This is a recipe I’ve been making for over 20 (!) years, after first tasting them at a restaurant called Bill’s in Sydney Australia. The Bill of Bill’s is Bill Granger, an internationally-loved chef and author of multiple cookbooks, in which different versions of this recipe make cameos. This is a gluten-free, dairy-free and low FODMAP version that I make for potlucks, Friendsgivings and whenever I need a scalable, cheap and easy crowd-pleasing dish to share.

Bill Granger’s Corn Fritters (low FODMAP version)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp sweet paprika

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

• 4 spring onions, greens only, thinly sliced

• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Olive or canola oil for frying

Directions:

1. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, coriander, cumin and paprika in a bowl.

2. Add the egg, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of water and beat to a smooth batter

3. Add the corn, spring onion and chopped cilantro and stir to combine

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and spoon in ~2 heaping TBSP of the mixture for each fritter once oil is hot. Flatten with a spatula and cook for 2 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

5. Taste for salt; sprinkle cooked fritters with additional salt to taste if needed.

While these fritters are deelish all by themselves, you can also serve them alongside a dip or condiment of your choice. In summer, a mango salsa would be lovely. In winter, a creme fraiche might hit the spot. A spicy condiment— a harissa or sriracha mayo— would not be out of place atop these gorgeous golden fritters either.

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Every June, our family heads upstate to go strawberry picking in picturesque Warwick, NY. And every June, I am faced with an embarrassment of strawberry riches to process while they’re still fresh. This year, I pulled together a delightful recipe for Strawberry Poppy Muffins, with adjustments so they can be sent into school for my kids’ classmates on gluten free/dairy free diets. As with everything I bake, I keep the added sugar on the lower side, so these lovely babies are just sweet enough.

Strawberry Poppy Muffins (FODMAP friendly)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups of spelt flour (*contains gluten) OR Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour

• 1/3 cup rolled oats, plus more for sprinkling on top (use gluten free oats if needed)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup plain Green Valley Creamery lactose free yogurt OR plain/unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (So Delicious brand, dairy-free)

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 cups diced ripe strawberries— roughly corresponds to 1 lb of strawberries.

• To garnish: sugar (white, turbinado, coconut… your choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Grease muffin tin with oil spray or butter if not using a non-stick pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spelt or gluten free flour (your choice), 1/3 cup oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and poppy seeds. Mix to distribute ingredients evenly and set aside.

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup and eggs, Whisk well with a fork until a bit frothy and well-combined. Then, add the yogurt and vanilla and whisk again until the mixture is smooth, evenly colored pale yellow, and well combined.

4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a large rubber spatula until just combined. Then, add the diced strawberries and gently fold them into the batter until evenly distributed; be sure all the flour is mixed in fully to the batter as you fold. (Don’t worry if this batter looks thicker than your typical muffin mixture; the ripe strawberries will give off some water while the muffins bake, so you don’t want to start off with too wet/thin a batter!)

5. Divide the batter evenly among your 12 muffin cups. They will be pretty filled to the top.

6. Sprinkle each muffin top with a pinch of oats and a pinch of sugar. Bake for about 20 minutes (gluten free flour may take a little bit longer to bake than spelt flour). Muffins are ready when they’re a bit golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. After removing from oven, allow muffins to cool before removing from tin to store. Seal them in an airtight container and eat within 2 days if storing at room temperature, or freeze them and enjoy them throughout the summer!

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While the rhythms of our social life signal fall, the Farmer's markets and backyard gardens alike are still sending off summery signals, and one of them is a bounty of eggplant.  

I came late to the eggplant game, having decided at some point in childhood or early adulthood that I didn't like it.  It was only after being invited to a dinner party at the home of a vegetarian of Iraqi descent did I realize that I liked eggplant.  A lot. At least, I liked eggplant the way he made it.

