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Chicken goujons – low fodmap

What are goujons? They are small chicken fillets that are coated in breadcrumbs. They are fairly easy to make using gluten free breadcrumbs but it is important to use the correct ones for the low fodmap diet. Clearspring rice crumbs are probably the best option. Some gluten free breadcrumbs use a blend including gram flour – this is chickpea flour and is a source of GOS, it might be OK for some people with IBS because of the small portions of crumbs used to coat ingredients – but pure rice crumbs are better and they are wholegrain too – bonus for those with constipation! Hale and Hearty breadcrumbs contain inulin so this should not be used for a low fodmap diet. You can make your own breadcrumbs with gluten free bread if you wish, again choosing wholegrain bread to give the dish added fibre – a way of using up stale gluten free bread and fibre is great for gut health! For health this is a recipe to have occasionally as it is a fried dish – but suitable for those who are underweight as frying adds additional calories to the dish. Mayonnaise is another addition but take care with ones that say low fat mayo as these can have increased amount of skimmed milk powder – a source of lactose. So it has to be full fat and a small portion! The dish includes making your own garlic infused oil at the start of the process – follow this part of the recipe closely, slicing the garlic makes it easier to remove it all before frying the goujons, so you remove all the fructans included in the clove. Don’t be tempted to use a garlic crusher as you cannot then remove all the pieces. I have added the goujons to a gluten free pitta bread with salad leaves.

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Ingredients

Gluten free four (100g)

1 egg

Gluten Free Breadcrumbs (1/2 pack)

seasoning

1 pack of chicken mini breast fillets

Rapeseed oil – enough for frying

1 pack of gluten free pitta breads

Salad leaves of your choice (I used chard and radicchio but lettuce leaves are another option.)

1 clove of garlic.

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Method

Wash Hands.

Wash and chop the salad leaves and prepare the pitta bread and put these on a plate away from the work surface you are using to prepare the goujons. If you have work surfaces on either side of the oven this is good, you can use one side for raw chicken preparation and one for cooked. Do this before handling the raw chicken fillets.

Open the packet of chicken fillets and use immediately – please do not wash them, they don’t need it, plus washing raw chicken is a food poisoning hazard – it can easily spread bacteria around the kitchen.

Place the flour and seasoning on a plate, crack the egg and mix well with a fork on a plate and breadcrumbs on separate plates. Dip the chicken fillets into the flour first, then egg and then the breadcrumbs – coat each fillet well and don’t forget the edges.

When coated, pile them on a dish for frying later.

Clean work surfaces down and wash your hands again after handling raw chicken.

Slice the garlic clove (this is better than crushing as it makes it easier to remove the pieces before frying the chicken.)

Add oil to the pan and fry the clove quickly then remove all the pieces of garlic from the pan.

Add the chicken goujons and fry till golden. Don’t overload the pan as this will lead to steaming instead of frying and soggy breadcrumbs.

Add 2 slices of goujons to each pitta – makes 5.

Serve with green salad.





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Chicken and pesto pasta – low fodmap

I am trying again with Kale, using kale is a way of getting more cruciferous brassica vegetables into a the low fodmap diet. Why should that be important? These vegetables contain sulphur compounds such as glucosinolates, compounds that have been implicated in the prevention of colon cancer(1). These vegetables are also rich in nutrients such as vitamin C and folate – unfortunately these vitamins are water soluble so will be reduced by boiling in water. This is a bit of a problem as most kale is exceptionally tough to eat and needs a good amount of cooking! It does contain the fat soluble vitamin K, beta-carotene and leutine, which is retained. It is really important to eat a wide a variety of foods as possible when following the low fodmap diet to get as much good nutrition as possible. The following recipe is a good start! If you really don’t want to try kale in this recipe other low fodmap cruciferous vegetables are Bok Choy, white and red cabbage, turnip, swede, watercress and radish – not all suitable alternatives for this dish though. Enjoy!

Ingredients

200g Gluten free dried pasta

60 g grated parmesan cheese

2 heaped tablespoons of pine nuts

1 packet of basil leaves

100ml oil

2 chicken breasts

seasoning

Method

Make the pesto – blend together the pine nuts, basil, olive oil and parmesan.

Chop the chicken – take care not to contaminate surfaces with raw chicken – clean down well after chopping it, or buy chicken strips.

Add the chicken to a pan with 3 tablespoons of the pesto and cook till the chicken is cooked through

Start to cook the pasta in boiling salted water and add the chopped kale to the pan.

The trick with cooking gluten free pasta is to use the packet cooking instructions – overcooking will turn it to mush.

Drain the pasta and kale.

Combine the ingredients, add seasoning if needed the parmesan is quite salty so additional may not be needed

Serve, contains 2 portions




 

(1) Nutr Cancer. 2014;66(1):128-39. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2014.852686. Epub 2013 Dec 16.

