The Kitchen: Salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas [low FODMAP, GF, vegan]

I’ve always been a lover of savoury food - cheesy, salty, vinegary, chilli, you name it! Unless I’ve baked it myself (or a friend or colleague has done so) I rarely indulge in sweet things, just pass me the cheese and biscuits and be done with it. Since cheese doesn’t especially agree with me (we’ll save the cheese feasts for when I’m seriously prepared for over-indulgence) and I was getting a little bored of popcorn (N.b. this is a sin in itself, popcorn should never be boring – I just wanted something a little different), I was itching to reach for something else. I wanted something a little more nutritious than a packet of crisps (although those who know me will know I’ll always be reaching for salt and vinegar) and with that can of chickpeas sitting on the naughty shelf of the cupboard I thought I’d have a hunt around for a recipe.

In the world of FODMAPs, legumes are – in general – given a bad name due to GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) which broke my heart when I was venturing out into the big ol’ world of FODMAPS (or should I say, lack of). What was a girl to do when she lived on the things?!

Then a wonderful, wonderful thing happened – I’d done my research.

FODMAPs are water soluble.

So? This means that canned legumes (namely lentils and chickpeas, I’m not sure about other ones) are usually safe to eat in certain amounts as long as the liquid they’re in is discarded and the legumes are washed thoroughly (yes, this means that the chickpea water ‘aquafaba’ is a no-no). YES! My prayers had quite literally been answered and that poor can of chickpeas that had previously been banished to the naughty shelf could come down.

I stumbled on quite a few recipes for roasted chickpeas, some more exotic than others, but what I really craved was a real punchy hit of salt and vinegar with the crunch and satisfaction that you’d get from your favourite crisps (but with a little more goodness). So, without further ado, here’s a very simple recipe for some roasted chickpeas – ever-so-slightly adapted from Oh She Glows.

Salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed thoroughly)
• Approx. 2 cups of white vinegar (NOT malt if you’re following a low FODMAP diet)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (table is perfectly fine here)
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil (no need to dig your posh EVOO out from the cupboard, but not the light stuff). 

Directions:
1. Line a baking tray (we use those reusable non-stick baking sheets – no waste!)
2. Add chickpeas and vinegar into a pot and bring to the boil before taking off the light and leaving for 20-30 minutes – uncovered (keep in a well-ventilated area for this and open up a window, boiled vinegar is strong stuff!)
4. Preheat oven to 200C.
5. Drain your chickpeas and discard the vinegar. Place into baking tray and massage the oil and salt so that each chickpea is covered.
6. Roast for a good 30-45 minutes (oven dependent). They’ll be OK up to the 15 minute mark but from then on I checked on them every 5/10 minutes and gave them a shake. Make sure they don’t burn, basically, as they tend to go a bit bitter.
7. Leave to cool slightly and tuck in! Enjoy with a glass of vino and your favourite movie.

Getting enough fibre on a low FODMAP diet can be a bit of a challenge (unfortunately a lot of high fibre foods are also high on the FODMAP scale too) but a safe-serve of chickpeas will give you approximately 2.5g of fibre!

wheat free

0

The Kitchen: Low FODMAP kale pesto

To those who know me, I adore pesto. I could quite literally eat the stuff out of a jar with a spoon - tasty but not especially healthy nor good for me (hello FODMAPs). I've experimented making a low FODMAP pesto before (see my vegan and (nearly) FODMAP pesto here) which was exceptionally yummy and full of goodness but with a bag of kale in the fridge soon to perish and a rumbling tummy (that couldn't bare the thought of slaving over the hob for hours on end) I needed something quick, something fab, and something filling.

Bring on the kale pesto.

I did have an idea to throw some avocado into the mix since it would act as an excellent base (think of all those good, healthy fats!) but since avocados contain polyols (a FODMAP) then we're told to restrict our consumption - at least in the elimination stage anyway (off the top of my head you're 'allowed' 1/8th of an avocado per serving to keep it low FODMAP). With this in mind, and the fact that I'm avo-solutely addicted to avocado, I decided to omit avo and keep it kaley and totally within my limits.

You will need...

• 1/4 cup pine nuts (30g)
• 2 loose cups of kale (about 30g)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil (2 tbsp of which has been infused with garlic)
• 1/4 cup of Parmesan (try nutritional yeast if you're vegan)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Handful of chive and parsley
• Plenty of salt and pepper (to taste)

Blitz everything bar the lemon and salt/pepper until it, well, looks like pesto. Add your lemon juice, blitz, and taste. Add your salt and pepper depending on how much you like...

