Part 2: Gut-friendly party snacks

It’s already Friday, so if you’re planning to have a party for the World Cup finals, it’s time to start getting your ingredients ready for your party snacks!

Yesterday we started you off with two simple and delicious low-FODMAP party snacks for watching the World Cup: sweet & spicy salsa and popcorn.

Now it’s time for something a little more filling, and something sweet to top it off!

Shish kebabs

Prep time: 20 minutes (8 hours to marinade)
Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves 4

For something else that is easy to eat but a little a little more substance, try shish kebabs! Meat and fish don’t contain any FODMAPs, so you can choose your favourite. It’s also simple to adjust the vegetables for something that’s easy on the gut.

Ingredients

• 1/3 of a cup (80ml) of vegetable oil (use garlic-infused oil if you want to add that garlicky flavour)
• ½ cup (120ml) of soy sauce
• ¼ cup (60ml) of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• 1.5 lbs (680g) of lean beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 red bell pepper
• zucchini (courgette)
• metal or wooden skewers

Directions

Marinade:
Whisk together vegetable oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt. Once combined, pour the ingredients into a resealable plastic bag, then add cubed beef to the bag and coat with marinade. Finally, let sit in the refrigerator for approximately 8 hours.

Cooking:

• Cut peppers and zucchini into chunks.
• Preheat a grill to high heat.
• Remove meat from the marinade. Pour marinade into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium-low heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Slide meat and vegetables onto your skewers, interchanging as you go.
• Cook shish kebabs on pre-heated grill, periodically turning and brushing on your reduced marinade. Grill for about 15 minutes, or until meat is cooked through.

Peanut butter cups

Prep time: 20 minutes (including refrigeration time)

Looking to add something sweet to your party snack table? These peanut butter cups are FODMAP friendly! But remember to enjoy them in moderation. Up to two tablespoons of peanut butter is low in FODMAPs, but larger servings can end up being high in troublesome sugars called oligosaccharides. These peanut butter cups are rich, so a little bit goes a long way! We recommend using regular peanut butter to avoid running into issues with specialty flavours or other nut types.

If you’re looking for low-lactose or vegan chocolate, opt for dark chocolate. Even if they aren’t labelled as dairy free or vegan, have a look at the ingredients. Whey or other milk products indicate there will likely be some lactose. However, many dark cooking chocolates will contain chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla, and sugar, but will leave out the milk products. These are a great option for vegans, as well as people with persistent digestive issues!

Ingredients

• Approximately 300g of vegan chocolate
• ¼ cup of peanut butter (60ml)

Directions

• Line a muffin tin with paper or silicone muffin liners
• Use a double boiler or bain marie to melt your dark chocolate chips. This is usually a small pot that nests inside a larger one. Water is heated in the bottom pot, which warms the upper pot, gently melting the chocolate. Some chocolate may also provide instruction on melting it in the microwave.
• Put about 1 teaspoon of chocolate in each liner and smooth it out. Once there’s chocolate in the bottom of all the tins, refrigerate the whole thing for 10 minutes.
• Put one teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of each chocolate base. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Cover the peanut butter with two more teaspoons of melted dark chocolate, smooth the top, and place in the fridge for another 20 minutes.

Whether you’re rooting for France or Croatia, you’ll be the real winner with a happy gut!