Meatballs with spaghetti and pesto (Paleo, AIP, low FODMAP, low histamine)
I don't actually miss a great deal of foods containing gluten. For one it's been so long now that I just don't crave it anymore, and secondly I don't wish to eat anything that leaves me feeling heavily sedated and partially inflated. But every now and then I find myself longing for a warming bowl of pasta, oozing with sauce and some rich meaty morsels. I'm not going to lie, a substitute pasta is never going to taste like the real thing, but with the right combination of flavours you can recreate something just as satisfying and more nutritious. Win win.
This AIP, low FODMAP pasta with meatballs is a quick and easy one to throw together after work. The sauce is my AIP courgette and basil pesto which you can make in advance at the weekend and store in the fridge for up to three days. Serves 4 Ingredients: AIP courgette and basil pesto sauce For the meatballs: 500 grams grass fed beef mince. I buy all my meat from athleat. If you want to give these guys a go please see link below for a new customer discount. One generous handful of fresh chopped oregano leaves One tablespoon of mixed dried italian herbs A generous pinch of sea salt A drizzle of garlic oil A teaspoon of coconut oil or grass fed duck fat For the spaghetti: I have used courgettes for this particular dish but there are many alternatives. My favourites are parsnip and carrot tagliatelle. You do not need a spiralizer to make these. For thick tagliatelle strips simply use a veg peeler to peel your vegetable into wide ribbons. Courgette option: 1 KG of courgette (250g per portion) peeled into thick ribbons or spiralized. Half a tablespoon of coconut oil or grass fed duck fat
Method:
In a large bowl add your beef mince, fresh oregano, dried herbs, salt and drizzle with a little garlic oil. Mix these thoroughly with your hands to combine the herbs evenly throughout the meat. Heat your teaspoon of fat in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot add the meatballs and fry for 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. While the meatballs are cooking warm your half tablespoon of fat in a saucepan on a low/medium heat. Add your courgette pasta and cover the pan with a lid. Vegetable pastas have a tendency to stick so add extra fat where needed and don't have the heat too high. The courgettes will take about 15 minutes to cook and will create a lot of liquid. Once cooked drain in a colander to get rid of excess liquid. Once the meatballs are nicely browned add them to your courgette spaghetti and pour the pesto sauce over the top. Combine over a low heat to ensure the pesto is warmed through and is evenly coating the pasta and meatballs. Bellissima.
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Spiced roast carrots (Paleo, AIP, low FODMAP) The first time I made these I surprised myself with how tasty they were. Roasting the carrots allows them to caramelise and emphasises their natural sweetness. Combine this sweetness with the sharp tang of lemon and spice of ginger and you have the perfect accompaniment to my lamb koftas. Alternatively spice things up a bit by serving with your Sunday roast! No one likes boiled carrots anyway.
Serves 2 Ingredients: 500 grams washed carrots, skin on and cut into batons. Rich in Vitamin A and beta carotene One generous handful of chopped fresh parsley. Rich in vitamin A, K, C and iron. One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil One tablespoon of coconut oil The juice of half a lemon One tablespoon of ground ginger. Ginger soothes and calms digestive complaints, is rich in magnesium, potassium and copper and is a potent anti-inflammatory. Pinch of sea salt Method: Heat your oven to 200 degrees - 180 for fan assisted. Spread the carrot batons across a baking tray, sprinkle with salt and add both the coconut and olive oil. Roast these for an hour, turning periodically to ensure they are evenly coated in the oil. You want the carrots to be soft and starting to caramelise around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving bowl. Add your chopped parsley to the bowl and sprinkle over the ground ginger. Squeeze the lemon juice over the carrots, parsley and ginger and toss to combine. Pesto (AIP, low FODMAP, low histamine)This adaptation of pesto is so simple but packed with flavour and the perfect addition to my AIP meatballs, as a salad dressing or drizzled over some grilled fish or chicken.