Just look at that colour! All natural, no filter, no editing, just green goodness.



I served mine with some gluten free spaghetti but I'd love to try it with my edamame spaghetti once I know that edamame is a safe food for me. Whilst the spaghetti is cooking throw in a handful of kale and some peas, drain once cooked, mix in your pesto (I made 3 servings from the above recipe), and serve. It's as simple as that.

From fridge to plate in about 20 minutes.

Enjoy...! ♡

wheat free

0

The Kitchen: Baked carrot cake oats (gluten free, vegan, refined sugar free)

Saying I love breakfast is an understatement... I absolutely adore it. It sets you up for the day ahead, all of those nutrients and vitamins breaking your fast from the night before. With our hectic lifestyles, breakfast is often overlooked. As a student I regularly skipped it. My brain just didn't function as I hoped it would, I'd feel tired and dependent on a regular supply of coffee, and then when I did eventually eat my blood sugar would spike so much and I'd end up on a temporary high and experience a pretty long crash. Great hey?

So. Breakfast IS important. Really important. After a night of rest, our blood sugar levels that our body need to function (brains and muscles!) are usually low so you need a nutritious and filling brekkie to really get you going. Even if you just grab a banana and a handful of nuts as you're running out of the house you'll be doing yourself some favours.

Put down the refined sugar ridden Poptarts and seemingly healthy cereals (the amount of sugar in those things is astronomical!) and have a go at making something that you can whip up on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy all week... such as my baked carrot cake oats. A fabulous concoction of oats, plant based milk, carrots and spices that taste wonderful all week long.



Ingredients

• 2 cups of oats
• 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk (I use Alpro)
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup grated carrot (approx. 1 medium carrot)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Method
Add your oats, almond milk (or any other dairy free milk!), and chia seeds to a bowl. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (I left mine for an hour).

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Grab your bowl out of the fridge - most of the liquid should've been absorbed - and add your carrots and other dry ingredients.

Mix well and add your maple syrup (add as little or as much as you'd like. I'm not a fan of super sweet things so I found 2 tbsp to be perfectly ok).

Grab your Pyrex dish and grease well with a little melted coconut oil. I used one that's about 8x8 inch.

Flatten your mixture down and sprinkle generously with nuts and seeds of your choice. I used a combination of chopped almonds and pumpkin seeds.

Bake in the centre of your oven for 30-35 minutes. Bake longer if you'd rather have a less-soggy middle but otherwise it's all up to personal preference.

Now you need to portion them. I wasn't having mine straight away so I left to cool completely and then split into 6 portions. If you're planning on eating straight away I'd suggest leaving to cool for 10 minutes and spooning out your desired amount.



Enjoy! ♡

wheat free

0

LittleFishFood // Smoothie bowl lovin'.....

If there's one thing I've learnt recently it's that everything (and I seriously mean everything) tastes better in a bowl. I don't know why, I mean I can hardly pluck some scientific fact to evidence this but you'll just have to trust me. I think there's something so comforting about huddling around a bowl and nomming away as you tuck into your favourite comfort grub.

Maybe it's that hit of nostalgia hey? Those childhood memories of digging around in the garden collecting bugs and getting covered in soil before running in to a bowl of your grandmother's homemade soup, crusty bread, and what seems like half a block of butter. Ok. Maybe I'm on my own there for the first bit (I didn't exactly conform to society's 'little girl' image and my love of nature started young) but I'm sure we can all resonate with the sheer home comfort associated with freshly made soup.

Now, soup's chilly cousin - the smoothie - has been flooding instagram by storm. No longer in a glass or drank with a straw, the slightly thicker aptly named 'smoothie bowl' is a treat and jam packed full of nutrients and yumminess that makes this breakfast bowl a true treat.



Now doesn't it look pretty?

This one was rustled up in a matter of minutes, it can of course be made with whatever you'd like but here's mine...

......PB and banana smoothie bowl.......

[Gluten/wheat free // Dairy free // Vegan // Fodmap friendly]

Blitz together the following ingredients:

• 1/2 frozen banana
• 2 tsp peanut butter (I use Meridian as it's just pure peanut - no sugar, salt, or added palm oil)
• 10 tbsp unsweetened almond milk (Alpro here!)
• A small handful of oats.

Add more liquid/oats to get your desired consistency.

Add to a bowl and add your toppings. I used chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and a few almonds.

Enjoy - - - ♡

wheat free

0

My kind of breakfast.... chia pudding!

