The Rookie Cook

If you’re on a low-carb diet and have been hating the posts and videos this week, hate no more. You have not been forgotten. This post is dedicated to you.

Culinary science has made some advances since the early days of low-carb diets, but if you’re tired of hunting for low-carb pasta or low-carb rice, consider these low-carb veggies in place of potatoes:

Cauliflower - Broccoli’s pale cousin can be mashed like potatoes. One cup of cauliflower has 5 grams carbohydrates and 3.3 grams fiber.

Turnip – This purple-white root vegetable has a texture similar to potatoes and does well in soups and stews. One cup of turnips has 7.6 grams carbohydrates and 3.1 grams fiber.

Jicama (also known as the yam bean root) – This south-of-Rio member of the morning glory family can be baked, boiled, fried, mashed, or steamed. One cup has 8.8 grams carbohydrates and 3.7 grams fiber.

Celery root (also known as celeriac) – The taste is described as a cross between a celery and a potato. Oddly enough, it isn’t actually the root of the familiar green stringy stalks. It’s a related plant lacking celery’s ability to floss your teeth as you eat. Fry it, mash it, or add it raw to a salad. One cup has 7.1 grams carbohydrates and 3.4 grams fiber.

Rutabaga – This root vegetable may have the best texture and mouth-feel of all the potato substitutes listed here. However, the cooking time is two to three times longer than a comparable quantity of potatoes. They’re also a good source of folate and vitamin C. One cup has 11.38 grams carbohydrates and 3.5 grams fiber.