I have no menu suggestions, but wanted to ask - can you move your grill to another area (not for this meal)? It's a shame to miss out on grilling this time of year. We grill practically year round - in the coldest weather we have a smaller grill we use at the opening of the garage, with the door up a bit LOL.

I think your original menu sounds good, realizing you will need to change the dessert. Such a nice idea for your friends (and so good to have friends like that!!). I'm sure they will enjoy whatever you come up with. Come back and report!

Good idea, Tina, but the grill cannot be moved. It is gas and is attached to the house. Plus code in our area requires that it not be under a roof, so I can’t even move it to the porch for a bit of shade.

Fish topped with some kind of nutty lemony topping. I love gluten free flour, particularly measure by measure by King Arthur.

I have a recipe from Commander’s Palace that is similar to this Trout with Toasted Pecans and Creole Meuniere Sauce that I love. But it is a little more complicated than I want to get into this week. https://www.bigoven.com/recipe/trout-with-toasted-pecans-and-creole-meuniere-sauce/162347

For flavor, perhaps look at citrus olive oil instead of garlic? I love it, use it for both chicken and fish. I often add some hot pepper to mine, but the basic oil doesn't have any spice..

I did some low FODMAP cooking years ago, for a friend. That's when I learned about the fennel. :) It made a pretty good ragout. Do check about the pecans. I think nuts are a no-no for any gut related issues. Also check about the dairy. My friend could have lactose free, so I got that kind of milk and made ricotta. Also, IIRC, she was allowed to have cream, which, again IIRC but maybe I don't recall correctly, isn't where the lactose is.

I've never seen a crumb free crab cake, but that sounds awesome. I love crab, but not the crumbs in the cakes. Do GF crumbs bind? I'd think they wouldn't be sticky enough, though should work for the crust. But thinking more on it, maybe one of those vegen gels like chia, or, for gosh sake (come to think of it), potato starch (or arrowroot or tapioca starch) would bind fine.

Bbstx, you sparked me to want to make trout! I won't share the recipe that caught my eye (Trout Rechad) because it's covered in onions and chiles .. but I am sure you can find a trout recipe that isn't so fussy! Are you making freshwater trout or ocean (stealhead) trout?

I thought this looked special, very good and fairly simple

Trout with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe - Viet Pham (foodandwine.com)

Funky, the trout with lemons looks delicious! I need to file that for a future dinner party!

WOW! The more I look at FOMAP, the more confused I become. In the low-FODMAP lists I found some nuts are okay (macadamia, peanuts, and walnuts). and others aren’t (cashews and pistachios). Pecans aren’t on either list, of course! Strawberries are okay, but blueberries aren’t. A half-cup of fennel is okay, but a cup isn’t.

Tonight as a test run, I’m making crab cakes for Sister and DBIL. The recipe is from a friend who lives in Maryland. It calls for 2 slices of bread turned into crumbs. I may divide the recipe in half and test leaving out the bread crumbs in half.

Just realized that my remoulade, which I generally serve with crab cakes, contains horseradish and garlic. Oh, well, I suppose I’ll cross the sauce bridge if I decide to go with the crab cakes.

There are several religions/sects/castes in India who won't eat onions or garlic. They substitute them with asafoetida, known locally as "hing". It's available in most western supermarkets...

" Named after its fetid aroma, Asafoetida is made from the white resinous sap, which turns dark brown on drying, of a variety of giant Fennel. It is a close relative to the now extinct ‘laser root’ that was mentioned in Roman cooking. Due to the difficulty in handling the resinous gum it is usually blended with some form of starch to make it manageable. Asafoetida is used mostly in Indian vegetarian meals, while the fetid flavour dissipates on cooking where it adds a garlic-like flavour with onion overtones. Always use in small amounts and keep very well sealed to prevent cross-contamination of the aroma to other ingredients in the pantry."

https://www.herbies.com.au/shop/herbs-and-spices/spices/asafoetida-powder-hing-20g/

I love crab cakes but they often put too much other stuff in them which can dominate the crab. I want just the pure flavor of fresh crab and a little lemon.

FODMAPs are specific carbohydrates which seem to occur in ways that defy our usual ways of thinking about food similarities. Just give in and follow the lists. ;)

Green beans have been delish here this summer or you could do asparagus, baby peas, broccoli, sugar snap peas, etc

On a FODMAP diet, green beans are acceptable; asparagus is verboten as are sugar snap peas. The Cleveland Clinic says to “avoid cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli.”

The crab cakes tonight were delicious, but I don’t think they are going to work for my dinner.

Sorry about the crab cakes, but worth the testing. I vote for chicken...

I made my comment upstream because no matter how hard I tried, my friend knows her restrictions better than me. I pan-cooked halibut in butter, lemon and olive oil and sautéed white beans garlic (she eats garlic) and spinach with olive oil and lemon. She was still hesitant.

