Vegetables in their best summer edition – Keto Briam
All the Ketonians know, if you want to do a healthy Keto, you need to eat 7 to 10 cups of vegetables a day. Those vegetables that grow above the ground are not carby! This is a sentence I’ve heard so many times and couldn’t agree more. Well, they are carby, but in most of the cases, their carbs are predominantly fibre. We, in the Mediterranean area, have been blessed with so many kinds of vegetables that taste and smell divine when you cook them. But, nothing fills the air with a Mediterranean spirit like a good roast of mixed vegetables. Especially if you include peppers and garlic. This is why I wanted to present to you one of the easiest Greek summer dishes called Briam. Original version includes potatoes, but I will most certainly exclude them. After all, who needs potatoes when we have eggplants!
The king of Mediterranean vegetables
Eggplant is called “veggie meat” by those that want to promote plant-based nutrition. Well, this is far from the truth, nothing can compete with the nutrition density of organic meat. However, eggplant it’s extremely healthy and loaded with only the top mineral and vitamin content. I already gave a quick overview of eggplant nutritional values in this recipe.
Here in Greece, we have all sorts of eggplants which are different in colour and texture. Also, some taste milder, while others can create quite a spicy effect. In the beautiful island of Santorini, they grow white eggplants. This kind is mild and sweet in taste. It’s ideal for preparing a marmalade. Trust me, you can make low-carb marmalade with eggplants, but let’s leave this for another article. Furthermore, the most common kind is the dark violet eggplant. This variety is predominantly used for frying. The delicate pink eggplants are ideal for roasting and broiling. These specific eggplants are called Tsakoniki and they have Greek origin. It is an awarded variety of eggplant from the Tsakonia region where it takes centre stage at an eggplant festival in August!
Multipractical vegetables
Some vegetables lose the texture or taste when the dish cools down. This is not a case with this simple yet aromatic recipe. You will be surprised by how great it will taste chilled. Actually, if you are deciding on making this dish on a hot summer day, I would recommend making it a night before and serving it tomorrow – well chilled. It can serve as a delicious side dish to meat, fish, or you can add extra feta cheese and turn it into a main dish. Simple and Mediterranean! This would be the healthiest Keto lifestyle you can apply.
Keto Vegetable stew - Briam
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 5 cloves garlic
- 100 ml olive oil extra virgin
- 4 tbsp parsley freshly chopped
- 2 tbs mint freshly chopped
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 150 g feta cheese goat or sheep
Instructions
- Place all the vegetable in a bowl and wash it with a mixture of water and vinegar. (You will not be peeling the vegetables)
- Strain and cut all the vegetables into medium size cubes and place them in a mixing bowl. Alternatively, you can slice them but not too thin.
- Cut the garlic cloves in half and add them to the vegetables. Pour the oil over the vegetables and mix well. Sprinkle with all the spices (except parsley) and mix one more time.
- Place the vegetable mixture into a casserole or a deep baking plate and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes at 200ºC
- When the vegetable is roasted, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and freshly chopped parsley
Notes
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