Legumes on a low-FODMAP diet I hear you say? Well guess what, certain legumes (also called pulses) are actually low-FODMAP – in moderation. It is important to have a varied diet, plus they pack a nutritional punch as they are high in fibre, which is great for bowel health and have been attributed to lowering cholesterol due to their soluble fibre contents (see here). After enjoying my yummy Laksa last night, we opted for a family (aka Kid…) friendly meal today. Chicken nuggets are almost always a hit so smuggling chickpeas into the mix, make them an easy & nutritious lunch or dinner. We enjoyed these with a side salad, my low FODMAP salsa and roasted potato – plus leftovers for the kids school & day care lunchboxes this week too 😉

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CHICKEN CHICKPEA BITES

Servings 40 | Prep Time 10 mins | Total Time 30 mins

Ingredients

• 500g chicken mince
• 1 large carrot
• 400g tin of Chickpea (Garbanzo beans) *
• 1 egg
• ½ cup quinoa flakes
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper.
2. Peel and roughly chop the carrot into quarters. Place the carrot in a food processor and then blitz until finely chopped.
3. Drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas, then add the chickpeas to the food processor.
4. Add the chicken mince, egg, quinoa flakes, sumac, basil and oregano to the food processor and blitz until completely combined.
5. Take tablespoon amounts of the mixture and roll into balls. **
6. Place on the baking trays and bake for 20 minutes (or until cooked through), turning half way through.

Thermomix Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line baking trays with baking paper.
2. Peel and roughly chop the carrot into quarters. Place the carrot in a Thermomix bowl and chop for 10 seconds / speed 5.
3. Drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas, then add the chickpeas to the food processor.
4. Add the chicken mince, egg, quinoa flakes, sumac, basil and oregano to the Thermomix bowl and mix for 20 seconds / speed 3.
5. Take tablespoon amounts of the mixture and roll into balls. **
6. Place on the baking trays and bake for 20 minutes (or until cooked through), turning half way through.

Tips:

* Canned Chickpeas are low FODMAP in ¼ cup (42g) serves. According to Monash University, certain types of food processing can have a dramatic effect on the FODMAP content e.g. in canned/tinned chickpeas the oligosaccharides in the chickpeas leach in the water – so ensure that you wash and drain the chickpeas before you use them!

** At this point you can ‘flash freeze; the Chicken Bites/Nuggets – just place them on the trays into your freezer. Once frozen you can transfer them to a freezer bag or container. When you are ready to eat them, let them defrost in the freezer overnight, or you can cook from frozen adding another 15-20 minutes to the cooking time.

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