The stomach troubles saga continues. Tests showed nothing wrong which is good yet not. Basically working under the assumption at this point that it’s IBS or that my IBS-like symptoms are side effects from the medication I was given a few months ago for GERD (frequent heartburn/reflux). In either case, eating is beyond tricky. There’s a great diet out there for IBS sufferers called the Low FODMAP diet, the only trouble with that is I then have to also take into account foods that aggravate the GERD.
So for now until the next appointment with the gastroenterologist in September, my goal is to work with a modified low FODMAP diet without the GERD food triggers. A difficulty I find with the low FODMAP food plan is the Gluten Free element. Not only is it amazing to me how many products contain wheat or wheat flour in some way, but gluten free foods are expensive and tend to be higher in fat (must be due to the substituted ingredients used). This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to eat healthy on that food plan, it just requires more planning and shopping around.
I found a version of this recipe on the well balanced FODMAPer, a great blog by Kate Scarlata, a registered dietitian, FODMAP and IBS expert. The issues I had with the recipe as is on her blog is the ground pepper, scallions and garlic infused oil (which, btw, sounds amazing). It’s possible the garlic infused oil could be ok for my GERD too, but at the current stage I’m at I’m not interested in pushing the envelope; and scallions and pepper are definite no-no’s for my GERD. To get around this, I used a nice regular olive oil and some ground corriander in place of the pepper (since corriander and dill go well together) and left out the scallions entirely.
Garlic and onion are what I miss the most with all of this. I would have to say they were used in about 90% of my cooking prior to these health issues and my heart longs for them the way a teenage girl longs for her crush to notice her.
With that said, though, the recipe below is not lacking in flavor at all. If you didn’t know the original recipe called for those things, you’d never miss them, and what you’re left with is a beautiful and fresh tasting IBS and GERD friendly appetizer perfect for summer cookouts and gatherings.
Cucumbers Stuffed w/Dill & Coriander-Infused Cottage Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 large cucumbers (cut into ~1/2" thick slices)
- 1+1/2 cups lactose free cottage cheese (if you're not lactose intolerant or an IBS sufferer, feel free to use regular)
- 1/2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill (fronds only, roughly chopped) - plus more for garnish
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander seed
Instructions
- Use a mellon baller or small cookie dough scoop to scoop out part of the centers of each cucumber slice. Be careful not to scoop through the bottom, but try to scoop out as much as possible, right up to the side of the rind to make plenty of room for the cottage cheese filling and allow for the right flavor ratios.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, olive oil chopped dill, salt and coriander and mix until well combined.
- Fill each cumber slice with the cottage cheese mixture, then top with some additional chopped dill for garnish.
- Refrigerate the filled cucumber slices for at least a couple of hours before serving to allow the flavors to combine together.
- These will stay fresh and edible up to 5 days in the refrigerator, but if serving to company or at a gathering, use the same day or next day to avoid wilted/watery cucumbers.
Notes
*Information above is based on the specific brands/types of ingredients I used (as one example, pink himalayan sea salt is lower sodium than regular salt). Values vary if using any other brands/types of ingredients.*
*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.*
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