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Easy Low FODMAP Lunch Recipe: Gluten-Free, low carb Polenta Frittata
“It needs to be quick, taste great cold, but nothing that’ll ruin my handbag!”
Right, okay! So how about some crisp bread, lactose-free cheese and plain lettuce on the side? No?
Fructose Friendly Lunch To Go
I know, every day, lunchbox, low FODMAP meal planning can easily tire you out. Especially if you want to make things fun and varied.
But don’t fret, your prayers are about to be answered! Here’s your easy, ultra flexible and handbag-proof lunch recipe to take to work, uni or even on a plane: Gluten-Free Polenta Frittata With “Whatever Tickles Your Fancy”! …
The Sultan’s Breakfast: Çilbir – Poached Eggs On Yogurt And Garlic Infused Oil
It’s been pretty quiet around here the past couple of weeks. But don’t be fooled. Behind the scenes there was some serious tinkering and thinking going on. Why? Because Istanbul worries us. The city is nervous, its air is hot and sticky and our mood is low. Not feeling safesetting foot in the subway anymore is one thing, but seeing the frustration with this country’s government written all over our friends’ faces is another thing.
These days, Istanbul is changing right in front of our eyes. Rapidly. And we literally feel the growing pains. There is this thick layer of heat, bluster and political outrage covering the city. And it has become increasingly difficult to maintain our initial euphoria, to keep our love for this unique city alive. The way out is out.
It’s a wrap. We’ve come to a decision and already gave notice to leave our flat. Three weeks left until we turn our backs on Istanbul, for now. A kneejerk reaction? Maybe. But an important one.
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Toasted Quinoa Salad With Grilled Halloumi And Herbs (Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Fructose Free)
The culprits: Black tahini and coconut butter! The victims: Two broken kitchen machines in less than a week, one of which wasn’t even mine.
After destroying two tools in such a short period of time, I had to ask myself whether I
a) own the wrong tools,
b) live in the wrong country or
c) should stay away from ‘fancy recipe’-land for a change?
Why? Because I keep thinking, this “Braun/Magic Bullet”-dilemma wouldn’t have happened with a Vitamix. And would I have been in Germany instead of Istanbul at the time, I most likely would have simply picked up ready-made coconut butter or tahini at the nearest health food store instead of bothering to make it from scratch. Leaving us with c) and the realisation that too much of Pinterest’s rainbow-cake-wonderland-inflow can be destructive at times. …
Gluten Free, Sugar free Strawberry-Raspberry-Tartelettes aka Princess-Tartelettes for Emmi
It’s not always easy. People like you and me, are surrounded by endless menus, we run around supermarkets for hours, but in the end we still end up going home hungry and annoyed. “Do we really need to add onions, wheat, tomatoes, sugar, honey and dates to every freaking dish?” According to research, “every third German suffers from fructose malabsorption”, so do I really need to argue with the waiter when all I need to know is exactly what they put in the that dressing? Whoever came up with fructose malabsorption, must have loved complaining. After all, it’s what really comes naturally to us (sarcastic undertone), isn’t it?…
Gluten Free Holidays: Fructosefree Blueberry-Buckwheat-Cake With Lemon Curd
Sound familiar?
I made a cake and am super excited to treat my family members to a healthy and sugar free dessert for the holidays. Everybody gathers around the table and happily digs into piles of Easter bread, juicy carrot cakes and delicate chocolates. Lightyears seem to have passed since the last holidays. One by one, tense shoulders around the table loosen up and even my guilt-free cake receives some attention.
Right when I’m about to put on a content smile, thinking how nice it is that people finally seem to appreciate healthier alternatives instead of the usual sugar bombs, I get hit by a wave of comments again: “Your cake tastes really good, like, really healthy! A little bit like bread… Really good. I would just add a bit more sugar the next time.”
Duh! I mean that’s the whole point about fructose free cooking, right?
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Rainbow Salad With Herbs Galore
Spring arrived in Istanbul a few weeks ago and we are already heading full speed towards Summer. While in Southern Turkey the skin-warming sun lures people into the sea for the first time this year, in Istanbul we are celebrating the sun’s return by letting sweet and plump, bright red strawberries melt in our mouths. All the while the Spring showers, turning the Black Sea region into a bright green wonderland, are responsible for the abundance of delicate and rich greens on display at our weekly farmers market. Trying to refrain oneself from those treats would almost be an insult to this country’s fertility. Thus, happily volunteering to pay tribute, mint, parsley, dill, thyme, basil and other greens pile up in our kitchen every week. We’ve become quite creative in terms of putting the various herbs to use, though sometimes we just can’t keep up and the delicate little plants wither away. To use up all of the leftover herbs in due time I came up with this little rainbow salad. Instead of the usual lettuce I put in bol bol (Turkish for plenty of) fresh herbs resulting in a feast for the eyes and fireworks for your taste buds. I wouldn’t even mind having this salad two days in a row. …
Fructose Friendly Smoothie Istanbul Style
When it comes to breakfast, pretty much everyone has his or her own idea of the “perfect” set-up. The choices are endless, be it cold or warm, liquid or solid, savory or sweet, or nothing at all. Since being diagnosed with FM breakfast is not only mandatory for me but also a way to start my day in a calmer manner. It’s a chance for me to be nice to my stomach first thing in the morning, so that it won’t be too upset later in the day if something wrong comes along. Whenever I skip breakfast entirely the day is basically ruined. Then all I think about is ‘how on earth will I get something quick to eat on the way to wherever I’m headed. Which is, as you probably know yourselves, rather impossible. So breakfast has become a very important part of my morning routine. …
Fructose friendly Brunch for one
Sundays for me are preferably spent relaxing and in most cases also cooking ahead. Even though I do not meticulously plan out my meals for the upcoming week, I still like to be prepared. Prepared in terms of knowing that sometimes it can be difficult for people like us to quickly whip up a healthy and filling meal. That is why on Sundays I usually cook up a batch of buckwheat, potatoes or millet, or all of the above, to store in the fridge. That way I have a fructose friendly and gluten free base on hand to ready a nice meal. This is particularly convenient when I’m running late and still need to pack lunch rather than returning home on an empty stomach.