This recipe is a little bit inspired by my friend Amos and a little bit inspired by the flavors of the great vegetarian chef, Yotam Ottolenghi.  It's total Mediterranean diet fare, and perfect for this time of year, when eggplants are abundantly available and pomegranates are just starting to show up in the supermarket.

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free/vegan and can be easily adjusted to be low FODMAP as described in the directions below,

Roasted Eggplant with Tahini and Pomegranate

Ingredients: 

• 1 medium/large eggplant
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup tahini paste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or crushed (omit to make the recipe low FODMAP)
• Hot water
• Garnishes (optional but highly recommended): cilantro, parsley, fresh mint leaves and/or pomegranate seeds***

Directions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees farenheit and line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper
2.  Prep eggplant for roasting as follows:
   • Peel if you dislike the skin (or find it difficult to tolerate digestively).  Otherwise, leave the skin on.
   • Cut eggplant into 1" cubes
   • Arrange eggplant cubes on a paper towel lined plate (choose dye-free paper towels), sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, and microwave on high for about 5-8 minutes or until cubes are shriveled to about half their original size. (This will help reduce the eggplant's absorptive capacity so it doesn't sop up all the roasting oil and get greasy.)
3. Remove the shriveled eggplant from microwave and transfer them to the parchment lined baking trays.  Drizzle enough olive oil on each tray to coat the cubes lightly and toss gently with your hands to disperse the oil evenly.
4. Roast eggplant in the oven for 14-18 minutes, or until cubes are soft and some have begun to caramelize. (Toss the pieces after 7-8 minutes to help ensure even browning.)
5. Meanwhile, while the eggplant is roasting, prepare the tahini sauce as follows:
   • Combine tahini paste in a small bowl with the lemon juice, cumin, salt and garlic***  Stir all ingredients to combine.
   • Start adding hot water 1 TBSP at a time, mixing as you go, to thin the the tahini mixture into a drizzly sauce.  
6. Drizzle tahini sauce on roasted eggplant cubes, top with garnishes and serve.

***Note: To make low FODMAP, omit the garlic.  You can replace it with 1 TBSP garlic infused olive oil for the flavor without the FODMAPs if you wish.  Up to 1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds is considered a low FODMAP serving.  

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Sweet Potato Picnic Quiches (FODMAP friendly) (image T. Freuman)

This tasty little recipe comes to us from Israel, via my cousin Shelly, who brought it to a family retreat over Memorial Day weekend.  It’s a great portable, vegetarian “entree” for summer picnics–as it can be served warm, room temperature or cold.

A digestive aside: while this recipe does feature dairy prominently, most of the cheeses used are low (or negligible) in lactose.  You can swap in Green Valley Organics Lactose Free sour cream* for the Greek yogurt to help keep lactose content to a minimum.  Once the lactose situation is sorted, you’ll notice that there are no other fermentable carb (FODMAP) ingredients in the mix– no onions, garlic, wheat, flour of any kind or gassy veggies.  So file this one away in the event you’re ever invited to a potluck attended by a digestively diverse crowd.

Sweet Potato Pignoli Picnic Quiches

Yield: ~16 mini quiches

Ingredients:

• 14 oz sweet potatoes, grated
• 6 oz mozzarella, grated
• 3.5 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
• 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 7 oz 0% plain Greek yogurt OR Green Valley Lactose Free Sour Cream*
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
• 4 eggs
• Black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using non stick pan, toast pine nuts on stove top until just starting to turn golden brown and fragrant.  Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine grated sweet potato, mozzarella, Parmesan and feta.  Mix to combine.
4. Add Greek yogurt or sour cream, canola oil, chives, toasted pine nuts and eggs.  Season with black pepper to taste.  (No need to add salt… these are well salted from the cheese already.)  Stir until all ingredients well combined.
5. Spray standard-sized muffin tin with non-stick spray
6. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until firm and turning golden.

* FTC disclosure: I am a paid consultant for Green Valley Organics Lactose Free

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