I think you’ll agree, finding delicious low-carb vegetarian side dishes can often be the hardest part of the meal.
So today, I’m going to show you exactly how easy it is to make Low-Carb Eggplant And Cauliflower Couscous PLUS a quick mint yoghurt sauce.
So if you want a delicious vegetarian main meal or a yummy side dish for chicken, beef, or pork, this naturally gluten-free dish will have your taste buds begging for more!
Low-Carb Eggplant Recipes
Eggplant is one vegetable that has been gaining in popularity over the past couple of years. Not only does it pack a beautiful colour (that purple, seriously!) but it also provides a great taste and texture to so many delicious vegetarian or low-carb dishes.
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Plus, cooking eggplant is actually very forgiving. It does a great job in soaking up the flavours of whatever dish and spices you’re cooking with it making it one vegetable that really can be used for a wide variety of dishes.
How to Prepare Eggplant
Many people don’t really understand how to cook eggplant. Some buy it, stare at it and never cook it, while others tend to go about it the wrong way and it ends up tough.
So what’s the best way to prepare low-carb eggplant? Score/cut the eggplant across the sides a few times before frying. But even before that? Make certain that you wash off the outer skin very well since you’ll be consuming that, too.
Once you’ve got it cleaned and cut, it’s time to get it cooking!
What’s the best way to cook eggplant?
For this dish, you’re going to want to fry the eggplant skin down first. This helps to cook that tough outer skin, making it easier to bite when it’s time to eat. Once you place the eggplant skin down in the pan, you’ll then want to sprinkle on your cumin and coriander on the “meaty” side of the eggplant.
How do you know when eggplant is cooked all the way through?
You’ll want to keep an eye on it while you’re cooking it to make certain it doesn’t burn but a good rule of thumb is that you want to cook it for about 5 minutes on each side before flipping it. As you can see from the picture above, the purple skin will turn to a darker brown when cooked and ready to be flipped to the other side.
Once it’s cooked on both sides for about 5 minutes each, it’s time to pull it all together and get your eat on!
See how delicious that looks? The centre of the eggplant should be soft and almost “mushy” when it’s cooked entirely all the way through.
Don’t forget to use your herb scissors or knife to cut up your mint to add to the top. It’s such a refreshing addition that you just don’t want to miss.
Once you’re done cooking the eggplant, it’s time to add in the cauliflower couscous across the centre.
I’m telling you…this recipe is one that packs a real punch when it comes to flavours and textures. The bonus? It’s low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free and vegetarian too.
How To Make Cauliflower Couscous
Yet another tasty amazing low-carb vegetarian dish to print, save and keep.
Cauliflower couscous is incredibly easy to make and can be enjoyed hot or cold. The recipe also has instructions on how to make homemade dukkah, which is a vibrant Mediterranean spice mix with sliced almonds that can be served sprinkled on dishes or used with bread dipped in olive oil.
See the Easy Cauliflower Couscous Recipe which can be used for chicken, beef, pork, and as the main event for a low-carb vegetarian meal.
Low-Carb Eggplant And Cauliflower Couscous Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Mint Yoghurt Sauce
- 4 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- 250 ml natural unsweetened yoghurt
- salt to taste
Fried spiced eggplant
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 large eggplant/aubergine
- 1 tsp garlic minced crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander/cilantro
- +/- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Mint Yoghurt Sauce
- Mix the mint and yoghurt. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate until needed for up to 3 days.
Fried spiced eggplant
- Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise then score/cut the skin as shown.
- Heat the coconut oil in the frying pan and cook the eggplant skin side down for 3-5 minutes. As the eggplant is cooking, sprinkle the garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper over the top.
- Turn the eggplant over, and fry for a further 5 minutes until completely soft in the centre. Remove from the frying pan.
- To serve, place the eggplants on a serving dish, place 1/4 cup cauliflower couscous along the centre, and top with plenty of mint yoghurt sauce. Garnish with dukkah.
Nutrition
Related side dishes
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I’m not seeing the cauliflower couscous in the ingredients list or in the recipe instructions.
It’s in the post, just above the recipe “See the Easy Cauliflower Couscous Recipe.”