It's hard to believe that growing up through school, college, and university I used to skip the most important meal of the day - breakfast. There was no reason for it really... I just wasn't hungry and I'm not the best person in the morning so it made sense to stay in bed as long as possible. Rookie error. No wonder my blood sugars were all over the place and I used to get the shakes....

It was only when I started hitting the gym a few years back (that has since stopped which of course is not at all evident *nervous laugh*) and I knew I needed to fill my body with some kind of nourishment otherwise I'd pass out (and believe me - that nearly happened on several occasions when I attempted fasted cardio.... another rookie error).

Back then it was always wholemeal toast  slathered in my favourite peanut butter (100% peanut - no added sugar or oil for me thank you) or a nourishing and filling breakfast shake made with almond milk, protein powder, banana, and of course some spinach....

Whilst I may still reach for the shake (minus the protein until I start attacking the gym like a gale force 10) my now go-to breakfast meal usually involves some kind of overnight oats, egg muffins, Greek yoghurt with fruit and chia seeds.... you get the picture. Yesterday I decided it was time to rustle up a chia seed pudding, jazz things up a bit. It's paleo, fodmap friendly, vegan, and totally delicious......



You'll need....

• 200ml of your favourite milk (I use Alpro almond milk but coconut works exceptionally well here)
• 3 tbsp chia seeds (an absolute steal in Home Bargains by the way!)
• 1/2 tbsp of pure maple syrup (not pictured! It was a last minute addition).



Mix it all together in a jar and leave for a few hours, preferably overnight. Top with whatever you would like! I chose pomegranate and some sunflower and pumpkin seeds... Delicious. Those little pomegranate seeds really made it something special; the different texture and burst of tart but sweet flavour really cut through the natural creaminess of the chia pudding.

The best part? It's perfectly suited for paleo and low-FODMAP diets. It's naturally vegan too... I shouldn't have honey whilst following this diet and I just don't really like 'real' milk (plus lactose is a no no anyway). It packs in your protein, your good fats, and your fibre, so it ticks a lot of boxes.....♡ Perfect.

With love, xo

wheat free

0

Little Fish Food || Nearly-FODMAP vegan-friendly pesto.

During my university years (and oh how long ago that feels now...) one of my firm staples that fitted the student budget was pesto and pasta. I absolutely adore pesto, the garlic-basil-pinenut-cheese combo was heavenly, and although I knew back then that pasta didn’t do me much good the alternatives were too expensive and the now-popular vegetable based ‘pastas’ weren’t really around for the regular folk like me...

Since tweaking my diet somewhat to cut out the nasties and reduce those FODMAPS, I can no longer divulge in a massive plate of the stuff. I thought I was waving goodbye to those happy memories and quick fixes (although gratefully accepting a happier tummy!) until I stumbled across low-FODMAP pesto from Sarah’s blog - A Saucy Kitchen - and her instagram (check her out @asaucykitchen).

Now, I had to make a fair few adjustments since my pine-nut supply had diminished somewhat and I needed something to make the flavour pop a little but I think it really worked and I’d love to share it. Just a quick note that technically cashew nuts are high on the FODMAP scale hence the 'nearly-FODMAP' status (heartbreaking I know, I do love them) but this recipe only uses 1/3 of a cup so there’s only a small amount per serving. You know your body better than I do (and you’ll know whether you can tolerate cashews)! 

I also didn't use any parmesan so this recipe is vegan friendly though you could easily add this as per the original recipe, just make sure you add this in before any addition of salt because the cheese will add a natural saltiness anyway.

This recipe makes about 4 servings depending on how much pesto you like. I mixed this with coodles (courgette noodles, how cute!) but this would work perfectly well with your favourite pasta or spaghetti (whether you're gluten-free or not!)

The ingredients:

• 1 cup (approx. 50g) chopped chives
• 2 cups of loosely packed basil
• 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of cashews (or pine nuts if you have them)
• A good squeeze of lemon (to taste, I used about 1/2 lemon)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Natural vibrancy!

The how to...

• Throw the basil and chives into your blender (I just used a stick blender with a mini-chopper attachment but any should work fine here). Don't add the EVOO, lemon juice, and salt and pepper just yet.
• Whiz it together and slowly add the EVOO, mixing after each trickle to help emulsify it.
• Once all of the oil is added and your mixture resembles pesto (like the photo above!) add your lemon juice and salt/pepper to taste!

Delicious, simple, and perfect for a weeknight.

Little fish, xo

vegan friendly

2