The Healthy Gut Kitchen: Traditional Christmas Feast with a low FODMAP twist

Catering for sensitive stomachs around Christmas time can be a challenge – everyone deserves a treat, but not the resulting payback in the form of cramps, bloated tummy and other ‘joys’ of IBS flare ups.

If you are still in search for tasty things to put on your Christmas table – you’ve come to the right place, we’ve done our research for celebratory food that comes without uncomfortable consequences and here is our compilation of the mouth-watering finds from ‘low FODMAP’ experts*:

Starters

Dill Blinis with Smoked Salmon

Recipe credit: Caroline Skirrow, Registered Nutritional Therapist and MenuMentors co-founder http://menumentors.co.uk/low-fodmap-dill-blinis-with-smoked-salmon/

Makes about 10
3 tbsp finely chopped dill
2 eggs
¾ tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 lemon
120g coconut or buckwheat flour you can also use gluten-free flour
50ml of rice or lactose-free milk
100g crème fraîche
100g smoked salmon slices
1. In a bowl mix together the eggs, flour, 2½ tbsp dill, milk and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Should be a thick batter. If necessary add a little water or if too thin more flour.
3. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add a tbsp of the mix for each bilini and fry on a medium heat until golden on both sides. Takes about 3 minutes each.
4. Let the bilinis slightly cool down then top with a piece of salmon and a small dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle over some chopped dill and a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

Low FODMAP Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Recipe credit Dianne from Deliciousasitlooks.com
http://deliciousasitlooks.com/2015/12/low-fodmap-bacon-wrapped-water-chestnuts.html

Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 – 8 oz. can whole water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 oz. bacon (approximately 8 slices)

METHOD
Place water chestnuts in a small bowl with the soy sauce or tamari and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Drain.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with foil and place a metal cooling rack on top.
Cut bacon in half, thirds or quarters crosswise, depending on the size and count of water chestnuts.
Place the brown sugar on a plate and roll each water chestnut in the brown sugar. Wrap each chestnut with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on the baking rack.
Bake for 30 minutes, changing the foil halfway through, until golden brown.

Mains

Christmas Roasts

Christmas dinner can be done low FODMAP way, with extra attention paid to how you make the gravy. Here is the advice from Louisa Reid, gastroenterology and community specialist dietician from Scotland:

“Choosing a roast turkey or goose would be a great option because you can use the giblets to make an excellent stock for your gravy (shop-bought stocks have onion, leek and sometimes garlic added which means they are not suitable on the low FODMAP diet). Roasting the giblets for half an hour or so will add a richness to the stock flavour, but if you are short of time then just put them straight in a small pan, cover with water and simmer gently for at least an hour. You could add some chopped carrot, a few peppercorns, some parsley stalks and a stick of celery if you like. This can be made a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge once it has cooled and been strained. When the turkey or goose is cooked, skim the fat off the meat juices, add the stock from the giblets and thicken using a little cornflour (mixed into a paste with water before adding.)”

You can read more on Louisa’s low FODMAP Christmas here http://cooklowfodmap.com/a-low-fodmap-christmas/

If your household is more crackling than traditional turkey for Christmas, we came across this festive looking dish from Alana, of Alittlebityummy.com:

Low FODMAP Pork Loin Roast with Herb Rice Stuffing

INGREDIENTS
2.5 kg pork loin roast
200 g medium grain white rice (risotto rice) (Arborio rice)
500 ml (2 cups) low FODMAP chicken stock
120 g (1 1/2 cup) leek (green tips only)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic infused oil
1 cup fresh parsley
10 g (1/4 cup) green onions/scallions (green tips only)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
Season with rock salt

METHOD
Make the risotto. Roughly chop the green leek tips. Make the chicken stock with boiling water if using stock cubes. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry the leek tips in the olive oil and garlic infused oil for two minutes. Add the Arborio rice, stir through the mixture for about 1 minute.
Next add 125mls (1/2 cup) of chicken stock at a time, stir every now and then until the liquid has absorbed into the rice. Carry on adding and stirring in the stock, a splash at a time. Turn down the heat to medium low if needed (if the rice is cooking too fast and starting to stick to the bottom of the pan). Once the rice has absorbed two cups of stock, check and see if the rice is cooked (should take about 20 minutes). If it isn’t, add more stock and continue cooking for another few minutes. You want the rice to be cooked and sticky but not too wet. While the risotto cooks, finely chop the parsley and green onions/scallions (green tips only).
Remove the rice from the heat and stir through the parsley, green onions/scallions (green tips only), dried oregano, thyme, and pumpkin seeds. Transfer to a plastic container or bowl and allow to cool.
Stuff and tie your pork roast. If possible take the stuffing to the butcher and get them to stuff and tie the pork loin roast for you. Ask them to score the skin and fat for you as well.
Cook your pork. Preheat the oven to 220ºC (430ºF) fan bake function. Rub the pork skin with olive oil and season generously with salt. Place in a roasting tray and transfer into the oven once hot. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with the pork juices (drizzle the pork juices over the roast) and lightly season again with salt.
Turn down the oven heat to 200ºC (390ºF) and roast the pork for about another 1 hour and 30 minutes. Baste the pork every 30 minutes. If your crackling is cooking too fast or looks like it might burn then cover it with tinfoil. Your roast might take slightly longer to cook depending on the exact size. Remove the pork from the oven when the crackling is golden and the juices run clear (insert a sharp knife into the roast).
Rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with your favourite sides of vegetables and homemade cranberry sauce.

