This is the first year I’ve really had a successful garden, and so I’ve been able to have fresh veggies all summer long. Even though my garden is really just a few containers and some scattered pots, this small amount of plants has actually produced kind of a lot of food! This vegan keto summer balance bowl is a summery twist on the really basic concept of vegan veggie bowls, and I’m super excited about it!

I talk about my  garden a lot on instagram, because I’m really proud of all the veggies it has produced this year (with more coming!). I don’t have a yard or even a deck, so my garden has to be limited to what can fit on my steps. I ended up discovering Earth Boxes, and planted up a bunch of veggies in a few of those. I also have stray herbs growing in smaller pots that I can move around and bring inside in the winter (I really hope they survive!).

Anywho, right now, my garden is producing veggies in abundance and I thought I’d cook up some veggies to help keep the overflow to a minimum. For this bowl, just run out to your garden (or farmer’s market or grocery store) for the following:

• cauliflower (riced)
• zucchini
• tomatoes
• collard greens
• pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• olive oil
• balsamic vinaigrette
• basil
• salt & pepper

Of course, this is just a guideline for some inspiration! You don’t have to use these exact ingredients. These are just what I had on hand, and in my garden! Yes, the tomatoes are a bit higher in carbs, but they’re so fresh and delicious and full of nutrition, that I think it’s totally worth it.

We all love different veggies, though, and have different taste preferences. If you’ve got a different combo of favorite summer veggies, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!! 🙂

Notes on Making a Vegan Keto Summer Balance Bowl

• You can pretty much use whatever veggies happen to be overtaking your garden at the moment, no need to stick with these. So, if you’re avoiding nightshades, just eliminate the tomatoes.
• To add some more protein, you could always bake or fry up some tofu to go with this. I also really like Vegan Toona from Sophie’s Kitchen as a way to add protein that is gluten-free and soy-free!
• Doubling the amount of pepitas and adding in 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast will also add a healthy amount of protein! I like to mix the nutritional yeast into the cauli-rice with some salt and pepper. It’s really lovely combination!
• I used the 365 brand Balsamic Vinaigrette from Whole Foods for this recipe. I really like that one, but you can obviously use whatever brand you prefer. Be sure to look at labels, though, because some brands are crazy high in sugar! For a paleo vegan dressing option, I like the one from Primal Kitchen.
• Keep in mind that different varieties and brands of ingredients (especially salad dressing!) will have different macros. So, your calculations may vary.

Vegan Keto Summer Balance Bowl

Print Recipe

This simple vegan keto veggie bowl is a great way to use up those tomatoes and zucchini that seem to overrun gardens during the summer months!

Course entree

Cuisine vegan keto

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 1 bowl

Calories 309

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small tomato about 75g
• 1 small zucchini sliced (about 100g)
• 1 cup collards or preferred greens, chopped (about 40g)
• 1 cup 85g cauliflower rice, cooked
• 2 tbsp pepitas
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
• salt & pepper to taste
• chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• If your cauli-rice isn't already cooked, you can make that happen now!
• In a large frying pan on medium-low heat, sautee the tomatoes, zucchini and greens in the olive oil until everything is cooked. You can either do this together, or separately. I cooked them all at the same time in their own little corner of the pan. This should be about 10 minutes, depending on how fat your pan heats up. Sprinkling some salt over everything helps to draw out moisture in the veggies so they cook better.
• Serve over cauliflower rice and top with pepitas and balsamic vinaigrette. Garnish with fresh basil.

Notes

Keep in mind that different brands and varieties of ingredients will have different nutritional values!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.3g | Protein: 8.8g | Fat: 25.9g | Fiber: 6g