Cruciferous vegetables and risk of colorectal neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Chicken and grape salad – low fodmap

This is a quick light lunch for a sunny day. This is a mix of salad leaves, herbs and chicken with grapes. Low fodmap and yummy!

ingredients

1 Carrot

1 roasted chicken thigh

80g grapes

Mixed salad leaves

2 Radish

Drizzle of Balsamic vinegar (don’t exceed 1 tablespoon.)

Fennel leaves

Small handful of parsley

Method

Shred the chicken

Peel the carrot and use the peeler to produce long slices

Slice the grapes

Add all the ingredients on the plate

Serve

Serves 1 – serve with a portion of carbohydrate – a slice of wholegrain gluten free bread or seeded gluten free crackers. Also it is worth mentioning not to have a fruit pudding after this salad you have had the portion for this meal.

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Chicken, chard and pine nut conchiglie pasta – low fodmap

I adore chard – it is so pretty and very tasty. I have not been able to source a regular supply of it, perhaps because it may be a seasonal leaf. I was surprised and very pleased to find it in a local store, so I bought some to use over the weekend. I always keep some celeriac in the vegetable compartment of the fridge, it replaces the celery flavour of low fodmap dishes and adds a another depth of flavour to the dish. This is a nice spring recipe to start the Easter weekend and herald the start of better weather, lighter nights and fresh food.

Ingredients

300g of dried gluten free pasta

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

4 cooked chicken thighs

30g grated parmesan

I tablespoon of oil

1 slice of celeriac

100g chard

70g spinach leaves

Method

Chop the chard, spinach and celeriac into small slices.

Fry in the small amount of oil with the pine nuts.

Slice the chicken and add to the pan to warm through (must heat the chicken to at least seventy degrees C, if the chicken has been chilled and only reheat it once.)

Grate the parmesan cheese.

Cook the pasta in a pan of hot water whilst the sauce is cooking.

Do take care when cooking gluten free pasta as it is very easy to overcook it and end up with a ball of starch in your pan! Review the cooking instructions on the packet before you start.

Drain the pasta, add the vegetables and chicken and stir thoroughly.

Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan.

Serves 4.

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Chicken liver and rosemary stuffing – low fodmap Christmas recipes

Sage and onion stuffing is a classic accompaniment to Christmas dinner, however for people following a low fodmap diet this is not an option because it does contain lots of onion. Perhaps this recipe might be a good alternative and uses up some of the parts of meat that often go to waste, such as liver. I do save gluten free bread to freeze when I have the odd slice, or perhaps the bread crumbles because it is a little stale. Although freezing and reheating can increase the resistant starch content. Most people who get improvements on the low fodmap diet don’t seem to have problems with resistant starches – but if resistant starch does affect you, it might be better to use fresh breadcrumbs and only have a small piece, perhaps.

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 pack of chicken livers

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

1 teaspoon of asafoetida

100g of celeriac (gives a flavour of celery)

100g of chopped white cabbage

200g of gluten free breadcrumbs

4 sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Salt to flavour

Method

Trim the chicken livers (remove the tougher membrane that runs between the livers lobes). Add oil to the pan and fry the asafoetida and livers till cooked. Process the cabbage, rosemary and celeriac till a fine texture is achieved and then add the cooked liver and gluten free breadcrumbs. Process till smooth. Add to a loaf tin and cook for 1 hour at gas mark 5 or you could make stuffing balls or sausages depending on your preference but his will affect the cooking time. This stuffing tastes between a stuffing and pate and goes particularly well with Turkey.

I do not put my stuffing mix in the turkey body as this will not reach the temperature needed to cook either the stuffing or the turkey. Do take care when cooking Christmas lunch – do not wash the turkey and ensure any juices from the turkey run clear. Prevention of food poisoning during the festive season is really important!

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Thai green chicken curry – scarily low fodmap!

It’s now October – time for the nights to draw in and Halloween is just around the corner. Have you time to cook some dark dishes for All Hallows’ Eve? Would you like a story before we begin out tasty treat? You would? Now I am not in the habit of believing in ghosts being a pragmatic scientist at heart, but I do love a good story and a recent visit to Wycoller Hall certainly stirred the senses and not in a good way. The Lancashire area is steeped in legend and tales of witchcraft and haunting and the ancient hamlet of Wycoller is no exception. The old dilapidated ruin of Wycoller Hall holds a story within it’s architecture to chill you to the core. This the tale of Wycoller Hall and the headless horseman that haunts it’s grounds.

Locals watch the weather forecast with trepidation – it is said that the horseman rides when the weather is stormy and wild, a night reportedly not to wander out, perchance you encounter the headless spectre and his steed.

Simon Cunliffe, Lord of Wycoller was said to been short to temper and hearing of his wife’s reported indiscretions with another man, lost all sense of reason and drove his horse ferociously down the lane and over the cobbles back to the hall. On arrival he leaped from his mount and ran through the hall and up the stairs to his wife’s bedchamber.  Before death his wife allegedly cursed the family with downfall, a fate which later came to pass. Showing no mercy he murdered her and left, racing back up the lane on his horse, never to be seen again. The spectres dark fate on tempestuous nights is to repeat this event ad infinitum.

