Friday night in

Looking for an easy, tasty Friday night dinner? Something to go with a glass of wine and back-to-back episodes of Gossip Girl, perhaps? Yeah, me too. 

My easy Friday-night-in dinners usually involve pasta, or some other form of carb-filled deliciousness (oven fries are another winner). 

But unfortunately on a low-FODMAP diet, easy pasta sauce options are pretty limited. Cream, garlic, onion and mushroom are all out. So.... yeah.

Today's experiment: low-FODMAP / gluten-free pesto. 

Simply put a good handful of fresh basil, some pine nuts, parmesan, and 3 teaspoons of garlic-infused oil in a food processor. Whizz it up, add pepper, and season generously with salt. 

The key here is to make it to your taste. Hmmm, does it need more cheese? Of course it does. 

In a matter of minutes, you'll have an easy pesto base from which to make whatever pasta dish you fancy. 

You'll be on the couch watching Gossip Girl in no time. 

Happy Friday!

Pesto with gluten-free pasta, cherry tomatoes and prosciutto ham.

Taking me back to my gluten days

The closest us gluten-free kids might ever get to KFC: Rick Grant's chicken seasoning mix.

Plus - you guessed it - it's low-FODMAP (finding products like this without onion and garlic in them is actually quite incredible).

                             

All you need to do is whip up the batter, coat, shallow fry, bake and serve. (For the full experience, deep frying is optional - though it really isn't necessary.) 

This little number will take you back to your good old gluten days - only without the heinous stomach problems, gut damage, and tiredness. 

In fact, I'd even recommend this little gem for people who aren't gluten free. Let's be honest, fried chicken is going to test the stomachs of even the most gluten-tolerant of us. And it's low fructose, dairy, egg, and soy free. (I'm going to take a punt here and guess that the secret ingredient is salt.)

Whip this up and you'll have yourself a tasty, nostalgic dinner - only with zero fuss and zero gluten.

Pair it with Lingham's chilli sauce (low-FODMAP and gluten free), and you'll have yourself a spicy, tasty treat.

Fried chicken with, rice, bok choy, carrots, and a splash of chilli sauce. 

You can get these sachets through New World, but you may have to ask someone to order it in for you (sadly, New World Thorndon hasn't responded to the email I sent them about it...). 

We've checked out all the supermarkets in Wellington trying to find it, but to no avail. So if anyone happens to come across this little treasure, I'd love to know. 

This sachet was sourced in Christchurch (thanks, Carol!), so stock up next time you are visiting! 

Marriage brownies

This week I started the 'challenge phase' of my low-FODMAP diet. Taking high-FODMAP foods out of my diet has improved my symptoms considerably. My stomach pains have subsided, my bowels are less irritable, and my tiredness has gone. 

So now it's time to figure out which of the sugars I am sensitive to and how sensitive I am. 

First up, was lactose. 

I started this week absolutely convinced that the lactose challenge would be easy. I thought that I would be able to eat milk, yoghurt - a tub of ice cream if I was allowed - with absolutely no ill effects. Completely and utterly convinced. 

Unfortunately, not so. 

My lactose challenge. Not so challenging to eat, at least. 

After a rather unpleasant couple of days, it has become apparent that lactose might be an issue, after all. We'll see what my dietitian says - cutting back on dairy products is a big deal, nutritionally speaking, so shouldn't be contemplated without professional advice - but it is possible that I might have to keep my lactose intake fairly contained going forward. 

Thankfully, cheese and butter have very low levels of lactose, so I can still get my dairy fix. Plus, these lactose-free treats are pretty amazing. 

But, I'm fairly gutted about the implications for my dessert consumption. 

So, in light of that, I thought it was time to share the joy of marriage brownies - so named, because they are supposedly "marriage-proposal inducing" (someone else's words, not mine). 

These puppies are gluten free and can be made dairy free. They are also low-FODMAP, provided you keep the serving size contained. Large quantities of cocoa / chocolate are high in FODMAPs. And while butter and white sugar aren't high in FODMAPs, large servings of these aren't recommended, either. 

Marriage Brownies

Ingredients

200g butter (or dairy-free spread) 

1½ cups of sugar

1 cup of cocoa

3 eggs 

¾ cup of gluten-free flour blend (we like Healtheries and Edmonds)

150g dark chocolate chips 

Method

Preheat oven to 150'c. Grease and line a 20x20cm cake tin. Cream butter and sugar. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour. Then stir in chocolate. Bake for an hour.

