I’m just gonna dive right into this post and say that if you love peanut butter and the magical marriage of kinda sweet, kinda salty, then you absolutely must try this recipe. This is my take on Ace’s Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls, which I’d been spending far too much money on at the F.O.G store in Richmond (not because they’re stupidly expensive, but because I’d buy several of them several times weekly) before I decided to make my own version.
I’m racking my brain for something creative to write here, but with two group assignments (kill me) looming and three weeks worth of lectures to catch up on, I think my mental efforts best be redirected. So all I’ll say is that these balls are a cheap, no bake, vegan, one bowl, ready-in-moments and virtually mess free job (unless you’re a total klutz like me and trip over absolutely nothing, spilling a kilo of coconut flour on the floor).
Oh and I’ll make and hand deliver a quadruple batch (and throw a few bear hugs and kisses in) for whoever offers to write one of my assignments for me, preferably the “evaluation of statistical analysis on taste receptor gene studies” one (like I said, kill me).
1 cup (235g) natural unsalted crunchy peanut butter
5 tbs (38g) chia seeds
4tbs pure maple syrup or coconut nectar
3 tbs activated buckinis
Generous pinch fine sea salt
For rolling: ground cinnamon, fine sea salt and coconut sugar
Method
Place chia seeds into a coffee grinder or blender and pulse until a flour-like consistency forms
Combine the chia four, PB, maple, buckinis and salt in a bowl with a wooden spoon, then mix with your hands if needed, ensuring all the ingredients are incorporated evenly. Keep stirring until the chia flour has absorbed most of the moisture and a dough-like consistency forms.
In a small bowl, combine 1 tbs coconut sugar, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt
Divide dough into 10 even portions, then roll into balls with your palms. Lightly roll each ball in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat, then place on a lined tray and allow to set in the freezer for one hour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for softer balls, or in the freezer for firmer balls. I prefer them firm (trying really hard not to giggle here, real mature I know).
Info for the irritable
Peanut butter is high in fructans when consumed in large amounts in one sitting (75g or more). According to Monash, 2 tbs or 32g of PB is considered low in fructans and should thus be tolerated by people with IBS or fructose malabsorption. One of these balls contains 23.5g of PB.
Hey YOU! I’ve been doing some pretty extensive research over the last few years (thanks to findings and publications by a bunch of mega brainy gut experts), and I’ve recently decided to join the glutard (AKA gluten free) crusade. As such, all recipes containing gluten on my site that were written prior to 2018 are currently under reconstruction as I strive to make them all gluten free. Keep watching this space because I’ll be delving into my reasons for going completely gluten free at a later date, but all I’ll say for now is that I want my recipes to be as friendly to your gut –and the trillions of incredible microbes that inhabit it– as possible, so that you can kick your digestive issues to the curb and get back to devouring caramelised onion, apples and bulk avocado again.
Just to throw another spanner in, THIS particular recipe is an exception to the above – I’ve personally never eaten a GF/yeast free hot cross bun that I’ve remotely enjoyed, and I’m too happy with this recipe to delete it or butcher it with alterations. Besides, HCB’s are supposed to be a treat anyway. Sufficiently justified? K cool.
By the way, if anyone has ever made or bought a HCB that is genuinely healthy, gluten free, yeast free and FODMAP friendly, I’d LOVE to hear from you. But until then…
So it’s 5pm on Easter Sunday which means two things: a) I’m in a scalloped potato/cheesecake/giant Kinder Surprise/chocolate tart-induced coma and literally typing this post through one half-opened eye, and b) it’s definitely a tad late to be posting a hot cross bun recipe. That said, ‘a tad late’ is how I go about life in general, and this recipe is too good to wait until next year to post. Besides, who doesn’t love a fresh-outta-the-oven hot cross bun at any time of year? If it’s acceptable now-days to eat HCB’s from Boxing Day until Easter Sunday, it should be acceptable to enjoy them for a few (or many) months afterward, too.
These hot X babies do contain a little more sugar than my usual recipes (in the form of coconut sugar & dried fruit), but I really wanted them to taste and feel as close to the real deal as possible. They’ve got just the right balance of sweetness and spice, and the spelt flour lends a wonderful nuttiness and dense texture. What’s more, they’ll fill your home with the most beauuuuuuutiful aroma – the smell of any kind of bread baking in the oven is magic, but the notes of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and orange in these buns will take you to a whole new level of aromatic heaven.
I think the key to getting these buns right is ensuring that the dough gets its full 2 hours of rising time in a warm, draught-free area. I’m certainly no baking wiz so I don’t know whether the rising time or warm environment is more crucial, but the two together resulted in a far better bun texture than the first time I attempted this recipe, when I only gave the dough 1 1/2 hours to rise in a cool kitchen.
Spelt & Chia Hot Cross Buns with Orange and Cranberries
Makes 9 buns.
Ingredients
3 ½ cups wholegrain spelt flour
1 tbs chia seeds
7g instant dried yeast
2 tsp dried ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried ground ginger
½ tsp allspice
¼ cup dried unsweetened cranberries
¼cup raisins
¼cup dried currants
Zest of 1 orange (halve this if you don’t want the orange flavour to be pronounced)
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup organic coconut sugar
1 cup milk of choice (I use no added sugar coconut or almond milk)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 tbs melted coconut oil
1 tbs pure maple syrup, to glaze
For the crosses: 40g dark chocolate of choice
Method
Preheat the oven to 180*C. Line a small square cake tin (20cm x 20cm) with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, stir the milk and coconut sugar over medium-low heat until the milk is warm and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and coconut oil.
In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, chia seeds, yeast and dried spices. Wake a well and pour in the milk mixture. Mix with a spoon until just combined, then add in the dried fruit, zest and salt. Use your hands to combine fully and form into a dough with the dried fruit and zest dispersed throughout.