Serves 4 Ingredients: Two medium courgettes, sliced into discs. 2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil plus one tablespoon for cooking the courgette. 1/3 cup garlic oil 60 grams of chopped fresh basil A good pinch of sea salt Equipment: A food processor Frying pan Method: Gently fry the courgette discs in a tablespoon of olive oil over a low heat until softened and starting to brown slightly. Do not over cook them. You want them to have a bit of bite still in the absence of pine nuts. Add the courgettes to your food processor with the basil, olive oil, garlic oil and salt. Blitz these in your blender until the courgettes are fully incorporated and you have a thick liquid paste. This is ready to serve straight away or can be kept chilled for a few days. Stir well when removing from the fridge as the oil will separate. Lamb Kofta's (Paleo, AIP, low FODMAP) I love lamb. A year ago I wouldn't have touched the stuff. A childhood spent chewing on bland, fatty and overcooked lamb chops had sufficiently put me off and I had no intention of going near the stuff ever again. But when the time came for me to accept my AIP fate, my ever shrinking list of safe foods forced me to try it once more, and I have never looked back.
I cannot stress enough the difference it makes to buy good quality, grass fed meat. Not only is it packed with omega 3 and nutritionally superior to the supermarket equivalent, but it also packs a hell of a lot more flavour. This simple AIP, low FODMAP recipe for lamb kofta's is quick, easy, nutrient dense and rich with deep flavours. For a delicious main serve them with my cucumber and mint salsa and spiced roast carrots. Makes 10 kofta's Ingredients: 500g Minced lamb - preferably grass fed. Lamb is a rich source of iron, zinc, and b-vitamins. One generous handful of chopped fresh mint leaves. Mint has great digestive supporting qualities, relieves muscle pains and alleviates allergy symptoms. One generous handful of chopped fresh parsley. One generous handful of chopped fresh coriander. Coriander has strong anti-oxidant properties, and helps to stimulates digestion. One heaped tablespoon of ground ginger One teaspoon of cinnamon One tablespoon of garlic oil Half a tablespoon of coconut oil A good pinch of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt Method: In a large bowl add your minced lamb, chopped mint, coriander, parsley, ginger, cinnamon, garlic oil and salt. Combine these thoroughly with your hands until the herbs and spices are evenly spread throughout the meat. Once combined divide the mixture into ten balls and then flatten them with your hands to form long patties about 1 cm thick. Heat the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. You do not want much oil as the lamb is naturally very fatty, but just enough to prevent it from sticking. When the pan is hot add the patties and let them sizzle until brown on one side - about 4 minutes. Once browned flip the patty to cook the other side until golden brown - again about 3 to 4 minutes. These are ready to serve straight away but will keep in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. Cucumber and mint salsa (Paleo, AIP, low FODMAP) This simple, nutritious summer salsa is the perfect addition to my lamb koftas. It's so easy to put together and makes a refreshing summer side dish.
Serves 2 Ingredients: One whole cucumber diced into small cubes One handful of chopped fresh mint leaves. Mint has great digestive supporting qualities, relieves muscle pains and alleviates allergy symptoms. One handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves. Coriander has strong anti-oxidant properties, and helps to stimulates digestion. A good pinch of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt The juice of half a lemon. Packed with vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, folate and vitamin B6. Two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil One tablespoon of garlic oil One teaspoon of maple syrup (optional) This is a low FODMAP amount and I add it to bring out the sweetness in the mint and coriander. Method: Combine the diced cucumber, mint and coriander in a bowl. Add the salt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic oil and maple syrup. combine thoroughly and sit in the fridge for an hour before serving to allow the flavours to infuse. |
Emma CarterThis blog tells an ongoing story about me and my journey back to health and happiness. A boho soul always looking for my next European adventure. I am a Coeliac, Yogi, paleo advocate, dreamer, Bon jovi connoisseur, sun worshipper, snuggly jumper wearer and wife to my lovely Paulie. Archives
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