I've eaten a lot of these. Some might say too many. I'm not one to snack but as soon as I made my first batch I just couldn't help myself. I'm not even sorry.

Such a simple recipe yet absolutely packed with nutrition, tiger nuts are a fantastic source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron and amino acids. These pan fried tiger nuts make the perfect lunch box snack, and act as a replacement for gluten free croutons over soups and salads.

Ingredients:

1 cup of soaked naked tiger nuts - soak for 24 hours (I use the tiger nut company's naked tiger nuts as per link below)
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 good pinches of Himalayan sea salt

Method:

Completely drain and pat dry your soaked tiger nuts. Place these in a dry frying pan and fry over a medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil, rosemary and salt and mix thoroughly, coating the tiger nuts in the seasonings. Let these fry for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and continue to fry until the tiger nuts turn a crisp golden brown. You can enjoy these warm or cold :)

Spain is one of my very favourite places. Aside from the beautiful countryside and Mediterranean coastline, I find the people so warm and welcoming. I feel totally at home there and find eating out so much easier than I do in the UK. The restaurants are incredibly knowledgeable about coeliac disease and food intolerance and it's never any effort for them to adapt dishes. In the UK I often dine out in fear. If I request a meal to be adapted I am frequently met with a blank stare, the rolling eyes of disgust or am outright told they cannot accommodate me.  I think I better move to Spain.

Part of the reason I feel other European countries can handle dietary requirements better than the UK is that the food is fresh and simple. They don't dress a dish up with a multitude of unnecessary ingredients in order to create flavour. They just prepare fresh produce and use simple herbs and seasonings to enhance its natural flavour.

Prior to my diagnosis I would adore sampling different tapas dishes -  I couldn't get enough of the oily crispy textures of patatas bravas. In between courses I would devour slice after slice of bread smothered in aioli until I could barely breathe. Alas, those days are gone. With my potato and garlic consuming days nothing but a mere memory, I have recreated a couple of my favourite dishes and made them FODMAP friendly and AIP compliant. I have tried to capture the essence of the dishes as best I can and utilise simple ingredients full of natural flavour.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the lamb
2 grass fed lamb chops (I buy all my grassfed meat from athleat - see below for a discount code!)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
A pinch of himalayan salt or sea salt

For the patatas bravas
If you are low FODMAP and not AIP you can use 3 large potatoes peeled and diced into small cubes
For AIP use one whole swede, peeled and diced into small cubes
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil if you are feeling extra decadent

For the aioli
1 cup of drained canned artichokes
half a courgette
1/3 cup of garlic oil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
A generous pinch of salt


Method:

Place your lamb chops in a sealable container or dish. Add the olive oil, thyme, rosemary and salt and ensure that the chops are thoroughly coated in the seasonings. Cover tightly and transfer to the fridge to marinade for a minimum of one hour.

While the lamb is marinating, par boil your potatoes or swede over a medium heat until tender and soft around the edges. They are ready when you can easily pierce them with a knife. Drain them throughly.

Heat your coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium/low heat. Once this is really hot add your swede or potatoes to the oil and let them fry. For an extra decadent oily, crispy texture add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Keep stirring to ensure they are coated in the oil and do not stick to the bottom of the pan. They should take about 20 minutes to fry over a medium/low heat. 

While your potatoes are frying you can make your aioli by adding all the ingredients into your blender and blitzing thoroughly until you are left with a smooth, thick creamy sauce. You want this to be as thick as mayonnaise. Add more garlic oil to taste.

Remove your lamb chops from the fridge and heat a drizzle of olive oil in another frying pan over a medium heat. Once this is hot add your lamb chops and cook to your liking and brown on each side. I served mine pink in the middle, cooking for three minutes on each side. 

Serve the lamb, patatas bravas and aioli with a fresh green salad or my mediterranean kale.

Kale is a true super food hero. This nutritional powerhouse is packed with Vitamins A, K and C and loaded with essential minerals - calcium and iron. It also packs a hefty protein punch as well as being a good source of essential fatty acids.

This simple little recipe utilises this beautiful ingredient to create a refreshing side dish. The sharpness of the lemon with the kale makes it a great accompaniment to heavier meat dishes and works really well alongside my Spanish lamb and patatas bravas.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

100g kale
The juice of 1 whole lemon
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
A good pinch of himalayan or sea salt.

Method:

Add your kale to a pan of boiling water over a medium/low heat and cook until tender. You want to retain the vibrant green colour and not over cook this.
Once the leaves are tender transfer to a colander and drain off all excess water.  Add your kale to a serving bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Massage the seasoning and oil into the kale so the leaves take on all the flavour of the dressing. 

Serve immediately.

I stopped eating cabbage on the assumption that this would be a massive FODMAP no no. After all  green cabbage has the power to bring even the strongest digestive system to it's knees and I never really liked it that much anyway. I did however enjoy a nice braised red cabbage, there's something very autumnal and warming about it when combined with oils and spices. I decided to check it out on my Monash FODMAP app and low and behold, red cabbage is low in FODMAP's. Anything new that I can add to my limited repertoire excites me immensely, so I set about making up for lost time with this beautiful vegetable.

As a a cruciferous vegetable, red cabbage is loaded with antioxidants, rich in fibre, and packed with essential minerals such as calcium, iron and potassium.

Aside from the nutrient count, it tastes delicious and the vibrant purple makes any plate look beautiful.

Serves 4 small side portions or 2 large sides.
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Ingredients:

1 medium sized red cabbage cored and finely sliced. 
4 rashers of bacon, sliced into strips.
Half a leek for AIP or the tops of two leeks (green parts only) for low FODMAP, finely chopped.
1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh ginger. Ginger soothes and calms digestive complaints, is rich in magnesium, potassium and copper and is a potent anti-inflammatory.
The juice of half a large lemon
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
A good pinch of sea salt

Method:

Add the olive oil to a heavy casserole dish and turn the heat to medium. Add your bacon strips and cook until they just start to crisp around the edges. Once they are cooked, remove them from the pan and keep to one side. Add your sliced leeks, salt and ginger to the oil and cook until they soften and the flavours infuse - about 5 minutes. Once the leek is soft, add your coconut oil and let it melt. Add your sliced cabbage and stir at a medium heat coating it in all the oils and flavours from the pan. let this sizzle for about ten minutes, stirring regularly to ensure nothing sticks to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and add the lemon juice, bacon and cinnamon. Put the lid on and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes stirring at regular intervals.

This makes a great addition to your Sunday roast if you are able to resist eating the whole lot straight from the pan. 

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.