Lightly flour a clean bench space or a kneading mat with a little spelt flour. Knead the dough for 7 minutes.
Oil the original mixing bowl with a little coconut oil, place the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap (to trap heat in). Place a tea towel over the bowl (to keep light out). Leave in a warm, draught free space for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size (it’s imperative that the dough doubles, and I strongly recommend leaving it for the full 2 hours regardless). My house was quite cool when I was making these, so I found that the best place to leave the bowl was on a stool right in front of the heated oven.
After the dough has risen, knead for another 3 minutes. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions and roll into rough balls. Place the buns into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Brush the buns with pure maple syrup to glaze. Allow the buns to cool before piping crosses with melted dark choc. Don’t have a piping bag? See notes below.
Serve the only way you ever should: toasted, warm, smothered with organic salted butter (or almond butter) and with your a cuppa. Bliss. It’s probably worth nothing that you may want to remove the chocolate cross before toasting the buns!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Info for the irritable
If you’re highly sensitive to fructose, adjust the amount of dried fruit to suit you tolerance levels. You could try omitting the currants and raisins using ¼ – ½ cup dried cranberries, or leave the fruit out altogether if necessary.
Other notes
I used normal organic dark choc for the crosses because I knew it would set and photograph better, but vegans can substitute raw chocolate
If you don’t own a piping bag, spoon the melted choc into a snap-lock bag and snip the corner with scissors. Voila!
(Almost) gone are the days of fried taco shells stuffed with MSG-laden ground beef offcuts, barely-there guac, under-cheesed and over-refried-beaned nachos and soggy taquitos…
They were all pretty awesome in 2004 when we didn’t know any better (and let’s be honest we were probably all high on the blue colour dye in the fishbowls anyway), but the Tex-Mex joints from the ’90s just ain’t cutting it anymore. Over the last decade we’ve witnessed a soar in modern Mexican cuisine, and now we’re wonderfully spoilt for choice.
Of course, if you have IBS or fructose malabsorption, you might be a little frightened of going out for Mexican given its reliance on onion, garlic and black beans. I used to avoid it at all costs. It just wasn’t worth the menu battle only to end up ordering soft tacos with plain chicken (yep, hold every single topping please, dear waiter) and a bland side salad. Thankfully, the huge demand for adaptable menus has meant that chefs and waiting staff are now more clued up than ever, making eating out with food sensitivities SO much easier and more enjoyable than before. So long as you’re willing to pass up a few obvious options, that is. Pre-made guac laden with raw onion will always be the bane of my Mex-food-lovin’ existence.
FODMAP-friendly Mexican restaurants in Melbourne
The below list comprises some of my favourite modern Mexican eats in and around Melbourne, all from which I’ve been able to find FODMAP friendly or easily modifiable menu items:
Mamasita – CBD Touché Hombre – CBD (a personal favourite and home of the BEST corn on the cob you’ll ever sink your teeth into) Fonda – various locations The Black Toro – Glen Waverly (a little pricier and more refined but definitely worth a visit)
So here’s my spin on an old favourite – Sweet Potato Nachos. This fresher and much healthier version is vegan, grain free and paleo, and calls on baked sweet potato “chips” to replace pro-inflammatory fried corn chips, fragrant quinoa instead of high-fructan refried beans, sautéed capsicum to add some bulk, a zesty guac, and all seasoned with my super simple Low FODMAP Mexican Spice Mix. This recipe is perfect for sharing with a few friends or as a side dish. Pile all the components on a serving board, place in the middle of the table and and tuck in, being sure to grab a little of everything. The best thing about this recipe? No one fighting over the cheesiest corn chips.
I also like to make extra spice mix and add it to other dishes for a healthy Mexican twist – perfect for making FODMAP friendly chicken fajitas!
I’m finallllllly more tolerant to legumes these days, so sometimes I’ll pile chipotle beans onto these nachos, especially when making them for other people because it really elevates the flavours. To make your own, simply place the desired amount of canned beans (pinto, kidney or black) in a pan with a generous splash of water (avoid using the canned liquid as it will be high in FODMAPs due to leaching) and a few dollops of good-quality natural chipotle sauce. Stir, bring to the boil over medium high heat, then reduce to simmer and leave until the liquid has reduced slightly. Please note that this option will add significantly to the ‘FODMAP load’ of the meal and will definitely not be suitable for some people.
You may wonder why this recipe calls for large amounts of sweet potato and avocado, foods both known to be moderately high in the polyols (AKA sugar alcohols) mannitol and sorbitol, respectively. The reason I’ve published a recipe so high in these is because irrespective of the severity of my “intolerances” to FODMAPs, I’ve always been able to eat large amounts of sweet potato and avo without dramas, and you might as well, while the next person may find them very problematic. It all depends on how you currently absorb polyols. For this reason, I have made sure that all other ingredients in this recipe are super low in FODMAPs to reduce the overall load. If you’re currently extremely sensitive to polyols, I recommend saving this recipe for a later date when your gut has begun the healing process and you’re able to start reintroducing foods like sweet potato and avocado again.
On the other hand, if you’re currently reintroducing polyol-containing foods but don’t want to overdo it, simply limit your serving of both guac and sweet potato chips (see recipe notes for specific recommendations), and bulk up your plate with more of the quinoa and capsicum instead. Alternatively, you could replace half or more of the sweet potato with zucchini and/or eggplant chips – simply wash, cut (no need to peel), and cook them exactly the same as the sweet potato in the recipe below!