Spanish, I hear you. Pre-FODMAP, my friend was just GF and no red meat. I always worked hard to make sure that there was no cross-contamination with gluten any time he came to my house.

I not only run the menu by his wife, I also send her the recipes.

I’ve shifted to a recipe that I had forgotten about. It is chicken breasts baked slowly in white wine with lemon juice. The only glitch is it calls for a cup of sliced scallions. I’m going to see if my friend can eat the green part. If not, it’s back to the drawing board!

Talked to the wife today. He can have the green tops of scallions and he can also have chives.

He can also have sour cream in small amounts, that puts Strawberries Romanoff back on the menu. According to the app, our local grocery has a lactose free sour cream. I’m going to use that if I can.

So, here is the menu

Chicken in Wine

Lemon Steamed new potatoes

Blistered Green Beans

Strawberries Romanoff

Here is the Chicken in Wine recipe exactly as written by the neighbor who gave it to me.

Chicken in Wine

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken breast halves

Salt

Pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 cup chopped green onions

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup or more sliced mushrooms (I use fresh you can use canned

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 cup white wine (can use red I prefer white)

Pue

1 big pinch rosemary

INSTRUCTIONS

chicken brown in butter skillet

Place in casserole

Add all other ingredients

Use skillet drippings or add more butter to skillet and melt then pour on chicken

Cover and Bake 275 for 2 hours

I’ve never figured out what ”Pue” is.

Power Usage Effectiveness?

😂😂😂

You know, I have heard of Strawberries Romanoff but not sure I have ever had it. I just looked it up and look forward to trying it.

Reminds me of something even simpler, strawbs with a bowl of sour cream and a bowl of brown sugar. You dip them in the cream and then roll in sugar.

Can you post your lemon new potatoes?

To go with the crab cakes Saturday night, Sister and I made this recipe with ”one bite” potatoes. We did not peel the strip around the center and it worked just fine.

The Romanoff sauce recipe I use

It sounds absolutely delicious.

Thank you for sharing your recipes. They sound really good. Since that chicken recipe calls for butter you might want to check if that is ok as butter still has some dairy proteins.

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread. As somone who has some food intolerances (gluten + vegetarian), it's so wonderful to see a host embrace feeding their food intolerant guest. You are so kind. Your menu looks so lovely and delicious! The only thing I wanted to add is to recommend that you make salad dressings (and any dressings / sauces) yourself. It can be a sneaky place where gluten is included.

For something green, it could be green beans as suggested. Or you could roast asparagus in the oven with olive oil and top with salt and pepper (and parmesan if that's on guest's edible list). Simple roasted or steamed veggies would go very well with your chicken or fish main. The potatoes sound divine.

Thanks, IC. I feel like I need to add a salad, but I don’t really like salads. Consequently, I struggle to make interesting salads. I think I’ll just eliminate that point of stress and move on!

Lyfia, I told his wife that there would be butter in some dishes and she didn’t say it was a no. Nevertheless, I’ve just double checked with him. (I love his wife, but she is a ditz sometimes.) From what I’ve read, while some things are verboten on FODMAP diets, other things can be tolerated in small amounts. And there are some things that just appear contradictory to me. For example, milk, ice cream, and yogurt are no-nos. However, brie/camembert, hard cheeses, and feta are okay.

ETA: Quick Google of butter indicates that it is low FODMAP because it contains no carbs and only minimal amounts of lactose.

@pricklypearcactus According to the Cleveland Clinic chart, asparagus is a high FODMAP food, therefore to be avoided. Green beans and potatoes are low FODMAP foods.

Here is the Cleveland Clinic chart I’m working from.

Add to that, most people with FODMAP issues don't have problems with all of them, but have to get them all out of their systems to start testing which they can tolerate, so strictness is vital, if the low FODMAP diet is not to be a big waste of time and botheration. Your care is worth it!

Absolutely, plllog! Although FODMAP doesn’t seem to address meats, he still avoids red meat. My unscientific and unresearched feeling is that he went without it so long that his body has lost the ability to digest it.

I regret that my friend thinks he is being a bother. I told him I was enjoying the challenge! And I appreciate all the help from each and every one of you who have responded to my questions.

, most people with FODMAP issues don't have problems with all of them, but have to get them all out of their systems to start testing

Yes, and then over time what they can/do eat evolves. I never mind at all creating a meal that meets special needs. I do mind people who say nothing about it until they are there at the table with a meal laid before them.

I’m just glad my friend has found something that gives him relief. When DH and I first met him and his wife 20 years ago, he was often miserable with stomach issues. He cut out all gluten and all meat except poultry and fish. That gave him a tiny bit of relief. Finally he found a doctor about 5 or 6 years ago that had him do the FODMAP elimination diet. He says he feels like a new man!

