It has long been my opinion that followers of Slow Carb or Paleo would have a very difficult time staying on these diets while also following strict vegetarianism. The reasoning is pretty simple as removing meat takes a major food source out of an already dwindling list of ingredients you are allowed to eat. However if you do follow these diets, this does not mean that you can’t incorporate in a few vegetarian meals now and then, as I believe most are an excellent source of high quality nutrients.
As a constant tinkerer I recently experimented with adding a once weekly vegetarian meal to my routine and this was the recipe that came out of it. I didn’t notice any major changes health wise but one observation I did make was that my grocery bill was quite a bit lower on days I purchased the ingredients for this recipe. An excellent byproduct if you are trying to save money.
Note: technically this recipe is ovo-lacto vegetarian since it includes animal products (ghee/butter). To go full on vegan substitute these animal produced cooking fats with olive oil.
Serves: 3-4
Cut the cauliflower in half and break apart into small florets. Dice bell pepper[1] and zucchini[2] and add to small container. Next dice the leek[3] and onion[4] and add to a different container. If not using a garlic press mince garlic cloves[5] and set aside. Finish prep by thoroughly washing mushrooms under cold water and slicing vertically.
Fill a sauce pan or medium sized pot half full of water and begin boiling it over high heat. When it reaches boiling reduce heat to medium and add cauliflower. Boil for approximately 10 minutes until florets are easily punctured by a fork.
In a large non stick frying pan heat 2 tbsp of ghee/butter over medium heat. When melted add minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Now add peppers and zucchini and saute for 5 minutes. Finally add leek and onions and saute for an additional 5 minutes.
With the cauliflower finished cooking strain in colander and add to food processor with 2 tbsp ghee/butter. Blend until it reaches your preferred consistency.
With the zucchini/pepper/onion/leek mixture cooked to a soft texture reduce heat to low and add to the frying pan tomatoes and mushrooms. Combine all and continue cooking for 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
If serving directly you can plate each portion of cauliflower rice with about a cup of veggies. I typically keep this as a leftover so I will layer the cauliflower at the bottom of a large glass baking dish with the contents of the frying pan on top.
[1] http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/09/draft-knife-skills-how-to-cut-a-bell-pepper.html
[2] http://video.canadianliving.com/622687424001/How_to_dice_zucchini
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShLOCjS7JYw
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW4r5GW-e7M
[5] http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/how-to-mince-garlic-0154943.html