Vegan and Paleo Sweet Potato Nachos
Serves 3 meals or 5 sides
FODMAP friendly serving size: see notes below
Ingredients
Low FODMAP Mexican Seasoning:
2 tbs cumin
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp fine sea salt
Guac:
2 large avocados
Juice of ½ lime
Handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
5 spring onions (green part only), chopped
Nachos:
2 large sweet potatoes (approx. 500g each), peeled and sliced into even 3mm-thick rounds
1 cup quinoa
2 cups all natural stock of choice or filtered water
1 large red capsicum, chopped
1 small handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to serve
5 spring onions (green part only), chopped
1 red chilli, seeds removed and sliced, to serve (optional)
Lime wedges, to serve
Method
Preheat oven to 220*C and line two large trays with baking paper.
Prepare the seasoning by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.
To make the sweet potato chips, arrange the sweet potato rounds in a single layer on the prepared baking trays. Drizzle very lightly with coconut oil and sprinkle a quarter of the spice mix. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven and use tongs to turn the rounds over. Add another sprinkle of spice mix, then return to the oven for a further 15-20 mins or until the rounds are beginning to resemble chips (refer to the images). Remove from oven and set aside. You may also wish to swap the tray positions half way through to ensure even baking.
While the sweet potato is cooking, rinse the quinoa under cold running water to remove any bitterness. Transfer to a saucepan and add the stock/water and half of the remaining seasoning. If you’re using water instead of stock, add some salt for more flavour. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the germ (the little ring around the seed) is exposed and the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Heat a little coconut oil in a frypan over medium heat. Sauté the capsicum and half of the green onions until the capsicum is slightly tender, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the guac, combine all ingredients and season with a sprinkle of seasoning and a little extra sea salt. Set aside.
Assemble the nachos on a serving board starting with the sweet potato chips on the bottom, then piling on the quinoa, sautéed capsicum, and guac. Garnish with coriander, spring onions, sliced chilli (I often use dried chilli flakes instead), lime wedges and a light sprinkle of the spice mix. If you’ve got any good-quality chipotle sauce on hand, feel free to drizzle over. These nachos are best served immediately when the sweet potato chips are crispy around the edges and the quinoa and capsicum are still warm.
Info for the irritable:
This recipe is obviously not as low in the FODMAP, Polyol (sugar alcohols) as my typical recipes. For people with high sensitivities to polyols (sugar alcohols), please read below:
Avocado contains sorbitol. ⅛ whole avocado or 20g is considered low in sorbitol and thus safe; ¼ or 40g is considered moderate and should be limited; ½ or 80g is considered high and should be avoided.
Sweet potato contains mannitol. 70g sweet potato is considered low in mannitol and thus safe; 107g is considered moderate and should be limited; 140g is considered high and should be avoided).
Do reduce the polyol load, you could replace half or more of the sweet potato with zucchini or eggplant chips. Simply wash, dry, cut (no need to peel) and cook them exactly the same as the sweet potato in the method above!
If you made this recipe prior to 2018, you may notice it’s a little different now. I’ve been doing lots of research over the last few years, and thanks to the findings and publications by a bunch of brainy gut experts, I’ve recently joined the glutard (AKA gluten free) crusade. As such, this recipe is now gluten free. It’s still FODMAP friendly, low in fructose and full of nutrients, but calls for gut-lovin’ gluten alternatives that your bod and brain will thank you for! Ax
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“While distance makes the heart grow fonder, resistance makes the taste buds wonder” – Me, 2018 (profound, I know)
There’s only one confectionery I love as much as Kinder chocolate, and that’s Twix bars. There’s something about the combination of the shortbread biscuit base, gooey caramel filling and creamy chocolate blanket that’s just so mouthgasmic, it leaves me making noises that no one should ever make in public, let alone whilst eating. I’ve always gone nuts over anything Twix. Twix Pods, Twix ice cream, Twix slice… you name it and I’ve salivated over it. And don’t even get me started on Twix cheesecake. I used my boyfriend’s birthday last year as an excuse to make one, and ended up eating three quarters of the bloody thing over two days.
I’d also go so far as to say that Mars’ release of Twix Ice-cream Bars was to blame for five out of the six kilos I gained during my first European Summer in 2014. The daily habit was justified by the fact that they were only 1€ ($1.50) a pop, a welcomed revelation for my broke backpacking ass, and “I’ve got one life, BITCHES!”
Let’s just say that nourishing my bod wasn’t exactly at the forefront of my mind that trip.
Aside from the aforementioned four-month-long health hiatus and treats here and there, I’ve become pretty disciplined with my consumption of full-of-total-crapola fare since becoming a so-called adult. Full disclosure: I still receive a giant Kinder Surprise each year from the Easter Bunny. Still, it’s true that distance makes the heart grow fonder, and resistance makes the taste buds wonder (that line is a 2018 edit and I’d I’m ridiculously smug rn, by the way), and so Twix is never too far from my fantasies…
I’d always wanted to create a healthy and FODMAP friendly Twix slice, but put it in the too-hard basket because I couldn’t think of how to make a healthy and tasty caramel filling without using a bunch of dates. To my delight, I came across the fabulous blog, Blissful Basil by Ashley Melillo, and her discovery of the incredibly caramely combination of almond butter, pure maple syrup and coconut oil. It changed my life, and if you’re not too sensitive to almonds it will change yours too.
This mega decadent Twix Cookie Slice recipe is my gluten free, vegan and fructose friendly spin on Twix bars, Mars’ best invention ever. Although the caramel mainly consists almond butter which is high in fructans when consumed in large amounts, I have made sure that each serving of this slice contains even less almond butter than is deemed “safe” by Monash University, and I’ve kept the overall FODMAP load low. In other words, this recipe is FODMAP friendly if the recommended serving size is adhered to. Please see notes below the recipe for specific recommendations.
FODMAP friendly serving size:1 bar or 1-2 squares (see notes below)
Ingredients
Vanilla Shortbread Biscuit Base:
1 ¾ cups (210g) brown rice flour
1 cup (97g) tapioca starch
½ cup (100g) melted coconut oil
⅓ cup (100g) pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Almond ‘Caramel’ Filling:
1 cup (250g) unsalted 100% almond butter
⅓ cup (100g) pure maple syrup
⅓ cup (66g) coconut oil
⅓ tsp fine sea salt
Chocolate topping:
½ cup (100g) coconut oil
½ cup (34g) raw cacao powder
1-2 tbs pure maple syrup
Small pinch of fine sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180*C and line a square slice or cake tin with baking paper, ensuring that the paper hangs over the sides. My tin is 18 x 18cm.
To make the biscuit base, combine the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the mixture is a little clumpy or separated. If it seems too wet (and oil is noticeably pooling on top), add a little more rice flour.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and use your fingertips to press the mixture in firmly and evenly. Use a fork to poke several holes in the base. Bake for 20 minutes or until the colour is becoming golden. Remove from the oven. Do not wait for it to brown, as it will become overcooked and dry. It should still be a little soft to touch and will harden as it cools. My base often forms a big raised bump in the middle toward the end of baking – if this happens to you, gently push it down as soon as it comes out of the oven while it’s still soft. Allow to cool and harden completely in the tin.
To make the caramel filling, melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Increase heat to medium and add the almond butter, maple, and salt. Lightly whisk until all ingredients are fully incorporated and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. I also highly recommend helping yourself to a little spoonful of the almond caramel while it’s warm. You’re welcome. 💁🏼♀️
Pour the caramel filling over the cooled biscuit base, smooth with the back of a spoon, and place in the freezer, ensuring a completely flat position, for 30 minutes to set.
To make the chocolate layer, place the coconut oil, cacao, maple and salt in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the ingredients have completely melted together. Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Return the slice to the freezer for a further 20 minutes, ensuring a completely flat position, to set the chocolate layer.
Remove the slice from the tin and transfer to a chopping board. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into 18 bars or 25 squares (see notes below on recommended low FODMAP serving sizes). Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week, or freeze for up to one month.
Info for the irritable
Almonds –and thus almond butter– are high in Fermentable Galacto-Oligosaccharides (GOS) and Fructans (AKA the “F” and “O” in “FODMAP”) when consumed in amounts larger than 35g in one sitting. However, according to Monash University, 1 tbs or 20g of almond butter is considered low in these carbohydrates, and should be tolerated by people with IBS or fructose malabsorption. Each serving of this slice, when cut into either 18 bars or 25 squares, contains only 14g and 10g of almond butter, respectively. If you’re unsure of your tolerance to almonds, opt for a small square and take it from there.
If you made this recipe prior to 2018, you may notice it’s a little different now. I’ve been doing lots of research over the last few years, and thanks to the findings and publications by a bunch of brainy gut experts, I’ve recently joined the glutard (AKA gluten free) crusade. As such, this recipe is now gluten free. It’s still FODMAP friendly, low in fructose and full of nutrients, but calls for gut-lovin’ gluten alternatives that your bod and brain will thank you for! Ax
Throughout my primary school years, my favourite afternoons involved a visit to the local bakery where I’d leave with a choccie Big M in one hand, and either a sausage roll or lemon slice in the other. Sometimes all three, depending on how much Mum wanted to shut me up until dinner. My irrepressible love for lemon slice continued into the early years of high school –as did sausage rolls, unfortunately– when I’d make a batch most weekends, using half the sweetened condensed milk for the biscuit base and drinking the rest straight from the tin…
To this day, I can never knock back a traditional lemon slice when the opportunity arises, and I still revel in its delectably citrusy, melt-in-your-mouth glory, but I try not to chow them down on the regular like I used to. FYI I’ve also stopped drinking sweetened condensed milk from the can.
It’s quite easy to find healthy gluten free lemon slice alternatives these days, but as with all healthy spins on traditional desserts, it’s difficult to find ones that are suitable for the digestively challenged. Most health-ified lemon slices I’ve come across, delightful as they are, rely heavily on nuts, dried coconut and dates in the base, and cashews in the cream topping. Great for some; not so great for us FODMAP malabsorbers.
My Lemon, Macadamia and Coconut Slice, albeit not FODMAP free (because that’s not the point of the low FODMAP diet), has been very carefully formulated to use enough coconut and lower-FODMAP nuts and seeds so that it has a nice flavour and texture and is nutrient dense, but is still at the ‘low’, and thus ‘safe’, end of the FODMAP spectrum so long as the recommended serving size is adhered to. The base is bulked with quinoa flakes and buckwheat grouts, and soaked macadamias make for a lovely cream (not as creamy as cashews would, granted, but we can’t have it all). This slice is also vegan, gluten free, grain free, paleo, and packed with quality proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
Lemon, Macadamia and Coconut Slice (vegan, gluten free, Paleo)
Makes 24 squares
FODMAP friendly serving size: 1 square
Ingredients
Biscuit Base:
1 cup (70g) quinoa flakes
1.5 cups (82g) unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut plus a little extra, to serve
1 cup (100g) raw pecans
1/2 cup (80g) buckwheat groats
2 tbs linseeds (chia seeds would also work)
1/4 cup (85g) pure maple syrup
1/3 cup (70g) melted coconut oil
Generous pinch of sea salt
Lemon and Macadamia Cream Topping:
1.5 cups (180g) macadamias
2/3 cup (120g) coconut cream (100% coconut and guar gum free)
3 tbs pure maple syrup
3 tbs melted coconut oil (this is an option for a slightly firmer topping – see notes in step 4 below)
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1/2 – 1 lemon plus extra, to serve
Method
Place the macadamias in a small bowl and cover with filtered water. Cover the bowl with a small plate and allow to soak overnight at room temperature.
Line a rectangular slice tray (mine is 18 x 27cm) with baking paper.
To make the biscuit base, use a high-powered processor to process the quinoa flakes, dried coconut, pecans, buckwheat grouts, linseeds and salt until a crumb forms. Add the coconut oil and maple syrup and process until it all comes together, scraping the bowl down with a spatula as necessary. Spoon the mixture into the tin and use your fingertips to press it down firmly and evenly. Place in the freezer to set while you make the topping.
To make the lemon cream topping, drain the soaked macadamias and discard the liquid. Place the macadamias into the cleaned processor bowl/jug and process until as smooth as possible. Add the coconut cream, maple syrup, lemon juice and a quarter of the zest, and process until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides down with a spatula as necessary. At this stage, taste the cream and add more lemon zest if you wish. Please note: this topping is designed to be quite soft and creamy once set, but if you want it to be a bit firmer you can add 3-4 tbs melted coconut oil, which will help it set more in the fridge as the coconut oil solidifies.
Remove the biscuit base from the freezer and top with the lemon cream, using the back of the spatula to smooth over. Top with extra lemon zest and shredded/flaked coconut (I like to toast mine lightly first). Allow to set in the freezer for an hour or so.
Once set, use a sharp knife to cut the slice into 24 squares. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week, or freeze for up to one month and thaw slightly before serving.
Info for the irritable:
This recipe has been carefully formulated to be FODMAP friendly when the recommeded serving size is adhered to. It contains moderate amounts of the polyol, sorbitol, from coconut (dried and milk/cream) and small amounts of fructans from pecans, macadamias and linseeds. One square of this slice (when the slice has been divided into 24 squares) is considered low in both sorbitol and fructans and should thus be safe for people with IBS or fructose malabsorption.
Last December, my mum had a bunch of her girlfriends over for their annual Chrissy lunch. Of all the memorably tasty dishes on offer (the leftovers overflowed our fridge for days – score!), one thing stood out in particular: a colourful little grain salad made by one of my mum’s friends. Upon tasting it, I was equal parts delighted and deflated; delighted because it set off a party of whiz-bang flavours and textures in my mouth, but deflated because it was packed with high FODMAP ingredients like freekeh (green wheat), lentils, red onion and dried fruits.
Typical me, always wanting what I can’t have…
As it turns out, the ‘Cypriot Grain Salad’ is a recipe by George Columbaris (of Masterchef fame), and is one of the most popular side dishes served at his modern Greek taverna, Hellenic Republic, in Brunswick, Melbourne. I’d love to be able to take full credit for this recipe, but that would be a jackass move. All I’ve done is add a few things here and there for flavour and tweaked it to suit my dietary needs. Besides, I’d rather not be on George’s bad side.
I couldn’t wait to taste this dish again, and so here it is: my low FODMAP version of Hellenic Republic’s ‘Cypriot Grain Salad’ in all its fluffy, crunchy, sweet and savoury glory. It’s perfect on its own or as a side salad to chicken or slow cooked lamb.
Hellenic Republic-Inspired Quinoa Salad with Cumin Yoghurt Dressing & Pomegranate
Ingredients
1.5 cups tri-coloured quinoa (available at most supermarkets)
3 cups low-sodium stock of choice
1 bunch coriander, washed and chopped
1/2 bunch continental (flat-leaf) parsley, washed and chopped
1 cup chopped spring onion, green part only (use 1/2 chopped red onion if you don’t have FM )
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
2 tbs toasted pine nuts
1/4 – 1/2 cup currants*
2 tbs dried cranberries*
Juice of 1 – 1.5 lemons (or to taste)
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup thick full fat Greek yoghurt
Seeds of 1 small pomegranate, or 1/2 large
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground (or 1.5 tsp cumin powder, carefully cooked in a dry fry-pan over medium-low heat until fragrant)
1 tbs pure maple syrup (use honey if you don’t have FM)
Method
In a saucepan or pot, bring the quinoa and stock to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (depending on your cook top, this can take anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes). Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
Combine the yoghurt, cumin and maple syrup/honey in a small serving bowl.
In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, coriander, parsley, onion, almonds, pine nuts, pepitas, currants, cranberries, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer salad to a serving dish and top with the yoghurt dressing and pomegranate seeds. I like to mix some of the yoghurt dressing through the salad, then add more on top, but that’s up to you 🙂
* Those of you with fructose malabsorption/IBS or on a low FODMAP diet should limit your intake of dried fruit (excess fructose). However, if you’re trying to reintroduce FODMAPs back into your diet, a small amount shouldn’t hurt as the overall FODMAP load of this recipe is quite low. As always, assess your own tolerance. Halve or quarter the quantities if you’re unsure, and leave out altogether if you know you react to any amount of dried fruit.
I find myself making this salad all year round, but there’s no denying its utter summery-ness. Whether it’s Sunday dinner at home, a casual picnic, or a festive bring-a-plate night, this salad has been one of my top go-to’s since I first posted it. Going by your emails, it’s still probably THE most loved recipe on here (thank you, lovely readers!), and it makes me V happy to know that you’re still loving it as much as I do. It’s even one of my Dad’s favourites which, given the fact that it’s “just a bloody salad”, says a bit.
It’s simple and straightforward enough to whip up on a weeknight, but the strawberries and caramelised macadamias give it that extra touch of pizzazz, making it perfect for entertaining or when you’re on salad duty. The warm roasted chicken and generous chunks of pumpkin add heartiness and make it feel like a real meal, and together with the nuts and feta it’s deceivingly filling.
I’m a total sucker for anything that combines sweet and savoury (HELLOOOOO fig paste on double brie, honey on peanut butter, and my ultimate vice – maple syrup on fried chicken), and the marriage of savoury chicken and feta with sweet strawberries and maple-coated pumpkin and nuts in this salad is no exception, so when you curate a forkful that has just a little bit of everything, it really is a party in your mouth.
