LillyPad Low Carb Tabbouleh

A lovely low carb version of this cold salad classic.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium to large head of cauliflower
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 small cloves of garlic, minced
•  ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
•  ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Optional turmeric or curry 

Directions:

1. Rice (chop finely) the Cauliflower in a Tupperware Power Chef or a food processor
2. Add parsley, mint, green onion and garlic into Tupperware Chop n Prep Chef or food processor to chop more finely, if desired.
3. Place cauliflower rice, parsley, mint, green onion and garlic into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to mix. Taste and add more salt or pepper if necessary.
4. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Store covered in the fridge for up to one week.

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a traditional ingredient in many Asian cuisines, and is now often used in Western kitchens too. Most varieties of soy sauce (there are too many to list here) are salty, earthy, brownish liquids intended to season food while cooking or at the table. Japanese soy sauce is probably what people in the West are most familiar with. Tamari is also another type of soy sauce that can often be found in gluten free versions.

How to use Soy Sauce

Frequently used by itself as a sauce or dip, soy sauce can also be incorporated into many sauces, dressings, or marinades to add a burst of flavour.

Kikkoman, a large scale producer of soy sauce, has some great ideas:

• Steaks are delicious and can be easily prepared on the grill but they can be boring to eat over and over again. Vary the flavor by making a low-carb brush-on sauce of oil, vinegar, garlic and onion powders, and Kikkoman Soy Sauce. Slice steak and serve with salad greens for a main dish salad.
• Slow-cook pot roast with shiitake mushrooms and green onions. Season the broth with Kikkoman Soy Sauce. Turn leftover slices of pot roast into hand-held sandwiches by wrapping pot roast slices and cilantro sprigs in lettuce leaves.
• For a Hawaiian-style luau roast, sprinkle pork butt with Kikkoman Soy Sauce and a touch of liquid smoke. Cover meat in foil, put in a pan and roast until meat is tender and falls apart easily. Shred meat and serve with sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced onion.
• For a change of pace from meat, try tofu. Cut firm tofu into 1/2-inch slices and gently press out excess moisture with paper towels. Fry tofu in oil and serve with Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce, grated ginger and chopped green onion.
• Before grilling or broiling fish or shellfish, brush with Kikkoman Soy Sauce to add flavor. As the Japanese have long known, seafood tastes especially delightful with soy sauce.

The following LillyPad recipes use Soy Sauce:

Apple Cider Vinegar marinades (for steak and chicken)
Napa Cabbage Spring Rolls
Marinated Asian Salad
Raw Vegetable Paella
Apple Cider Vinegar Asian Dressing

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is low in fat and carbs, while being high in nutrients. You might have come across not only the common white variety, but also orange and purple.

Quick ways to prepare Cauliflower

Raw
Cauliflower is often eaten raw, the florets perfect for dipping. It's also a great substitute for many grains when chopped finely and used in cold salads.

Boiled and Steamed
While boiling cauliflower is common, it is probably the worst method for destroying nutrients. A much better option is steaming, which better preserves the nutrition and look of the vegetable. When steaming, try and cut your cauliflower pieces to a similar size and check for softness with a fork after about 10 minutes.

Roasted
This delicious method of preparation is simple in any oven. We'll be posting a recipe soon to show you how roasting works best.

Cauliflower Rice
This is a LillyPad classic and super easy in the microwave. Try the recipe linked above for a great low-carb rice alternative.

Zucchini Butter

Cooking zucchini with your favourite seasonings until it has reduced to half will result in a creamy flavourful spread that you can use like butter. Perfect for adding to cauliflower mash, egg salad and Ideal Protein Rotini.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated zucchini, use a paper towel to squeeze out the water
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• Favourite seasonings: garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, etc.

Directions: 

1. Warm the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
2. Add grated zucchini and your chosen seasonings, stirring as it reduces – about 20 minutes. 
3. When it becomes thick and creamy remove from heat and serve.

