potatoes with white flesh. Check the colour before buying brushed potatoes because they can come in yellow
(b) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)
(c) Red drumhead cabbage is low FODMAP at 1 cup (89 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(d) Tip: re-grow spring onions
(e) Celery is low FODMAP at 75 g (FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)
(f) Tinned chickpeas, well rinsed, are low FODMAP at 1/4 cup (42 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(g) Green beans are low FODMAP at 14 beans (75 g, FODMAP Friendly App, 2018)

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160 deg C
  2. Thickly (double) peel potato
  3. Cover potato in canola oil and then wrap in alfoil
  4. Bake the potato in the oven at 160 deg C for 1 h 30 mins, or until a skewer passes easily through the potato and it is soft all the way through
  5. Allow the potato to cool slightly and then peel off the alfoil and cut up
  6. Place the Nuttelex on the hot potato and allow it to melt. Sprinkle with salt
  7. Rinsed and chop desired toppings and serve with hot potato
Personal Notes

This recipe is very versatile and can really be anything you choose. I’d suggest picking and choosing the toppings depending on what is available as they are not all necessary to make a good sized meal. I have also adapted this recipe several times – a particularly successful adaption has been to swap the chickpeas for left over (defrosted) roast chicken pieces – just be sure to defrost and add the chicken immediately before eating. Do not try and freeze the whole meal as the potato does not usually freeze well (speaking from experience!). If you want to make leftovers, I suggest storing the combined toppings and potato separately and in the fridge. When you are ready to eat it again, heat up just the potato and then add the toppings.

My favourite thing about this recipe is that is can be easily done with family and friends or while travelling. It is pretty hard to mess up if you have family or friends that want to cater for you. If you are camping, you can cook the potatoes in the fire (if it is fire season) and the vegetarian toppings mean you don’t have to worry about amines. If you are camping but it is fire ban season, or you need a quick and easy meal, boil the potatoes instead and serve with Nuttlex, salt and the same toppings. I had boiled potatoes with toppings on a recent Easter camping trip (photo below) and it worked really well.

Toad-in-a-Hole Pancakes


Serves 1
Time: 5 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

1 cooked buckwheat pancake (recipe here)
1 egg
1 tsp canola oil (a)
1 pinch salt
3 chives

Foodnotes

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

Instructions
  1. Heat canola oil in a small frying pan on moderate-high heat
  2. Using a large glass cut a hole out of the centre of the pancake
  3. Place the pancake into the frying pan and then crack the egg into the hole
  4. When the egg white has almost finished solidifying, flip the egg and pancake over to seal the other side. Cook until the egg shite has completely solidified
  5. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of salt and fresh chives
Personal Notes

I made this recipe up in a fit of inspiration when I came home hhungry and couldn’t wait to cook dinner. I also happened to have buckwheat pancakes and eggs in the fridge. It is quite filling for a snack, so I imagine they would also make a yummy cooked breakfast for something different.

Lamb Chops


Serves 3
Time: 40 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

6 lamb loin chops (a)
2 leaves of leek, dark green tip only (b)
1 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp salt
1 small piece of parsely

Foodnotes

(a)Ensure very fresh meat (as instructed by dietician)
(b) Dark green tops of leeks are low FODMAP. They are also slightly higher in salicylates than the white part although suitable for failsafe elimination. Tip: re-grow the leeks.

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
  2. Boil a kettle full of water
  3. Trim the excess fat off the lamb loin chops
  4. Rinse the dark green leek tips and chop coarsely
  5. Choose a baking pan that will fit the 6 lamb loin chops packed cloosely and that is at least 3 cm deep
  6. Place coarsely chopped leek at the base of the pan and cover with lamb loin chops
  7. Sprinkle salt, parsely and dried chives over the lamb chops
  8. Cover the chops in hot water from the kettle
  9. Bake the lamb chops for 25-30 min until cooked through
  10. Remove chops from the oven, drain and serve. Either eat immediately or freeze immediately to avoid amine build up
Personal Notes

Lamb chops are best served with either roast vegetables or mashed potato/potato chips and steamed vegetables (green beans, two brussel sprouts, red cabbage and sweet carrots if you tolerate moderate salicylates). I am a fan of doing roast vegetables as the oven is at the same temperature and so I can cook everything at once.

This recipe is inspired by the way my Mum cooks lamb loin chops – baked with a bit of water and french onion soup mix. The leek and chives are intended as substitutes for the soup mix. A lot more water is required in this recipe to prevent the lamb chops from browning and increasing in amine content, so it is more of a cross between baking and steaming. I have not tested the lamb stock that is produced, but I imagine it is quite high in amines because of all the fat from the chops. Thanks for the inspiration Mum!

If you use cold water instead of boiling water, it will take about 40 mins in the oven to cook the lamb chops.