With just the right balance of sweet and savoury and a touch of tart, this very low-FODMAP salad will leave your tastebuds singing and your belly happy. If you’re after a side a salad or a vegetarian version, simply leave the chicken out. Vegans can omit the feta altogether or substitute with a nut-based feta, however because of the concentration of high FODMAP nuts (commonly cashews) in nut-based fetas, I have not come across one that is strictly low FODMAP.
This salad is best served while the pumpkin is still warm and caramelised, however it’s also great at room temp so don’t worry about being meticulous with timing. If you’re actually capable of controlling your portions and have leftovers, they make for a delicious lunch the next day!
Chicken and Maple-Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Strawberries and Caramelised Macadamias
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
½ roasted chicken (free range and organic if possible), shredded
½ medium Jap/Kent pumpkin (approx 2kg), peeled and cut into even 3cm chunks
1 cup (130g) macadamias, halved
2 tbs + 3 tsp pure maple syrup
1½ tbs melted coconut oil
200g leafy salad mix of choice
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 punnet strawberries (200g), sliced
½ cup spring onion (40g), chopped (green part only)
¼ cup (35g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Small handful each fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
100g goats curd or Danish feta, to serve (omit for vegan)
Good quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), to dress
Balsamic vinegar, to dress (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Method
Preheat oven to 170*C and line a tray with baking paper. In a small bowl, coat the macadamias with 3 tsp of the maple syrup. Pour onto the tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden and caramelised. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely.
Increase the oven temperature to 200*C and line two trays with baking paper. In a large bowl, coat the pumpkin with the remaining maple syrup, melted coconut oil, dried oregano and salt.
Divide the pumpkin between the two lined trays and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, turning half way through and adding the pepitas to the top tray for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Depending on your oven, you may also want to swap the trays half way through to ensure even cooking. This salad works best when the veggies are a little on the ‘under’ side – quite soft in the middle and caramelised and chewy around the edges. Don’t let them crisp up too much as the delicious gooey maple will dry out!
In the meantime, arrange the salad leaves in a serving bowl or platter. Drizzle with EVOO and top with spring onions, fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, strawberries, pumpkin, shredded chicken, feta, maple macadamias and pepitas. Finish with an extra drizzle of EVOO and a sprinkle of dried oregano. Serve with balsamic vinegar on the side for those who want a little more acidity – a tiny drizzle goes perfectly with the strawberries and feta!
Yep, I’m one of those people. One of those who still, even at 22 years of age, puts milk, cookies and carrots out for Santa and his reindeers on Christmas Eve. From December 1st I blast Michael Buble’s 2011 Christmas album in my car, and refuse to take it off rotation until mid-January. Shopping centres go from being in my top-3-most-disliked-environments all year from January through November, to magical joy-filled havens which I find every excuse to immerse myself in during December. I take dramatic detours and scour the streets of suburban Melbourne late at night, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at fairy light displays. Even houses with the tackiest efforts (flashing rainbow fairy lights usually make my eyes hurt) send ripples of Christmas cheer through me. I’ve finally stopped dressing my car as Rudolf and acknowledge that the antlers on the side door windows and red nose on the front grill are a bit much.
As I write this, the most wonderful day of the year is just one week away. The early summer sun is shining outside, I’ve spent the afternoon wrapping presents and arranging them under the tree, and the oven is exhaling mouth-watering notes of ginger, cinnamon and maple from my fourth batch of Lemon, Ginger and Cranberry Granola this week.
This granola recipe is a festive and comforting marriage of sugar and spice. It’s sweetened with just enough maple syrup and the pops of tart lemon and dried cranberries add some extra zing. There’s a delicious crunch and chewiness to it, then it melts in your mouth like any granola should. It might look Christmassy, but it makes for a delicious and nutrient dense breakfast all year round. This recipe is very forgiving, so feel free to mix it up however you like. So long as you’re mindful of wet to dry ratios, you can pretty much throw in whatever you’ve got on hand.
How you use the granola is entirely up to you – serve a generous handful with your favourite nut milk and strawbs for a wholesome brekky, sprinkle it over smoothie bowls and banana ‘nice cream’ to add some crunch, or whiz some through smoothies to make them extra thicccc and amp up the flavour. It’s also great to snack on as a trail mix, but I try to portion it out in advance otherwise I end up eating half a batch in one sitting. Portion control has never been my forté.
For something a bit spesh, try layering the granola with cardamom-stewed oranges or other fruit and your favourite yoghurt (coconut or full fat) in individual glasses – the perfect Christmas Parfait for brunch entertaining! I also love making cute homemade edible gifts by filling mason jars with the granola. Add some mini gingerbread men to the jars and arrange around the side of the jar so that they’re visible, then finish with some festive ribbon and hand-written gift tags.
Lemon, Ginger and Cranberry Granola
FODMAP friendly serving size: ¾ cup (approx. 80g)
Ingredients
Muesli mixture:
2 cups(178g) quinoa flakes (you could also use flaked brown rice or buckwheat)
1 cup (200g) buckwheat grouts, activated if possible
1 cup (15g) puffed buckwheat (puffed brown rice also works great although it’s a grain)
¾ cup (45g) shredded unsweetened coconut
¾ cup (97g) of your favourite natural nuts (activated if possible), roughly chopped. I use mostly macadamias and pecans, plus some almonds and walnuts
¼ cup (40g) pepitas
¼ cup (40g) sunflower seeds
¾ tsp finely ground sea salt
1 tbs ground cinnamon
1 ¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamom
2 tbs coconut sugar (optional)
½ cup (60g) dried cranberries (unsweetened if possible, omit for strictly fructose friendly – see notes)
Wet mixture:
½ cup (100g) melted coconut oil
⅓ cup (95g) pure maple syrup
1 tbs lemon juice
Method
Preheat oven to 160*C and lightly grease a large baking tray with coconut oil
In a large bowl, combine all the ‘muesli mixture’ ingredients, except the dried coconut and cranberries
Add the ‘wet’ ingredients to the bowl, gently folding with a large wooden spoon until fully combined
Spoon onto the prepared tray in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Add the dried coconut and use a spatula to gently turn the granola. Lightly press the mixture down to encourage the formation of clusters. Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes. At this point it should be fragrant and golden
Remove from the oven and set aside. As it cools, the granola will continue to dry out and crisp up, so don’t worry if it’s still a little soft. Allow to cool completely before adding the dried cranberries and transferring to an airtight container or glass jars. The granola will keep for at least a week if stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Info for the Irritable:
Certain nuts and dried coconut contain moderate amounts of FODMAPs (GOS and polyols, respectively), however the amount I have used in this recipe, especially once divided into the recommended servings, is considered to be low. If you’re especially sensitive to either, reduce the amount by half or omit altogether and substitute with more quinoa flakes and puffed buckwheat
Dried cranberries do contain moderate fructans, however the amount I have included once divided is considered low.
