Featured Post – Chickpea Free Houmous

Jul 30, 13 Featured Post – Chickpea Free Houmous

I received this recipe and info the other day and thought I would share it with you because I know quite a few people who suffer from IBS, including my sister. She tried this recipe and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, if you have IBS you’re supposed to limit or even not drink(!) alcohol so I’m not giving a wine match to go with this recipe:

As summer is here (more or less), the garden will soon be overflowing with that most prolific of early squashes, the courgette.

With a vegetable that is so abundantly produced, it can be challenging to find ways to make use of it besides dozens of loaves of courgette bread.

Houmous, that lovely, ancient creamy dip consisting typically of ground chickpeas, lemon juice and sesame seed paste isn’t IBS-friendly because of its legumes, but you can still enjoy the fresh flavour of houmous using courgette instead. Another key ingredient, garlic, usually causes a problem for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) sufferers as well but substituting the nutty, peppery flavour of cumin adds a whole new flavour profile that is almost (definitely) better! Click here for more information on foods to avoid with IBS.

Chickpea-free Houmous

2 chopped or grated organic courgettes

12 tablespoons raw tahini

8 tablespoons cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tablespoon ground cumin

Sea salt, to taste

Add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast for a protein source if you like. It will produce a thicker, “cheesier” consistency.

Mix all of the ingredients together, and refrigerate for an hour or so to give the flavours time to amalgamate.

Serve with celery sticks, cucumbers or gluten-free pita bread.

Freshly made houmous also makes a great addition for a salad full of baby greens, alfalfa sprouts and other IBS-friendly veggies like carrots, spinach, and tomatoes and even more grated courgette. If you add the nutritional yeast or feta cheese, which is also low in FODMAPS, you can make a complete meal out of your houmous. There is nothing better or more refreshing on a hot summer day than treating yourself to a low-calorie Mediterranean meal of fresh houmous, feta cheese, kalamata olives, cucumbers slices and a fine chiffonade of fresh mint leaves.

IBS friendly meal

If you suffer from the intestinal distress that goes along with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), eating a diet that is low in FODMAPS can be a big help. FODMAPS is an easy acronym for an otherwise unwieldy mouthful, Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols. This complex collection of molecules serves as food for the normal gut bacteria that live in the large intestine, causing the familiar symptoms of bloating, flatulence, nausea and bowel movement changes that sufferers of IBS have to deal with.

The courgette is on the list of low FODMAPS, and while individual tolerance may vary, it is worth trying to see if your body can tolerate it well.

I hope you find this as tasty as my sister did!

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