Cookbook 191: The Two-Step Low-Fodmap Diet and Recipe Book

I was hosting a friend and his partner who is on a Fodmap diet, and so I went out and bought Dr Sue Shepherd’s The Two-Step Low-Fodmap Diet and Recipe Book. I’ve cooked from Dr Shepherd’s earlier books (prior to this blog existing) and as one of the foremost dieticians in this space, I knew I could rely on her book.

Though I did make one minor mistake, I included a dish with goat’s cheese after being told that one of my guests was lactose intolerant. They had Lacteeze though, so it was ok in the end. The dishes I cooked were very tasty. There was another vegetarian dish I cooked from a fodmap friendly blog (Shahi Paneer). Overall, for people who need to stick to a fodmap diet, I recommend this book. There are a good range of vegetarian options, as well as some snacks and deserts. The recipes have options for people who are moving to including certain food types, as well as explaining why fodmap diets are necessary for some people. Four out of 5 stars.

Chicken Masala (serves 6)

Ingredients:

  • 85ml garlic-infused olive oil
  • 3 tbsp almond meal
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 1.5 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp ground chilli
  • 0.5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 kg skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm cubes
  • 185g regular or coconut yoghurt, plus extra to serve
  • 125g lactose-free sour cream
  • coriander leaves, to garnish
  • steamed rice, to serve

Method:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan or stockpot over a medium-high heat. Add the ground almond meal, ginger and all the spices and stir for 30 – 60 seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken and toss to coat in the spices. Cook, stirring, for 4 – 5 minutes or until browned on all sides.
  2. Lower the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add half the yoghurt and half the sour cream, then cover and simmer gently for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Add the remaining yoghurt and sour cream and stir until heated through. Garnish with coriander leaves, a dollop of yoghurt, if desired, and serve with steamed rice.

Notes on this recipe:

  • It was really easy to cook and very tasty. You could add more spices if you want to get a stronger flavour.
  • The coconut yoghurt in the dish gave it a nice coconut curry vibe.

Goat’s cheese and sweet potato frittata (serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients:

  • 280g sweet potato, cut into 2 cm cubes
  • 8 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 x 160g can gluten-free creamed corn
  • 1 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
  • 1 spring onion, green part only, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 125g goat’s cheese, crumbled

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a deep, 16cm round ovenproof baking dish
  2. Blanch the sweet potato in boiling water for 4 – 5 minutes, without over cooking, then drain
  3. Combine the eggs, corn, olive oil, spring onion, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
  4. Arrange alternate layers of sweet potato and goat’s cheese in the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the top. Gently tap the baking dish on the benchtop to ensure the egg mixture is evenly distrubuted and fills all the gaps. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave for 5 minutes before serving. This may be served cold or at room temperature.
  5. Serve with a salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Notes on this recipe:

  • It’s really hard to layer cubes of sweet potato and cheese
  • I didn’t end up using a very deep pie dish, instead mine was probably about 25cm wide. But it still cooked nicely and set properly in the middle
  • I would definitely make this again.

Berry Crumble (serves 8)

(Whoops, forgot to take a photo)

Ingredients:

  • 500g (1 bunch) of rhubarb, cut into 3 cm pieces
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 1 x 410g can raspberries in syrup (drained) (or the equivalent of frozen raspberries)
  • 200g blueberries
  • 200g strawberries, hulled and sliced
  • 55g caster sugar (extra)
  • 140g fine rice flour
  • 125g brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 3 tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 70g butter, cubed at room temperature
  • lactose-free cream or ice cream

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 25cm round baking dish
  2. Put the rhubarb in a saucepan with the caster sugar and some water and cook until just tender. Drain off any excess liquid
  3. Combine the cooked rhubarb, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and extra sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until will combined. Spoon into the baking dish.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the rice flour, brown sugar and coconut. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with lactose-free cream or ice cream, if desired.

Notes on this recipe:

  • This was a really great berry crumble. Just enough sugar to remove the ultra tart elements, but not banish them completely.
  • I will make this again when it is the right season for crumbles (or at least it isn’t the middle of summer).