To keep the FODMAP load of your meal down, make sure you serve this granola with low FODMAP accompaniments, such as fresh berries and a suitable nut milk.
Smoothies are to summer what porridge is to winter, and as the weather warms up in Australia, I like my brekkies to cool down…
You might have gathered by now that I’m obsessed with all things chai. Like any chai-enthusiast, nothing encompasses those gorgeous Indian masala aromatics quite like the ole chai latte does (yep, that heavenly hot milky drink made with sickly sweet powder or syrup. Pure refined sugary delight).
However, since learning a few years back that refined sugar, preservatives, additives, fillers and artificial flavours are terrible for my health and waistline, I’ve given my beloved weekly McCafe indulgence the flick.
Depending on the type of milk and chai flavouring used, the average cafes style small chai latte contains anywhere between 20-40 grams of sugar (5-10 teaspoons), with the majority weighing in at around the 32g mark! That’s a hell of a lot of sugar to waste on one small drink.
These days, I flavour anything and everything I can with my own chai spice mix. Instead of harming my health like my chai latte habit did, the real spice mix delivers a whole heap of goodness and just as much flavour. Chai spices, when used in their real and pure form, are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals and boast cancer-prevention properties. Such spices are also great for immune function, hormone balancing (thus PMS symptom relief), gut health, bloating reduction, metabolism firing and energy boosting.
My chai spice mix uses nothing but pure ground cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. More traditional recipes call for white pepper, which you could also try. I use this mix to transform simple porridge, pancakes, muffins, granola, banana ‘ice cream’ and smoothies into gorgeous chai flavoured treats. I love how adding so much flavour to a recipe with these spices also boosts its nutritional value – win/win!
Since chai just wouldn’t be chai-like without a particular sweetness to complement and balance those spices, you can add a little natural sweetener such as rice malt syrup or pure maple to recipes.
Chai Spice Mix
3 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
Place spices in a small glass jar or container. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine. This will keep for months if stored in a cool, dry place.
Super Icey and Chai Spicey Banana Smoothie
Ingredients:
1 medium frozen banana
1/2 cup milk of choice
2 tsp chai spice mix, recipe above
1 tbs natural almond butter
2 tsp chia seeds soaked chia seeds (see method below)
2 tsp pure maple syrup (optional)
4 ice cubes
Method:Add all ingredients to a blender and process on high for one minute or until smooth. Pour into a glass over ice and sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Slurp away.
Notes:
If you need a more substantial breakfast or post workout smoothie, adding 1 tbs chia seeds delivers a great source of natural protein, fibre, omega-3, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
I use a Thermomix, and while blending for so long in such a high-power blender might sound excessive, I find that frozen banana needs at least one minute to thicken the rest of the ingredients up and make it silky smooth.
Hey YOU!
If you made this recipe prior to 2018, you may notice it’s a little different now. I’ve been doing some pretty extensive research over the last few years (thanks to findings and publications by a bunch of mega brainy gut experts), and I’ve recently decided to join the glutard (AKA gluten free) crusade. As such, this recipe is now gluten free. It’s still FODMAP friendly, low in fructose and tastes the same as before, but now calls for gut-friendlier alternatives to the gluten. Your belly will thank you for it, and I hope your tastebuds still do, too! Ax
It’s probably not news to you that most muesli bars on supermarket shelves -and even some in the “health food” aisle- are not that great for you.
Many of them belong in the confectionary aisle right next to the beloved Cadbury Black Forest block. If you’re reading this, you’re probably also a label reader accustomed to doing a quick scan of sugar contents when deciding between pre-packaged muesli bars. But how much notice do you pay to where that sugar is coming from? The majority of muesli/snack bars out there are absolutely LOADED with added sugars, whether it’s refined in the form of white/brown sugar or horrible processed syrups, unrefined in the form of raw cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, coconut sugar, rice malt syrup etc., or sneakily disguised as being the most ‘natural’ –yet actually the most concentrated– forms of fructose of all: dried fruit and fruit juice concentrates.
As I write this, I’m analysing the labels of 2 different muesli bar boxes by a popular ‘real food’ brand sold at supermarkets. Their products are marketed as, and widely believed to be, a much healthier alternative to their processed counterparts. Yes, they use mainly whole food ingredients and don’t contain any nasty preservatives or additives which is great, but the sugar content is simply way too high to be promoted as healthy.
One of the aforementioned labels reads SIX DIFFERENT SOURCES OF SUGAR: cranberries, sugar, glucose, honey, rice syrup and apple. The other contains FIVE different sources: glucose, honey, sugar, cranberries and sultanas.
Ruuuuuude.
