Keto Pickled Vegetables
One of the healthiest foods to incorporate into your Keto diet is fermented foods, particularly Lacto-fermented foods. Here we have created a Keto ferment with only a few simple ingredients: vegetables and kosher salt. You can use any variety of Low Carb vegetables that you would like. We chose to use cauliflower, carrot, red bell pepper, and celery for this recipe. The smell of this after it is done fermenting is stellar! It smells similar to giardiniera thanks to the bell peppers, which are left tangy after this process. The fermentation process provides many healthy probiotics, and the vegetables give the prebiotics!
How to Make It
Step 1
Begin by preparing the vegetables. Cut the leaves and the stem off of the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower head in half. Then start by cutting the head into florets. If some of the florets are large, cut them in half. Slice the bell pepper into julienne pieces. Peel and slice the carrot into thin slices on a bias. Trim the celery. Cut the celery into ¾” slices on a bias. Combine the vegetables into a quart-sized mason jar.
Step 2
Next, make the brine. To make the brine combine the water with the kosher salt. In the recipe, we have given a measurement in teaspoons and cups. However, it is best to make the brine using weight measurements. To do so, weigh out about 2 cups of water. Multiply the number in grams by 0.02 to get the amount in grams of kosher salt. Add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve. Pour the brine over the vegetables and make sure they are completely covered. Place a grape leaf in the mason jar, as this is a natural way to keep the vegetables crisp.
Step 3
Allow the vegetables to ferment for about 5-7 days. You will know when they are ready when you see bubbles in the jar. You can begin tasting them once you see bubbles and decide to let them go longer if they are too salty versus sour.
Step 4
They will also continue to ferment in the fridge at a slower pace, so if they are close but you will not eat them soon, you can refrigerate them. Serve chilled!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower
5 oz
- Carrots, raw
1 small – 5 3/4″ long or less
- Red pepper
0.5 large – 3″ diameter x 3 3/4″
- Water
2 cup
- Coarse Kosher Salt
2 tsp