If you’ve decided to go down the low carb route to try and shift a few pounds then don’t despair. There are lots of tasty alternatives which you may not know about. Here are 6 of my favourite options, but if you do want to other great tips then please do check out my blog post on 21 alternatives to bread, potatoes & pasta.
1. Courgetti / Coodles
If you like to follow food trends then no doubt you would have seen this recipe in recent times! Courgetti (courgette spaghetti) or Coodles (courgette noodles) area great way to trick your brain into thinking you’re eating pasta or noodles. You can treat it just like you would any types of pasta, apart from it takes a lot less time to cook. You can use a peeler, julienne peeler or if you think you’ll be doing it often, buy yourself a spiraliser. There are loads out there so why not give it a try?
2. Carrot & Swede Mash
This form of mash is brilliant with roast dinners, but I’ve found it’s also delicious with many other things! It’s extremely simple to make and comes out in a glorious colour too. Peel and chop up equal amounts of swede and carrot into bitesize pieces and chuck it in a large saucepan full of water. Sprinkle some salt in and leave it to simmer for 20 minutes. Once your carrot and swede is soft, drain it and then mash with some butter and a little water.
3. Cauliflower Rice / Couscous
Cauliflower is a wonderful alternative because its texture is very similar to rice or couscous. It’s also extremely easy to prepare, you can either grate it with a cheese grater or if you’re lucky enough to have a food processor, give it a quick whiz. There are a few ways to cook it, but the easiest way is to microwave the blitzed cauliflower in a heatproof bowl, covered in cling film for three minutes. If you don’t have a microwave then you can dry-fry your blitzed cauliflower in a saucepan. Serve your couscous or rice with roasted vegetables or curry – whatever you’d normally eat with them!
4. Broccoli & Cauliflower Mash
Lots of supermarkets stock chopped up cauliflower and broccoli together in one packet, which makes this potato mash alternative an easy side dish to make. Just boil or steam your broccoli and cauliflower, once soft then blend or mash it up with some butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. You’ll be seriously surprised how yummy this mash is! If you fancy a more ‘mash-looking-mash’ for your tea, just use cauliflower.
5. Butternut Squash Cubes
We all know how tasty those little potato cubes can be. Try it out with butternut squash instead. It’s easy to do, just cube your squash, stick it on a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in an oven at 200°C for around 30 minutes or until golden. I like to get creative with these gorgeous cubes of goodness by sprinkling them with chili flakes, thyme and chopped garlic before they go into the oven.
6. White Bean Mash
I like to use cannellini beans, but you can also use haricot beans or any other type of bean you can get your hands on. They’re very high in fibre and tasty too. Add a can of your chosen beans to a small saucepan with some garlic and a little stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. After they have cooked, mash well to the consistency you desire.
I do hope you’ve enjoyed these 6 alternatives to bread, potatoes and pasta. Let me know if you like them as much as I do!
Good alternative carb information from colleen
on May 20, 2016 at 12:40 pm triciaThank you Tricia! Which will you try?
on May 20, 2016 at 1:28 pm Colleen