Sure, these bars make our taste buds happy because we’re hard-wired to gorge on anything sweet as it was once so rarely available (it’s no secret that the food industry capitalises on this biological fact), but the bottom line is that large amounts of sugar, regardless of where it’s coming from, wreaks havoc on your brain and organs, promotes systemic inflammation throughout your body, and provides a feeding frenzy to the pathogenic bacteria in your gut, making any intestine-related digestive issues you may have a whole lot worse in the long-run.
The main point of this argument isn’t to put you off eating any form of sugar for the rest of your life (how terribly sad would that be?!). I’m just saying that if you’re going to tuck into six different forms of sugar in one snack sized portion, it should be a mega decadent treat, like a double-fudge-peanut-butter-brownie-with-maple-frosting-and-butterscotch-macadamias for instance, not your mid-morning snack.
You might be thinking, “how the hell do I know what muesli bars to choose, then?!”
And rightfully so.
Finding pre-packaged snacks that are low FODMAP, gut-friendly and genuinely healthy can seem impossible, and sometimes it is. Thankfully, more and more options are becoming available in supermarkets all the time. Here’s what I look out for:
1. Excess fructose and overall sugar content
If you have fructose malabsorption or IBS, be mindful of ingredients that contain excess fructose such as dates, dried fruits, concentrated fruit juices and agave syrup, as these could leave you bowed over with mega food regret. With that said, don’t be fooled into choosing a product just because it contains predominately glucose, and is thus low fructose (i.e. glucose syrup, rice malt syrup etc.). Just because it’s low in fructose and won’t promote gastrointestinal symptoms immediately, does not mean it’s good for your gut in the long term! I’ll say it again and again, if you’ve got digestive issues, there’s a good chance your intestinal ecosystem is out of whack, and any bad bugs in your belly love to feed –and multiply like evil gremlins– on glucose, leading to the worsening of intestinal flora imbalances.
As a general rule of thumb, avoid snacks that have a sugar source as one of the first three listed ingredients, and opt for products that contain no more than 3-4g total sugars per 100g. That way you’re minimising exposure to excess fructose whilst keeping overall sugar consumption relatively low.
2. Fibre content and source
Fibre is one of our best friends for a multitude of reasons, but unfortunately sometimes manufacturers like to bulk health food products with plant-extracted fibres such as inulin and chicory root, which can be troublesome for people with FM/IBS due to their fermentable oligosaccharide (GOS) content. Avoid any products containing these particular fibres while your gut is hyper sensitive.
3. Gluten
Research is pointing more and more towards all gluten promoting inflammation in the intestines, and far beyond. I’ve recently decided to cut gluten out as much as possible, with the odd slip-up. And by “odd slip-up”, I mean every day whilst #vacaying in Italy, or when drunk.
4. Inflammatory fats
I’m totally pro-fat, and eat a lot of it, but not all fat is created equally. It’s important to opt for ingredients lists that contain truly healthful fatty acids (such as nuts, seeds, coconut, avocado and pressed olives), and not refined pro-inflammatory “vegetable fats”, such as canola oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil etc. Oh and it goes without saying that laboratory-made trans fats should be avoided at all costs – never touch anything that reads “hydrogenated-” as a prefix before any oil or fat. Bad bad bad.
5. Other troublesome additives
As if you didn’t have enough criteria already, make sure you’re also weary of troublesome high FODMAP sweeteners such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol etc. Protein bars are common culprits of this! Lastly, if it’s marketed as a health food then it shouldn’t contain artificial additives anyway, but just to be safe, watch out for nasty sulphites (numbers 220-228), which are commonly found in commercially dried fruits.
Granted, it’s a lot easier to narrow the process down when you’re at a health food store as they’re already a lot stricter on what products they stock, but then I’m always conflicted by paying up to $5 for a single snack when I can make a week’s worth of my own muesli slice for the same price…
This Fruit Free Quinoa Muesli Slice is super easy to whip up and the recipe is very forgiving. If you don’t have a particular ingredient just use something else that’s similar in density, being mindful of wet to dry ratios. This is designed to be a base recipe, so feel free to jazz things up! Try adding things like goji berries (dark choc-coated gojis would be delicious for a more decadent treat), or a little unsweetened and sulphite-free dried fruit, like cranberries or blueberries.
High in fibre, healthy fats, protein, antioxidants, and low in sugars (just 3g per snack-sized square), this muesli slice makes a perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack any time of day. I love to serve mine spread with natural salted peanut butter and a little homemade strawberry jam – delish.
Fruit Free Quinoa Muesli Bar Slice
Makes 24 snack squares, or 12 bars
FODMAP friendly serving size: one snack sized square
Ingredients
2 cups (160g) quinoa flakes
½ cup (30g) unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour
1½ cups (180g) mixed seeds (I use pepitas & sunflower kernels)
½ cup (60g) nuts of choice, such as walnuts and pecans (activated if possible), roughly chopped
1 tbs (10g) chia seeds
1-2 tsp (3-6g) ground cinnamon (depending on your taste preferences)
½ tsp (2g) ground cardamom (reduce this to ¼ tsp if you don’t want the cardamom to be pronounced)
¼ tsp (1g) ground dried ginger
¼ tsp (1g) Himalayan sea salt
3 large free range eggs (approx 65g each & organic if possible), lightly beaten
¼ cup (80g) pure maple syrup
¼ cup (60g) natural nut butter of choice (I use peanut)
2 tbs (26g) melted coconut oil
2 tbs (30mL) warm filtered water (can be boiled and then cooled slightly)
1 tsp (4.5g) pure vanilla extract
Method
Preheat oven to 180*C and line a slice tray or square cake tin with baking paper
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl with a wooden spoon
In another bowl, add the beaten eggs and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and combine well
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and use your fingers to press it in firmly. Sprinkle the top with some pepitas and linseeds, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm and golden brown.
Remove from oven allow to stand for 10 minutes, before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack
Cut the slice into 12 bars or 24 squares (I often do half and half), and store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight for up to one week.