Fried Rice


Serves 4
Time: 30 min
~ low FODMAP ~ failsafe ~ low salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

500 g cold cooked rice (a)
60 g / 2 sticks celery
90 g sprouted mung beans
120 g green beans, fresh or frozen (c)
230 g green drumhead cabbage (d)
240 g cooked chicken pieces (e)
20 g / 1/2 bunch of dark green spring onion tips (f)
1 tbsp golden syrup (g)
3 eggs
3 tbsp canola oil (h)
1/2 tsp salt

Foodnotes

(a) Avoid basmati, jasmine or wild rice which are moderate in salicylates (RPAH Elimination Handbook, 2011). I used long grain white rice.
(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).
(d) Green drumhead cabbage is low FODMAP at 1 cup (94 g, The Monash University Low FODMAP Diet App, 2018)
(e) Meat should be fresh when cooked and either used the same day or frozen immediately. Follow dietician’s advice.
(f) Tip: re-grow spring onions
(h) Use canola oil that has no antioxidants (no 310-312, 319-321)

Instructions
  1. Rinse celery, sprouted mung beans, green tips of spring onions, green beans and cabbage.
  2. Finely chop celery, green tips of spring onions and cabbage. Chop green beans
  3. Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a wok on medium-high heat.
  4. Beat eggs together with 1/4 tsp salt
  5. Cook eggs in wok until very dry
  6. Add celery, sprouted mung beans, green beans, cabbage and remaining 1/4 tsp salt to the wok and stir fry for 3-5 mins until celery is soft. Add canola oil as required to stop food sticking to the wok.
  7. Add cold rice to the wok and stir until warm and well-mixed.
  8. Slice chicken and chop into small pieces.
  9. Add chicken and green tips of spring onions to the wok.
  10. Cook for a further 5 min
  11. Mix 1 tbsp golden syrup with 4 tbsp hot water
  12. Remove wok from the heat and stir through golden syrup mixture.
  13. As this recipe contains meat, serve immediately or freeze immediately.
Personal Notes

This recipe is based off Brigid’s Indonesian-style fried rice from Sue Dengate’s The Failsafe Cookbook, but modified to be low FODMAP.

I think the key to fried rice is having relatively dry cooked rice rather than gluggly. If you don’t have time to prepare the rice multiple days ahead, you can still do it on the same day. I cooked my rice in the morning and then used it in the evening. After my usual 10 mins of absorption, I left the rice on low heat on the stove until the rice at the bottom was dry and starting to stick to the saucepan. I then put it in a large bowl, spread it up the sides and left it to cool uncovered while I got ready in the morning. Once it had stopped steaming I covered it and kept it in the fridge until it was ready to use.

Fried rice is a nice quick dinner, and is also a good way to use up left over frozen roast chicken. You can even add left over chicken stuffing to the fried rice for extra flavour. I tried that once and it was delicious. If you don’t have sprouted mung beans they can easily be excluded, and if you tolerate moderate salicylates, you can add peeled, diced carrot in with the other vegetables at the start. I really like egg in my fried rice. I only had two eggs in the fridge this week, but I’ve bumped the recipe up to three eggs. Anywhere between two and four eggs would be fine, depending on personal preference and what is on hand.

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.

Sweet Carrots (Moderate Salicylate)


Serves 2
Time 5 mins
~ low FODMAP ~ moderate salicylate ~ low amine ~ dairy free ~ gluten free ~

Ingredients

1 carrot
2 tsp brown rice malt syrup (or maple syrup)
1 tsp Nuttlex Original
1/8 tsp (1 pinch) salt

Instructions
  1. Thickly peel carrot and slice thinly.
  2. Place carrot in a microwave safe container with about 3 tbsp water.
  3. Microwave on high for 4 mins.
  4. Drain the carrots and add syrup, Nuttlex Original and salt.
  5. Allow the carrots to sit for 1 min, then stir and serve.
Personal Notes

Carrot is moderate in salicylates and low FODMAP. This recipe is based on one for honeyed carrots that belongs to my housemate’s grandmother. I originally did it with maple syrup, but my new favourite is with brown rice malt syrup which is not as sweet. This is a quick and easy side if you can tolerate moderate salicylates – I had it with green beans, hash browns and chicken schnitzel in the photo above.

Cashew and Rice Syrup Sandwich

Serves 1
Time ~3 mins

Ingredients

2 plain rice thins (a)
1 tsp homemade cashew paste (b)
2 tsp brown rice malt syrup

Foodnotes

(a) The only ingredients in rice thins should be rice
(b) Cashew paste is failsafe and low FODMAP at 2 tsp (10 g) (FODMAP Friendly App, Feb 2018 and RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook, Feb 2018). The cashew paste can be substituted with commerical cashew paste (100% lightly roasted cashew) if you tolerate moderate amines.

Instructions

Spread cashew paste on one rice thin, spread brown rice malt syrup on the other and then sandwich them together and cut in half.

Personal Notes

I often make these snack sandwiches in the morning and then eat them at Uni. I like them because they satisfy my craving for something sugary but are also not overly sweet. I think of them as a safe variation on peanut butter and honey sandwiches. If you are taking them in a lunchbox, make sure you wrap them up because the rice malt syrup will leak! Watch out for stacking with fructans and GOS and limit cashew paste to 2 tsp (10 g) a day.

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.