Speaking of planning ahead it is about time I share this recipe for gluten free millet patties with you. While millet has become one of my favorite gluten-free super foods, these millet patties are quite the perfect all-rounder. Due to their subtle taste they go well with almost everything: Have them with eggs and salmon for brunch like I did, with a spicy yoghurt dip for lunch or with a salad for dinner. They taste equally good warm and cold, that’s why they also make a great take away snack. Be warned though, this recipe is a bit time consuming. Then again, Sundays are usually more slow-paced anyway, right? Plus, in my opinion it’s even more rewarding to treat yourself to a nice meal you’ve worked hard on. 😉 So make a batch of millet patties and grab whatever else your heart desires on the side and enjoy a cozy, well-deserved Sunday brunch!
P.S. I created a Facebook page to share my posts as well as interesting research finds. Only four more to crack the 100, so go ahead and share some likes! 🙂
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Guide To Fructose And Gluten Free Dining In New York
I’m back. And with me I brought 10 days filled with memories of this remarkable city called New York. Those of you who have been to New York before, might have noticed that it is quite an intense place. The noises, the smells and completely different visual language compared to other cites made me stare on in awe. It is only now that I’m sitting back at my desk in Istanbul, a city that feels slow and relaxed compared to New York (a statement I never thought I would make), that I realize how worn out I am after this trip. New York simply has its own pace that is hard to keep up with. But maybe that’s the reason people are so fascinated with the place.
Besides the wedding we were attending, the thing I was looking forward to the most, of course, was food. After all, New York is home to many health food devotees and the place, where most of the food trends rise and fall, second only to San Francisco. Though kind of aware of this at the start of our journey, I was still anxious about the upcoming week, my head filled with all the high fructose corn stories, worried that those good old American fries would make for the main component of my meals during our stay. Luckily all my worries vanished as soon as I realized that all of our friends there are foodies just like us. In case this term is new to you, here is what Wikipedia has to say about it:
“A foodie is a gourmet, or a person who has an ardent or refined interest in food and alcoholic beverages. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out for convenience or hunger.”
Intentionally or unintentionally our friends seriously introduced us to cream of New York’s crop. I’m not talking about five star restaurants here. I’m talking about healthy, ingenious but honest cooking, that was worth every dime we spent. (Did I mention that New York is a bit pricy compared to Berlin or Istanbul?)
Anyway, if you happen to be cast away on the East Coast, namely in NYC, sometime in the near future, the following advice might come in handy if you are into experiencing some memorable, fructose free and gluten free moments of indulgence. …
Review: Fructose free, gluten free gummy bears by Frusano
It’s time for a new category on Fructopia. From now on I will also present product finds. New products that I’ve tested and that I think are worth sharing. I couldn’t have thought of a better product to kick off this new section than the one I’m about to introduce you to. We all love products that are pretty much flawless, don’t we?
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Going gluten free Part III: Fructose free superfoods
It’s been seven months since we left our home in Berlin in an attempt to grow roots in Istanbul. A few days ago we arrived back in Berlin. It’s our first time home since February. I was looking forward to these upcoming three weeks. Looking forward to all the breakfasts, lunches and dinners with friends and loved ones, to happy bike rides in the city and enjoying morning runs in the park close by. Other than that, I must confess, there is not much I missed about Berlin. Who would, considering the numerous hours of sunshine Istanbul provided us with, all the Turkish food and fresh seasonal goods grown on the fertile lands of the rough Black Sea, the thousand plus different views of the Bosphorus or the seemingly endless supply of new and one of a kind impressions. Istanbul has not failed to keep us entertained. Needless to say the Gezi Park protests and the surprisingly violent response by the police caused quite a stir in our daily lives.
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Going gluten free Part II: Cut backs and withdrawal symptoms
My personal proofreader for the written English language just returned from his trip to Switzerland, so let’s continue my recount on going gluten free. From my post last week you already know why I made the decision in the first place. Still you may be asking yourselves what this change actually meant. How did it change my eating habits? How did it affect daily life and more importantly, did it actually make a difference? Did the experiment meet my expectations?…
Fructose friendly cheesecake with berries
I know, you guys were probably expecting the follow up on my journey of going gluten free. Unfortunately you will have to wait a couple of days more, as I’m not finished writing yet. There is so much to tell you. So, sorry for keeping you in the waiting line. Speaking of waiting lines, you should listen to this beautiful song by Zero 7.
To make waiting a little more enjoyable, I want to share this delicious, cream cheesy recipe with you. As mentioned before, I turned 30 in the middle of my gluten-free experiment. And I consider myself a really lucky girl that my boyfriend spent a full afternoon in the kitchen to create this fructose friendly, gluten free, creamy beauty for me. I took me a few days to finish it as nobody dared to eat up my special birthday treat. To be honest, I wasn’t too sad about having it all for myself. …
Willkomen in Fructopia! In dieser kleinen Welt dreht sich alles um ein gesünderes Leben ohne Fructose, ohne Zucker, ohne Weizen. Schön, dass ihr da seid! 