The story goes that when the weather is wild a rider is heard galloping down the lane, over the ancient pack-horse bridge. The dark horses hooves sparking cobbles, the whites of the steeds eyes blazing, nostrils flared and flaming, flanks sudoriferous. His mount, headless above Stuart ruff – literally losing his head to his outrage – is certainly a sight to behold leaping from his horse. Entering the ruin he is heard striding up long vanished stairs to the lady Cunliffes bedroom. A crack of a whip is heard then bloodcurdling screams echo around the remaining walls of the hall. He then returns to his mount and is heard dashing up the lane into the underworld – till the next time the weather is as stormy as his temperament.

Now looking at the image below tell me you can appreciate the atmosphere at this little hamlet? Even in the height of summer it can be very chilling. What is the story telling us? Well perhaps anger only ultimately hurts the angry person? I wonder?

The recipe above uses the second Fodify spice mix – Thai green curry

Ingredients

2 cooked chicken thighs

1 teaspoon of Fodify spice mix Thai green curry

1 Kaffir Lime leaf

400 ml of chicken stock

1 teaspoon of fish sauce

1.5 teaspoons of tamarind

200ml of light coconut milk

2 teaspoons of cornflour

1 aubergine

Small amount of oil to fry herbs and aubergine

Method

Add oil to the pan and fry the herbs for 2-3 minutes to release the flavour. Add the aubergine, finely chopped kaffir lime leaf and cook. Add the tamarind, stock (home made or perhaps Atkins & Potts classic chicken stock or Borough Broth Chicken Bone Broth – although this choice is very expensive.) and the rest of the ingredients and serve with rice noodles.

Serves 2

All ingredients for this recipe were purchased.

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Pumpkin chicken and pesto pasta

It is my favourite time of year and I do love roasted vegetables. Here is a dish that provides some comfort on cold nights and left overs can be warmed up the next day for lunch.

Ingredients

75g of garlic infused olive oil

1 inch slice of parmesan

15g of fresh basil

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

Salt to taste

1/2 small pumpkin

2 large chicken thighs

Basil leaves and toasted pine nuts to decorate.

150g gluten free pasta.

Method

Slice the pumpkin in half and then slice into eight even slices

Remove seeds

Add basil, oil, pine nuts, parmesan and salt to a blender and blend till smooth to make the pesto.

Place the slices into a roasting tin and place the chicken on the top (this will allow the fat to drain into the bottom of the tray – if you have a roasting tin drainer use this too.)

Spoon the pesto sauce on to the chicken and pumpkin.

Roast for 30 minutes (the chicken is ready when juices run clear.)

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water (use directions on the packet and don’t overcook it some makes of pasta will disintegrate if cooked for too long.)

Chop the pumpkin and chicken and mix with the cooked pasta, if desired use a small amount of the drained juices to flavour the pasta – but not too much as it will be high in fat.

Serves two

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Coronation chicken – low fodmap

Coronation chicken is a favourite traditional dish in the UK and was first devised for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 by the Cordon Bleu chef Rosemary Hume and Constance Spry. Rosemary was described by Constance as the ‘brains’ of their collaboration with respect to cookery knowledge, but Rosemary is always mentioned after Constance who would appear to be a very accomplished self publicist. I could not even find an image of Rosemary for this post, and so, I have dedicated this post to Rosemary as the ‘brains’ behind the coronation chicken dish and given her prime place of honour! This dish normally contains significant amounts of mayonnaise and is high in fat – the version below has a lighter dressing that might be a little easier on troublesome digestive systems. Mango chutney, another key ingredient has been replaced in the dish with pulped papaya instead, it may not be as sweet as a traditional coronation chicken dish but I tend to prefer it that way and it is low fodmap so a better choice for being gently digested too. If you want it a little sweeter you could add some sultanas but remember no more than 13g per portion. Coronation chicken is a great celebration dish to serve on buffets and it can also be used as a sandwich filler, a great option to make and take to work for lunch.

Ingredients

400g of cooked chicken

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

A sprinkling of asafoetida

Half an inch of ginger

3 heaped tablespoons of natural Skyr (prepare with lactase drops if you are lactose intolerant or use lactose free natural yoghurt.)

1 tablespoon of light mayonnaise

Half a papaya

Half a small handful of coriander

1 tablespoon of garlic infused oil

10g of flaked almonds

salt + pepper

Method

Tear the chicken into small manageable pieces

Pour oil into a small pan and heat. Add the turmeric, chopped ginger, cumin, cumin seeds, asafoetida and fry for 5 minutes to release the spice flavours. Cut the papaya in half, chop a quarter and add to the spices. Cool and crush in a mortar or blend till smooth.

Add the mayonnaise and yoghurt to the spices, mix well. Chop the other quarter of papaya and add to the chicken with the almonds, chopped coriander and dressing. Season to taste then serve.

Serves 4-6, depending on the use of the dish.

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