Zucchini

Also known as courgette, zucchini is a summer squash that comes mostly in green. The best size for zucchini is 6 to 8 inches long and 2 inches or less in diameter. A few scratches and mild bruises are fine. Avoid any with a flabby or spongy texture or that have soft and wrinkled ends. Store zucchini in plastic bag, inside the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator, for up to 2-3 days.

Quick Ways To Prepare Zucchini

Raw
Zucchini is great raw in salads, sliced however you like. However, it is especially good sliced into ribbons using a Mandoline, or into noodle like shapes with a spiralizer.

Grill it
Whether cut into ribbons, medallions or quartered into spears, with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, grilled zucchini is delicious. Grill over medium heat until softened.

Roast it
Roast quartered zucchini spears, tossed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, in an oven at 450 degrees until browned. Toss cooked zucchini with your favourite herbs, salt and pepper for a quick side dish.

Savoury Summer Squash Spread

This is a versatile spread or hummus style sauce will add flavour and creaminess to your Ideal Protein rotini noodles or provide a low carb dip for your vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups zucchini, cubed (2 inch cubes)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Place zucchini cubes on a paper towel and lightly salt them, allowing them to sweat out moisture for 10 minutes.
2. Puree ingredients into a smooth consistency.
3. Serve with raw cut vegetables like celery, radish, cucumber or lettuce. 

You can also try adding your favourite seasoning blends or herbs, such as: 

• fresh garlic 
• fresh cilantro, basil, parsley or chives
• jalepeno 
• cumin 
• chipotle 
• dill
• smoked paprika

Wrap It Up! Recipes

Wrap It Up at LillyPad provided a delicious spread of healthy finger food.

The LillyPad Roll and Zucchini Wrapped Egg Salad rolls

Creamy Egg Salad
Our creamy egg salad was made with egg and tofu and served two ways. The first was in leaves of lettuce (romaine, leaf lettuce and boston/bibb lettuce). The second was wrapped in thin ribbons of zucchini with julienne radish and bell pepper.

Ingredients: (combine to make egg salad)

• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped or mashed
• 1 Tbsp silken tofu
• 1 tsp yellow mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Dilled Ham
Served up in lettuce wraps, this filling was a wonderfully savoury change from tuna salad.

Ingredients: (combine to make filling)

• 2 cups cooked ham, cubed
• 1/2 cup dill pickle, chopped
• 3 Tbsp dijon mustard, or to taste

The LillyPad Roll 
A first for us, this mock sushi roll was a hit with our clients.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cauliflower rice, cold
• 4 Tbsp silken tofu
• 1 tsp chinese five spice
• 1 sheet roasted nori
• 1/2 cup vegetables, sliced (cucumber, bell pepper, onion, asparagus, radish, zucchini)
• soy sauce
• wasabi paste

Directions:

1. Mix cauliflower rice with silken tofu and optional chinese five spice.
2. Place one nori sheet, shiny side down
3. Spread the cauliflower rice mix onto the sheet evenly, leaving 2 cm of room at the top edge.
4. Place sliced vegetables in a line from left to right. For example, a line of cucumber, a line of green onion and a line of bell pepper in parallel.
5. Roll the sheet from the bottom as tightly as possible. We did this by hand but you can also use a sushi mat if you have one.
6. Slice the roll into 1 inch rounds.
7. Use soy sauce and wasabi paste to taste to make a dip for your roll. Enjoy!

Low Carb Potato Bread
Using the Ideal Protein Potato Puree and egg whites, you can make potato bread great for wrapping your 2 cups of vegetables to make a Phase 1 compliant meal. Used immediately after cooking, it will be soft, but if you leave it to cool it will set into a more cracker like crunchiness.


Learn more about lettuce in our Lettuces post.

See our Mustard post to learn more about the flavour of the month used in some of our fillings.

If you love wraps, you might also be interested in a previous LillyPad recipe - Napa Cabbage Spring Rolls