Part of my goal with this meal is to prepare food that my FODMAP-friend can eat but that is also enjoyed by the other couple without it being obvious that it is conforming to a special diet.

So glad he's doing so well! A lot of people get relief when they go ”sort-of” GF, in ways that boggle people with real gluten issues, because the same grains which have the gluten proteins have FODMAP carbohydrates, and it's the latter which they're sensitive to, and often they can tolerate small amounts, like a little flour in the gravy, but not the crust of the chicken pie. Which is it’s own heap of confusion.

I think your menu accomplishes your ends. Real, good food for all—-including your sensitive friend.

Your menu sounds lovely! For additional reference for anyone hosting a low FODMAP or similar friend again - I have a variety of food restrictions (currently onions, previously all dairy, also formerly vegetarian) and one thing I LOVE is a perfectly grilled hunk of salmon, trout, arctic char, halibut steak with a very simple, very fresh green salad - homemade dressing, white rice - maybe saffron or cardomom rice, and a roasted fresh local vegetable medley (preferably young veggies). So simple but rests on premium, flavorful ingredients. Having a lot of food restrictions (moreso in the past) means that simple meals with no "hidden" ingredients are very reassuring for me. They are also my go-to when eating out.

Wow. That's a challenge for sure. Sounds like you are aiming in the right direction and it's coming together.

I'll just throw some ideas out there for fun...

Dessert...if no dairy, no ice cream, can you do sorbet? With some fresh fruit that is allowed it could make a refreshing dessert...easy enough to find some GF cookies to go with it. Layer crumbled cookies with the sorbet to make a parfait...maybe with a layer of non-dairy whipped topping if you like it. Or if they do liqueur that would make a nice drizzle like chambourde. If a small amount of whipped cream is allowed, that'd be great.

Especially if it's so hot, do you want the oven on? If not, can you crock pot a meal? Something like chicken in sauce served over rice? Maybe like a lemon chicken?

If you do turn the oven on, you can put the veggies in there too...maybe oven roasted veggies and potatoes with olive oil and rosemary. Or my preference on veggies is to have a combo rather than single like carrots and green beans, or I've sautéd up zucchini disks with nuts and parm cheese.

I know you don't like salads, but they are so easy to make...get some spring greens, or butter lettuce, add some sliced english cuke, sliced radish and carrot shavings with a potato peeler. A balsamic vinaigrette...just olive oil and balsamic vinegar..a touch of honey...S&P...maybe a sprinkle of italian herbs...nothing fancy, but a nice complement to the meal.

My Dad has similar restrictions. I don't know for sure, but the issue with fennel might be the fiber, the FODMAP diet has some restrictions due to the chemical compounds in the foods, and some due to the type of fibers in the food, and others due to the type of preparation. And sometimes it is just a matter of a little bit is OK, but one never knows how little that might be . . . my Dad can eat chives. One of his favorite salads is cucumbers in sour cream with a lemon chive dressing. One could sub a white wine vinegar for the lemon. It's similar to tsatsiki but that has mint. I am not a huge mint fan, but that's a good salad too . . . Take out the seeds of the cucumber, they cause digestive issues. You can also omit the sour cream and marinate the cucumbers in a vinegar and oil dressing with herbs added like dill, mint or chives . . . Often better if you salt the cucumbers first, depending on how watery they might be . . . and some would toss in a bit of sugar to counteract the acidity. I make it with light sour cream, lemon juice and home grown chives. Salt and pepper pretty critical in such a simple salad. I only salt the cukes if they are big ones. Take off the peel also for a FODMAP situation.

cucumbers in sour cream with a lemon chive

Oh, that sounds nice!

FYI, Tzatziki can have mint but traditionally does not, and is more spread than salad. We make it all summer long. Love it with grilled naan brushed with olive oil (grilled pita becomes too brittle)

Thanks, lpink, for all the tips about cucumber salad. In the summer, my mother always had a bowl of sliced cucumbers and onions dressed with vinegar, S&P, in the fridge. I enjoyed it, but it was quite tart. I don’t have anything planned using cukes, so I’ll save your suggestions for another day.

I would eat tzatziki on bark! I love it.

The ”a little bit is okay” thing with FODMAP is driving me nuts. For example, on a low FODMAP diet, one can have 2 white button mushrooms. If I make a dish that has a cup of sliced mushrooms in it and my friend picks around the mushrooms, will the sauce nevertheless contain enough of whatever it is to upset his system? This is rhetorical question… no answer needed. I am going to amend the recipe and omit the mushrooms, but cook some mushrooms separately in butter and wine which will be passed.