If the brownie looks a bit undercooked when it first comes out of the oven, don't worry - it isn't.

You can used a different shaped cake tin, but try not to use one that's too big. The brownie needs to be sufficiently thick to have the optimal level of squishyness. 

If you want to cut the brownie up into tidy pieces, leave it to cool overnight. This will allow the brownie to set. Alternatively, it is excellent warm and squidgy with vanilla ice cream (So Good soy ice cream is good). 

And, if you can tolerate it, a good dollop of cream on top is pretty scrummy too!

It will be a pretty thick mixture.

Don't worry about pressing it flat. It will melt into shape.

The optimal level of squishy.

My low-lactose treat with So Good soy ice cream.

Treat yourself

The past couple of weeks have been a reminder to me that positivity is crucial.

When on any restricted diet, it is important to focus on what you can eat, rather than what you can't - and enjoy it. 

Here are my top five easy, tasty, gluten-free, low FODMAP treats.

Because life shouldn't be an endless procession of carrot sticks and brown rice crackers. 

Best ever low FODMAP treats

1. Whittaker's dark chocolate peanut slabs.
2. Smoothies made with banana, So Good soy milk, and So Good Vanilla ice cream (both made with soy protein, not the whole bean). My post-run favourite. 
3. Retro Organics lactose-free raspberry yoghurt.
4. So Good soy ice cream and Barker's lemon curd.
5. Free From Gluten dark chocolate biscuits. So much NOM.

My wee collection of treats.

Easy does it

Day six of the low-FODMAP diet and I'm surviving. No cold sweats from ice cream withdrawal or uncontrollable cravings for stone fruit. So doing well, really. 

Keeping to the diet hasn't been as difficult as I had feared. We have been making more things from scratch, which has been an adventure. But some nights - like tonight - you just want a simple dinner. 

One particularly tricky thing about the low-FODMAP diet is that you aren't allowed onions or garlic. That makes a lot of easy meals not quite so easy. Basically all pre-made sauces are out. And some easy meat choices, like frozen fish fillets and sausages, are out too.  

Except for these nifty Blackball beef sausages. 

They are both gluten free and low in FODMAPs - deliciously juicy and flavoursome without sneaky garlic, onion powder or wheaty filler. The secret ingredient is, well, meat. 

It won't be the prettiest dinner I ever post on here, but sometimes easy is best. 

Especially when easy also means tasty. 

Our bangers and mash.

A new journey and an old favourite

A new journey 

Yesterday I started a new and - at least, from my perspective - exciting journey. In pursuit of digestive health. 

I have always had a bit of a delicate stomach. In fact, that is a bit of an understatement. Before I went gluten free, I used to experience intense abdominal pains every single day. 

When I went gluten free, there was instant relief. The only times I ever had stomach aches, it could be traced back to a glutenous source. 

I was better. 

Until about a month ago, that is.

Initially the pains were mild. Manageable. But the frequency and severity quickly increased. And at the same time, my energy levels were ebbing away. 

A week ago the pains had become excruciating. I went to my GP, who did a range of tests. 

My results came back normal, although my iron levels are a bit low. I discussed the situation with my GP and our family dietitian-in-training (thanks, Michelle!). Both agreed that further investigation of dietary triggers would be a good course of action. 

So, on Friday I went to see my dietitian, Sarah Elliot. Sarah is absolutely lovely. She is an expert in her field, but also extremely empathetic and genuine. She focuses on balance and the enjoyment of food. I know that I am in good hands. 

Sarah has recommended that I try a low-FODMAP diet. 

A what?!

What is a low-FODMAP diet, exactly? (Apart from something that desperately needs a sexier name.)

FODMAPs are a group of lesser-known sugars (including fructose, lactose and a number of others) that are commonly malabsorbed in the small intestine, leading to abdominal pain and other irritable bowel symptoms. 

Apparently symptoms can emerge suddenly - like they did for me - if a trigger, such as stress, reveals an underlying sensitivity. 

There is strong evidence that a diet low in FODMAPS can help to alleviate symptoms like mine, but it should always be supervised by a dietitian. 

For the next three weeks, I will be cutting out FODMAPs to see if my symptoms improve. If they do, then we will start re-introducing foods to test my sensitivity to the different sugars. Then I can adapt my diet to manage my symptoms going forward. 