Recipe Credit: https://alittlebityummy.com/recipe/en-us/low-fodmap-pork-loin-roast-with-herb-rice-stuffing/

 

Sides

Christmas Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts

A recipe from beautiful Happy Gut expert Madeleine Shaw (http://madeleineshaw.com/recipes/christmas-maple-roasted-brussel-sprouts/) gives the seasonal brussel sprout a sweet, colourful and tasty twist. As with low FODMAP you’d only be allowed five per portion, so there are other lip smacking ingredients included in the dish:

INGREDIENTS
200g brussel sprouts
1 tbsp of maple syrup
2tbsp of olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tbsp of pickled cabbage
30g of pecans
50g of dried cranberries
15g of coconut flakes
Dressing:
1tbsp of miso paste
1tbsp of almond butter
1tsp of dijon mustard
1tbsp of sesame oil
1tbsp of lime juice

METHOD
First, preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the sweet potato into small chunks, the brussels in half. Mix the maple and olive oil together with a pinch of salt. Divide in half and dress half on the potatoes and other on the brussels. Place the potatoes in the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and golden. Turn half way through.
Place the brussels in a frying pan and fry for 15 mins until golden.
Mix together with the rest of the ingredients. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and serve on top.

Low FODMAP Potato & Bean Salad

Here’s a great greens recipe from Marika Day @MarikaDay (https://www.instagram.com/marikaday/), practising dietician and nutritionist who works in the field of IBS and gut health.

Serves 6 as a side

Pesto:
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup baby spinach
80g parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1kg of baby new potatoes
300g green beans
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method:
1. Combine all pesto ingredients expect oil into a food processor. Blitz on high speed until finely chopped. Scrape down the edges of the processor a few times throughout.
2. Slowly add Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the processor while it is running until the oil is combined with the pesto.
3. Boil baby potatoes in a saucepan for 10 minutes or until just cooked. Drain and allow to cool.
4. Boil or steam trimmed green beans for 2 minutes or until just cooked. Transfer beans to an ice bath to prevent further cooking.
5. In a small bowl or jar combine 3 heaped tbsp of pesto with the juice and zest of the lemon. Whisk well until forms a thinner pesto dressing.
6. In a large bowl combine potatoes, beans and pesto dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Sweet course

Peppermint Pattie Dates

Another recipe from @MarikaDay (https://www.instagram.com/marikaday/) which is gluten and dairy free and looks a picture:

INGREDIENTS:
250g desiccated coconut
1-2 tsp Peppermint essence or 1-2 drops peppermint oil
1 tbsp rice malt syrup (or other sweetener)
22 medjool dates
250g 70% cocoa chocolate
Candy canes to top.

METHOD:
1. Make coconut butter by placing desiccated coconut in a food processor and allow to process for 10-15 minutes or until smooth. Don’t give up, it takes time! You will need a food processor for this step, a blender probably won’t work as well.
2. Combine 1/2 cup of the coconut butter with rice malt syrup and peppermint essence.
3. Cut open dates and remove the seed. Stuff dates with a spoon of peppermint mixture.
4. Place dates in the freezer while melting the chocolate.
5. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Cover dates in chocolate and top with crushed candy canes

Low FODMAP Raspberry Slice

Recipe credit Lindsay from www.thatlofolife.com http://www.thatlofolife.com/all-content/low-fodmap-raspberry-slice/

INGREDIENTS for 6
Base
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1 tbsp cacao
1 1/2 tbsp rice malt syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
Raspberry Filling
1/2 cup macadamias, soaked overnight
1/2 cup frozen raspberries
1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
Chocolate Top
4 tbsp coconut oil
4 tsp cacao
4 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD
The night before making the slice, soak the macadamias in boiling water overnight.
Pulse the oats in a blender and combine with the other ingredients for the base. Press the mixture into 6 holes of a muffin tray and place in the fridge.

Drain the macadamias and put them in a high speed blender. Process until they are broken down into small pieces. Add the remaining filling ingredients to the blender and process until the mixture is combined.

Spread the filling onto the bases and put them back in the fridge.

Combine the ingredients for the chocolate topping in a bowl and stir until smooth.

Spread the topping on top of the raspberry filling when it has solidified. Place the slices in the fridge and keep refrigerated until serving.

Bon Appetite!

If you are worried about ‘overdoing it’ at the festive table, here are few tips from nutritionist Kim Lang, who along with other things recommends Enterosgel as a drug-free way to help your digestion:

“The excesses of Christmas food and drink can wreak havoc on your gut health, resulting in digestive problems like bloating, diarrhoea and even the dreaded food poisoning. If you have a sensitive gut or IBS, be extra careful. Sachets of Enterosgel are a great addition to your medical cabinet and handbag over the festive season. It’s an organic intestinal adsorbent, which means it binds to the harmful molecules which are related to diarrhoea and bloating, and gently removes them with the stool, helping to keep your digestive system safe and happy.”

With Christmas only a few days away and a New Year around the corner, we want to take the opportunity to wish all of our readers a wonderful festive time and all the best for 2019.

See you all next year for more healthy gut stories and advice!

*Please keep in mind that while we reposted these recipes from the respected sources, these suggestions cannot replace advice given to you by a medical professional. If unsure whether the recipe would be suitable for your condition – check with your doctor first!