Low Carb Recipes

Here are three vegetarian low carb recipes

1) Vegetarian Gazpacho:  This tomato based soup is usually eaten cold made with chopped raw  vegetables that stimulate digestion by providing live enzymes.  Nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are very bioavailable in this raw serving style.  In the summer eating raw foods is very cooling to the body.  This tomato based Gazpacho can be warmed and enjoyed in the winter too.      

Ingredients
1 large cucumber
1 large green bell pepper
3 ribs celery
1 green onion
¼ cup parsley
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp paprika
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 cups fresh or low sodium tomato juice

Directions
Finely chop cucumber, green bell pepper, celery, green onion and parsley. Place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle in black pepper, basil, paprika.
Pour on extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and coat all the vegetables.  Stir in tomato juice.  Cover and chill overnight.  Use fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice without preservatives for really fresh taste.

2) Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes This low carb variation uses cauliflower which looks like potatoes and even tastes like potatoes is featured in the book The Idiot’s Guide to the Glycemic Diet on page 227.   Potatoes are high glycemic vegetables with a lot of carbohydrates in a small portion and potatoes require protein to balance hormones insulin and glucagon.  Using cauliflower rather than potatoes saves many carbohydrates.  Cauliflower is a free low glycemic carbohydrate that may be eaten as a meal or snack alone, protein is not required to balance cauliflower.  
 
Cauliflower with sour cream and garlic.
Ingredients
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp minced garlic
¼ cup sour cream
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Steam cauliflower until soft enough to mash.
Chop cauliflower with butter, garlic and sour cream until texture of mashed potatoes.
Salt and pepper and serve

3) Japanese Rainbow Sea Vegetable Salad looks like cabbage salad and tastes great.  Arame a seaweed grown and harvested from the ocean provides vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fat.

Ingredients

½ cup dry arame
1 cup or small bunch of parsley chopped
1 cup or small bunch of cilantro can be substituted
4 cups chopped red or green cabbage
1 large carrot sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
 
 Dressing
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp umeboshi vinegar or
2 tbsp shoyu
2 tbsp rice vinegar
 
Directions
1.Wash and soak arame for 10 minutes.
2.Chop vegetables.
3.Mix everything together.
 

By Rivka Freeman • Balanced Meals, Nutrition, Recipes, Vitamin Absorption • 9 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,