Category: Main Dishes

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Crispy Baked Tofu

Main Tip: Use firm tofu always. I’ve never had a problem eating firm tofu, but ‘Silken’ (soft) tofu can be difficult to digest especially if you are more sensitive to the GOS and Fructan FODMAPS (found in wheat, rye, onions, garlic, legumes and lentils).

Crispy baked tofu goes well with leafy greens and wheat-free noodles, rice or quinoa.

Ingredients:

  • Firm tofu 
  • Seasonings (suggestions): Tamari sauce, cumin, turmeric, dried chives, dried parsley, salt/pepper
  • Coconut oil or Garlic infused olive oil if you enjoy the taste of garlic

Directions:

  1. Cut tofu into desired sizes, preferably equal size squares
  2. Press tofu between napkins or a clean towel to remove excess liquid. The more drier the more crispier once baked.
  3. Brush tofu with Tamari sauce

 

 4. Place into bowl with desired seasonings

5. If using oil, drizzle a bit onto the baking pan prior to adding the seasoned tofu. You should just slightly oil the pan. Oil is not necessary for baking, but will produce a crispier texture.

6. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes. It’s best to flip half way through cooking. If desired crispiness/firmness has not been achieved after 20 minutes, you can bake longer.

 

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Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

  • 4 – 6 cups water or broth (made without onions or garlic)
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped to your liking
  • 1 small potato
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 pound of chicken, preferably bone-in
  • 1 – 2 tsp of your favorite dried herbs
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or any vinegar on hand)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Garnish: garlic infused olive oil and fresh chopped herbs

The longer this dish is allowed to cook the better the flavor. You have many cooking options: Stove-top, dutch oven, slow-cooker, Instant Pot

Directions for stove-top:

  1. . Add all the ingredients to a pot except for garnish and carrots. (I like to cook carrots at the end so they aren’t too mushy.)
  2. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for at least an hour.
  3. Remove bay leaf, add more salt/pepper if needed and add carrots.
  4. Continue to simmer on low another 8 minutes or until carrots are tender.
  5. Add garnish when serving.

Directions for oven casserole, slow-cooker and Instant Pot.

  1. Add all ingredients to the cooking vessel of choice.
  • Dutch oven: Bake in a covered dish at 350 degrees F for 1 – 2 hours. Check after 1 hour for desired doneness.
  • Slow-Cooker: Folllow manufacturer’s instructions. (About 6 hours on LOW, 3 hours on HIGH.)
  • Instant Pot: Add only 4 cups of water and use stew/broth button or 15 minutes manual setting.

2. Add garnish when serving.

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Pasta, Meatballs and Leafy Greens

The dish in the actual photo uses brown rice and flax seed noodles, but just about any gluten free noodle should work. Yet, I’m not sure if bean-based noodles, such as chickpea noodles, would be ideal. Noodles with a mixture of quinoa, corn, and rice are make good possibilities.

Ingredients:

  • gluten free pasta, 12 – 16 oz 
  • dark leafy green vegetable such as spinach, kale or chard, about 2 cups packed
  • shredded carrots and/or red bell pepper, 1/2 cup total
  • ground turkey (or other ground meat), 1 lb
  • 1 tsp sea salt (or according to taste)
  • black pepper
  • 2 tsp dried chives or green part of green onion, finely diced (optional) 
  • olive oil (garlic infused olive oil is a good option) for drizzling
  • feta cheese (optional)
  • Oil (coconut or avocado oil) or butter for cooking meatballs

Directions:

  1. Prepare gluten free pasta following its written directions. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
  2.  Mix ground meat, sea salt, pepper and chives/green onion tops (if using) and form into meatballs.
  3. Add cooking oil/butter of choice to pan, heat to medium heat and cook meatballs on the stove top turning occasionally to brown all sides. 
  4. Turn heat to low, add carrots and/or red bell pepper and cover for an additional 2 minutes or so to cook thoroughly. You can add a few tablespoons of water to prevent burning. (Alternatively, you can cook meatballs in the oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes.)
  5. Once the meatballs are ready, add leafy greens to the pan and allow to wilt.
  6. Finally, add the pasta to the pan to re-warm.
  7. When serving you might enjoy a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of Feta cheese.

 

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Potato, Cheese and Power Greens Casserole

I decided to begin with red potatoes as my first test potato while following a Low FODMAP Diet for a specific reason. I had been avoiding potatoes all this time and for the wrong reason. The potatoes I was eating were covered in onion and garlic which are High FODMAP foods, so I thought I was reacting to the potatoes when it was actually the seasonings that I always put on my potatoes. Yet, when I learned that potatoes are a low FODMAP food my mind still focused on other things I had studied about potatoes. One thing in particular was that red skin potatoes have less sugar than other varieties and do not feed yeast (Body Ecology Diet, page 52).  I wanted to take every precaution that I could possibly think of so that I could re-introduce this food in the best way possible.

This recipe isn’t the first time I tried the red potato, but it was the most delicious one I had tried thus far because this time I added cheese to it. Potatoes and cheese…it had been years since I had eaten anything similar! The cheese I chose was a hard parmesean cheese (low FODMAP for sure).

The smell of this dish was so wonderful and I enjoyed its aroma probably more so because it was something that I could actually eat this time.

Ingredients:

  • Red potatoes, sliced thin (1 medium size per serving)
  • Power Greens (Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Chard)
  • Parmesan Cheese (or use a Vegan cheese of your choice)
  • Oil to grease pan and drizzle on top (I used a blend of coconut and ghee)
  • Liquids: Low FODMAP broth (without onions or garlic) or simply use water
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Herbs of choice (Dried dill was used in recipe in photo.)

    Directions:
  1. Oil bottom of a casserole dish – just enough so food won’t stick.
  2. Lay the potato slices flat, being careful not to overlap so that it becomes unlevel
  3. Add power greens and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
  4. Add more potato slices while keeping a nice even level again
  5. Repeat steps 2 – 4 as desired
  6. Sprinkle last layer of potatoes with salt, pepper, herbs and bits of Parmesan cheese
  7. Add a little of chosen liquid to the bottom of dish (about 1/8 inch)
  8. Cover with glass lid or parchment paper and bake for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees F

Note: I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.