It's only been a day, so I won't know if the diet is working for a wee while yet, but I am hopeful that the journey I have started will help to alleviate my digestive distress. 

Day one: An old favourite

The elimination phase of the low-FODMAP diet is pretty restrictive. This app has lots of great info about the details. Let's be honest, I'm going to be eating a lot of brown rice porridge over the next three weeks! 

But, thankfully, we still have at least one cool Wellington cafe we can go to. 

Ti Kouka is one of our all time favourites. It prides itself on being able to cater to a range of dietary requirements (Sarah's husband is head chef and co-owner). We have always found it excellent for gluten free. 

So we were delighted to discover that Ti Kouka also has a low-FODMAP menu (!!). Anyone who has tried the low-FODMAP diet for more than five minutes will know how unbelievable this is!

Ti Kouka's low FODMAP brunch menu.

The food at Ti Kouka is always stunning - high-quality and nourishing, yet gourmet and delectable. 

But yesterday it was super moreish and FODMAP friendly. 

I had the special (not on the menu) -  a potato rosti, poached eggs, spinach, bacon, and hollandaise 

My tummy-friendly treat.

A delicious experience on my journey in pursuit of digestive health. 

I think the staff at Ti Kouka might be seeing quite a bit of us over the next wee while!

Italian lessons

There's a lot of Italian cuisine in Wellington. But, believe it or not, finding an Italian restaurant with a range of tasty gluten-free options has been a bit tricky for us. 

Over time we have learnt that one restaurant has everything we are looking for.

Scopa Caffe Cucina - where authentic, exceptional Italian cuisine meets trendy Wellington style.

Senza glutine - adj. gluten-free

Of all the cuisines I have tried while gluten free, Italian has been the most problematic. 

Even though restaurants are now offering more "gluten-free" options, I have had some very severe gluten symptoms on a number of occasions. There are a couple of restaurants in Wellington that I avoid for this reason. (I won't name them here because I can't prove that they did anything wrong but if you are worried, send me an email.)

Things to look out for when eating Italian: 

• It's not enough for the pizza base to be gluten free. It has to be prepared away from where the gluten dough is being rolled. 
• Similarly, pasta MUST be boiled in different water (it seems simple, but I believe this is where I have run into trouble in the past so it's an important one to watch for). 
• Pizza toppings can be a problem, especially sauces (along with meats and other items). Always check.  
• Risotto might seem like an easy option (it's just rice, right?), but watch out for stocks thickened with wheat flour. 

There are only a few Italian restaurants that we trust and Scopa is one of them. 

Opzioni - n. pl. options, choices

But what sets Scopa apart is the range of gluten-free options.

A lot of places do gluten-free pizza or pasta - but not both. Scopa do both exceptionally, along with lots of delicious extras.

(The only thing missing is fresh gluten-free pasta. If anyone knows of an Italian restaurant that serves fresh gluten-free fettuccine, please tell me. It would make my life!)

Gustoso - adj. tasty

Scopa offers exceptional traditional dishes with exciting flavours and a modern edge. 

There's a range of light, delicious pizzas in classic and indulgent flavours. Drizzle some chilli oil over your pizza for an extra vibrant taste sensation (it's not too spicy - promise).  

Pappardelle, pizza of the day, and roasted potatoes with herb salt and aioli.

There's scrumptious pasta, of course. We like the pappardelle - gluten-free pasta with mushrooms, chevre (goat's cheese), and spinach and walnut pesto.

And tasty sides, including crispy, perfectly-seasoned roasted potatoes with tasty herb salt and creamy aioli. 

Check out how crispy those spuds are!

And don't forget dessert!

We can't go past the Scopa classic: real Italian hot chocolate. It's basically melted chocolate on a spoon - only much more dignified. This rich, creamy delight is what dreams are made of. 

The waiter accidentally gave us the large size. It defeated us.

Delizioso! 

Try Scopa - because tasty gluten-free options should never be hard to find.

Note: Since writing this review, I have also discovered that Scopa is also great for people on a low-FODMAP diet - their pizza sauce doesn't contain onion or garlic! Try a gluten-free margherita pizza, roast potatoes (no aioli), and a glass of Pencarrow chardonnay for a great low-FODMAP dinner option. Delicious!