I know it is a rhetorical question, but what I would do (and what I did) is, like you submit my menus and recipes for an ok before hand. I appreciated that my guest had been in an ultra-restrictive diet for months try to determine what causes her gastro issues, and I didn’t want her to worry one bit about what I might be serving.

Thanks, Mtn. My guest, his wife, and I have been in close consultation. I just hate to call about the mushrooms. He very much does not want to be any trouble. Like you, I enjoy the challenge.

I’m so happy that I found lactose-free sour cream today for the Romanoff sauce! I’m going to make the Romanoff sauce without lightning it up with whipped cream.

Oh, wrong Mediterranean country! What I make is actually similar to what they serve in Germany, since I got the recipe from my Dutch mother. The Mediterranean versions I've had have been in Middle Eastern restaurants in MI, and I think that version is like what they might make in Lebanon. I've also had a version of it called "raita" in Indian restaurants. However, since every cook makes a dish often to the tastes of her family, and since my family doesn't like mint, we don't sweat the herbs, although sometimes I sweat the cucumbers . . . The white stuff varies by family taste, availability and region too. And then the same salad is often made with an olive oil and acid based dressing variation. I love it in all its variations. Thankfully I can refer to it as "Mom's cucumber salad" when I make her recipe, and "Chopped Summer Salad" when I improvise based on what is fresh and yummy and available. Since Mom's potato salad calls for a generous amount of dill, and since I often serve the two of them together, I don't add dill to the cucumber salads. If I want to lean exotic, I have been known to add a dash of cumin, which I love, to cucumber salads and also dishes featuring carrots or potatoes.

https://www.alphafoodie.com/lebanese-creamy-cucumber-yogurt-salad/

https://food-crafting.com/old-fashioned-cucumber-onion-salad/

https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/cucumber-raita-recipe/

My dinner for my neighbors last night was a menu success and a successful evening of visiting with old friends. But the menu is the only thing relevant here.

My guest with all the restrictions ate everything! Earlier in the day, I had sent him a text with all of the ingredients in each dish. And a warning that I had put amaretto in the Romanoff sauce only to discover later that amaretto along with other liqueurs are high-FODMAP. It was 2 Tblsp in a cup of sour cream. Even with that warning, he ate a dab of it.

He seemed to really enjoy himself and to enjoy the food. I enjoyed the challenge of getting us all together around the dinner table.

One note which probably ought to go on the chicken thread, the Chicken in Wine would have been better with thighs. I thought the chicken breasts were a little chalky.

Why isn’t update, which should be the comment just above this one, not showing up?

I was wondering where the recap is as well. But then I thought it was just an update on the menu. But I often get lost/left behind on many of these threads. However I would love to know what you decided to serve and how everyone enjoyed it.

I see the Bbstx post from 8 hrs. ago, starting with ”My dinner...menu success” and ending with ”little chalky”. If there was another post, especially long with photos, it may be waiting on human approval.

Oh, and so glad the guest in question (and one presumes the others) ate so well! Including the oops drop of high FODMAP. But that's also why FODMAPs are so much easier to deal with than protein allergies. Small amounts usually aren't an issue. ;) So glad it was such a good evening!

I could see the “Why isn’t update” post hours before I could see the actual recap post. This site is quirky, to say the least.

Congrats on a successful evening. Your guest must have really appreciated your efforts.

I am so glad you had a nice evening. I am sure your hard efforts, and delicious results, were deeply appreciated.

@plllog, that’s the comment! It was showing up when I looked at my Activity, but not when I went to this thread. 🙄

@blfenton, the menu was Chicken Baked in Wine (recipe in my post way upthread), Lemon Steamed Potatoes (photo of recipe a couple of posts under that), and steamed green beans seasoned with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. For dessert, I served fresh strawberries with a Romanoff sauce (photo of recipe in same post as potato recipe) except I used Amaretto instead of brandy. My friend’s wife brought white cheddar and Nut Thins to have with our pre-dinner drinks.

I think my neighbor and his wife were happy to be able to go out to dinner. He doesn’t get to do that very often. We enjoyed sitting around the table and talking far later than I thought we would. I call that a success!

So happy your planning paid off and all enjoyed themselves!

@bbstx I think your comment went to moderation because it had the b r e a s t word in it. Sometimes comments with the word post right away, sometimes it takes a while. Another Houzz mystery.

I'm glad your dinner went well!

Deegw, you might be right! Geez, I never think about things like that!

Glad your dinner went so well! I always ask guests if they have dietary restrictions or things they dislike because I would rather make an inclusive menu than make guests feel like they are an imposition if there are foods they can't eat.

At the school where I work, each week the different departments take turns in winter to bring in soup to share with everyone who wants to participate. Although I have no dietary issues, when it's my turn I always make a low FODMAP, vegan soup so that anyone with diet restrictions isn't left out and isn't made to feel like the weirdo in the bunch.