Need veggie side ideas with two big conditions

May 29, 2022 8:57 PM

Please give me your recipes for favorite veggie sides -- difficulty: Has to be low carb AND low acid. More details inside.

My husband is on an elimination diet for his LPR. He can't have tomatoes, peppers, lemon or any citrus, garlic, onions of any kind, mint, chocolate, or alcohol.

And we're about to cook dinner for people who are strictly low-carb -- no sweet potatoes even! We're doing salmon and cauliflower rice and salad, but I'd really like a stellar veggie side. Please send low carb and low acid veggie side ideas!!

posted by egeanin to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

Best answer: With that menu, think about asparagus. I like to pan roast it in bacon fat or butter. Cooks Illustrated has a good method for pan roasting if you have Ccrss to their recipes . Or Kenji for braising. I usually add lemon juice but it isn't necessary given the low acid requirement. Throw a little Parmesan cheese on before serving.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:04 PM on May 29, 2022 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Roasted Brussels sprouts maybe? Dress with a fancy olive oil once it’s off the heat for some complex floral notes and grated parmesan, of course. If you can get that wonderful thorough browning you can evoke some of the depth of acidity without actually tossing it in lemon juice. Preheat oven to 400, toss sprouts in a neutral oil and salt, arrange them cut side down in the pan, let them go until they are browned on the bottom and release cleanly from the pan.

Can he have eggplant? There is a universe of incredible eggplant ideas out there but it’s a nightshade so it might be a problem with an elimination diet that includes cutting tomatoes and peppers. If he can have eggplant, try it broiled and glazed with miso. Lots of depth of flavor with very minimal ingredients.
posted by Mizu at 10:58 PM on May 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Creamed spinach
Brussel sprouts roasted in bacon fat
Peas sautéed in butter or bacon fat, topped with fresh herbs and Parmesan
We just made a tasty pea purée to serve under fish (recipe included lemon that could be omitted - it’s basically peas blended with stock, cream, and salt/pepper)
posted by Red Desk at 10:58 PM on May 29, 2022

Tempura vegetables - whatever is in season - radish, asparagus, carrot, beans, eggplant, zucchini, etc

Keep them separate so that you know what is what - and make sure that you have dipping sauces

and if you want a nice decorative touch/base for the salmon - double deep fry parsley as "mermaid's hair" or "mermaid's grass"
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 11:54 PM on May 29, 2022

Best answer: I agree that asparagus is probably going to be the easiest way to accommodate both an elimination diet and low-carb eating, but I would still want something piquant to perk things up. Maybe a simple dill cucumber salad? You can make this easily with cucumber slices, dill, vinegar of choice (I like white wine), salt, and red onion, though obviously you'd leave it out of your spouse's portion. There are a number of recipes out there with their own variations, though this looks similar to what I generally eyeball.
posted by daikaisho at 12:42 AM on May 30, 2022

Best answer: I think I would go with the asparagus. It's the season in the Northern Hemisphere.
Peas are in season too, but if you can't get very fresh peas, it's better to use frozen petit pois. Steam them, add butter and perhaps a bit of basil leaves for added effect.
Another thing that goes really well with salmon is spinach, and plain steamed spinach with butter is lovely. Or maybe you could make something like a palak paneer, but without the alliums and tomato. Some may say it isn't palak paneer without the tomatoes, but sometimes I make it that way when tomatoes are out of season/I don't have a tin, and it is delicious. Without alliums is normal, you can find lots of recipes online.
A third spinach idea is to steam the spinach well, stir in a bit of butter, and pour over mushrooms in a creamy sauce. I'm just riffing here, but I would fry the whole little mushrooms in butter, then when they are done take them out and add cream to the pan, and maybe a bit of vegetable stock. When the sauce has thickened to a consistency you like, take it off the heat and add in two egg yolks, stir well, season and add the mushrooms back in. This can be kept warm but must not boil. Actually, I'm going to go and buy mushrooms and cream right now, so I can have this for lunch.
posted by mumimor at 4:14 AM on May 30, 2022

Asafoetida Used sparingly tastes like onions or leeks but is not at all related to aliums. You likely don’t have it on hand for this dinner but it might be a thing to acquire for the future (I can send you some to try if you want, just memail me.)
posted by bilabial at 4:57 AM on May 30, 2022

Avocado has some potential to stand out.

Other veggies considered low carb are broccoli, kale, cucumbers, cauliflower, spinach, ...
posted by SemiSalt at 5:19 AM on May 30, 2022

I did it: I had the spinach and mushrooms for lunch. They were good, though I was impatient and my egg-yolk scrambled a bit in the creamy sauce. I suppose the result with the salmon would be a kind of deconstructed salmon Florentine, but with no wine. Instead of vegetable stock, I dehydrated a couple of pieces of dried porcini mushrooms and used the water from them in the sauce. It was very filling!
posted by mumimor at 5:34 AM on May 30, 2022

Summernsquash, crookneck, zucchini areowncarb, and green beans are also very low carb.
posted by Oyéah at 10:44 AM on May 30, 2022

Best answer: LPR diet is low fat.
posted by Oyéah at 10:47 AM on May 30, 2022 [3 favorites]

LPR diet is low fat.

Ah, I had no idea. In that case I think steamed broccoli rabe are a good side. They are very tasty with just some salt, don't need embellishment from a taste point of view, and are also very pretty. Perfect with salmon. Asparagus are still good, too.
posted by mumimor at 11:38 AM on May 30, 2022