I love a cooking challenge, whether it’s gluten-free, no salt, no oil, raw, etc. Recently a good friend was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and was instructed by a nutritionist to limit her carbohydrate intake to 30 grams or less per meal. If you have ever researched how much carbohydrates are in your daily foods, you’d be astounded. Carbohydrates are in everything! Keeping a 30 gram limit of carbs per meal can be unsettling and difficult for most of us, vegan or not. I was determined to come up with a meal that was delicious, nutritious, and within this 30 gram limit that my friend would enjoy. Based on what was in my CSA and what I knew my friend would like, I created the following menu:

Vegan Carrot Curry Soup from AllRecipes.com
Dill Tofu Frittata based off of a recipe for Shiitake Dill Fritatta from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (instead of mushrooms, I just used a white onion and two chopped scallions in its place)
Lemon Pepper Tofu, also from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Vegan Coleslaw from The Sweetest Vegan
Roasted Romanesco Cauliflower from Brooklyn Farmhouse and
Purple Kale Salad (my creation, see recipe below)
1 bunch purple kale
juice from one lemon
2 TB olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Tear leaves from the stems of kale into small, bite-size pieces and place in a large bowl. Juice the lemon and mix the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing onto the kale. Toss and serve.

The meal was amazing. It was a nice blend of different tastes, textures, temperatures, and tanginess. It also renewed my love for tofu frittatas. Tofu is low-carb and high in protein. The carrot curry soup was creamy and had a nice blend of spices. This was my first time making a recipe using romanesco cauliflower, which if you’ve never seen before, is green and has Christmas tree shaped florets. Adorable! The cole slaw recipe was very simple and a refreshing side dish. The purple kale also rounded out the meal well and provided additional nutrients.

Whether one is watching their carb intake or not, this is one fancy and fun meal. Enjoy.

Overall, I’d rate this meal a strong 5 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale.