Tomato lime quinoa

I used this recipe to make a FODMAP-free quinoa salad. I felt a little funny using a recipe because I use these ingredients so often, it was almost like I was making something I'd already made. But I guess it came out a little differently. My only modifications: I didn't add the cumin because for some reason I just didn't feel like it, I added tofu to make it more filling, and I used more cilantro than she called for. I waited until the quinoa had completely cooled before stirring in the other ingredients (very important - I've had quinoa salads taste really bad when I didn't wait long enough) and I served it cold.

It was delicious, but I don't think I would make it the main course of my meal again. It was a bit much after awhile. I think it would be best as a side dish, for a little pop of flavor along with something else.

Frozen peanut butter "cookies"

One of the hardest things about the FODMAP elimination diet is figuring out what to eat for snacks. I had also cut out refined sugar before I started this diet, so that limits me even more. These little peanut butter snacks are okay for me to eat, as long as I only eat one or two at a time.

They are very simple - just all-natural peanut butter (only peanuts, no added sugar or other ingredients) stirred together with an equal amount of rolled oats. Then drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and freeze for an hour or two. They are good for about 24 hours, so only make as much as you want to eat in that period (I shared these). My family, who still eats sugar, thought they were a bit bland, but for me they are a treat. It's hard to stop myself from eating more than one or two, because I like them so much. But they are very filling so one or two really does the trick when I need a snack.

Hominy salad

I used this recipe for hominy salad. The only changes I made were: cilantro instead of parsley (as she suggested) and cayenne pepper and paprika instead of chili powder. This was easy to make, easy on my stomach, low FODMAP (or maybe FODMAP-free - I'm not sure about hominy), and delicious. The flavors were really interesting and I loved the balance between the starchy hominy and the refreshing tomato. I even refrigerated some and ate it for lunch the next day and it was still good.

Polenta crust pizza

Here is another polenta-based recipe. I got this from the Moosewood Cookbook, and modified it to be FODMAP-free (which basically just meant adjusting the toppings). It's called pizza, but it's more of a pie or maybe a deep-dish pizza. You start by cooking polenta on the stovetop according to package directions, then forming it into a crust in an oiled pie pan. Then bake that in the oven until it's golden and a little crispy.

Next put a layer of shredded mozzarella and a layer of thinly sliced fresh tomatoes.

Then put a layer of sauteed vegetables (it's easiest to cook them while the crust is baking). I used thinly sliced zucchini and red peppers sauteed in garlic infused oil, with some oregano and basil sprinkled in.

Then add another layer of shredded mozzarella, set the oven to broil, and bake for about 5 minutes until the cheese browns a little on top. I let mine go too long so the cheese got some black spots, but it was still good.

And this is what my kitchen looked like after I finished cooking. What a mess. Cooking is the one hobby I've kept up with since having a baby. Now that he's a toddler, he's more independent and I can spend time making more elaborate meals. But it means ending up with a messy house. :)

Starting over

I used to have a bunch of pictures of my family on here, but it started to feel like it was too public. I didn't post at all for a few months while I decided what to do. I ended up deleting all my old posts and now I'm starting over. Sarah Being Sarah is back as a food blog (and maybe there will also be some posts about cats and other stuff).
I'm also starting over in terms of food. After years of digestive issues and several doctors' visits, I finally saw a dietitian who suggested I try the FODMAP elimination diet. I'll post some links to good introductory articles about that soon. For now I'll just say that it's a very limited diet for the first couple of weeks, and then you try reintroducing foods in a systematic way. I've become somewhat obsessed with it because a) it's working - my stomach feels better than I can ever remember it feeling, and b) it's so limited that I have to be extra-creative and cook in a whole different way. I've been spending lots of time looking for recipes and ideas online. I've been doing the diet since January 1st. I've mostly just done the elimination phase, which is totally FODMAP-free. This weekend I did the fructans challenge, which meant eating a lot of gluten and seeing how it affected me. It didn't have much of an effect, but I didn't feel quite as good as I had for the two weeks before. On Wednesday I'll see the dietitian again and figure out what to do next.
Here is a very easy, FODMAP-free comfort meal: polenta with mozzarella, tomatoes, and the green part of scallions. Those have all been favorite foods of mine for a long time and I'm glad I can still eat them.