Grilled Veggies with Creamy Cilantro Dip

Have to you heard about the Pegan Diet/Food?? We know about the famous gluten-free diet, so many follow Veganism, many are now on Paleo diets, some follow keto, some on GE diet and the list goes on. Recently I came to know about the Pegan diet... Pegan!! any guesses(if you haven't heard of it!!)..

What is a Pegan Diet?

Pegan the new diet on the block that still to catch on, is the combination of Vegan and Paleo diets.Vegan as most of us know is the diet where people who follow it abstain from any animal products that includes all the dairy products, all kinds of meat, and animal derived products like honey.Paleo diet is designed to resemble what the our ancestors from the Paleolithic era ate.No processed food, no grains, no vegetable oils, no dairy products. It's a diet based on fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, healthy fats, meat , fish and egg. One side Veganism can be attributed to sentimental and ethical attachment of some with animals. paleo diet is primarily designed for the designed to esp leading a healthy and active lifestyle and weight management. Learn more about Veganism and Paleo diet here..Vegan Diet, Paleo diet.

What forms the basis of Pegan Diet?

Coming back to Pegan diet, it takes the best from the vegan diet and paleo diet. It is diet based on fresh fruits and vegetables, selected gluten-free grains in limited portions, protein derived from animal sources. A strict no to processed food, any dairy products, soy, gluten and starchy vegetables. This diet plan was introduced by Dr. Mark Hyman(Medical director at Cleveland Center for Functional Medicine and the best-selling author of Eat Fat Get Thin. Learn more about Dr. Mark and his work here..

The pegan diet recommends 75% of fresh fruits and vegetables for daily dietary intake and 25% of proteins. Know in detail about Pegan Diet here.

You are wondering why I am talking about this new Diet trend??

It's Monday again, and time for the Foodie Bloghop group theme post. This week's theme post was proposed by Veena who blogs at Veenasvegnation.com. Veenaji is very health conscious, dishes up yummy traditional South Indian recipes, bakes beautiful cakes and travels a lot. When she came up with the new diet trend for the theme, we didn't know anything about it. We know about veganism and paleo diets but this was something new for all of us. Last few days read a lot about this diet and if I related to our Indian cuisine any of our lentil curries and stir frys' and many Indian gluten-free flatbreads fall into this category. Since I am no expert in this field, as per my understanding of the Pegan diet from various online resources and group members, I came up with a dish that is vegetable based, uses no processed foods, no dairy products. Grilled Veggies with my new favorite dip Creamy Vegan dip a substitute to my family favourite Yogurt Mint dip.

Creamy Vegan Cilantro and Mint Dip

Yes!! a creamy Vegan dip, where no yogurt or cream is used to make the dip. This dip has good fats, anti-oxidants and is suitable for vegans. The dip has avocados for the creamy texture and cilantro and mint chutney that goes perfect with the grilled veggies.

Grilled Veggies with Creamy Vegan Cilantro and Mint dip is perfect for weight watchers, vegans and those following Paleo diets. It has no dairy, is gluten-free and uses only few herbs and spices for marination. The veggies are marinated in a dressing made with olive oil, ginger garlic and green chilli paste, dried mint along with spices cumin powder, red chilli flakes and dry mango powder. I have also used 1-2 tbsp of goat cheese in marination as in my original recipe I use mozzarella cheese sometimes to give a cheesy touch. Goat Cheese is allowed in Pegan diet. This is optional and you can skip cheese in the recipe.

If you like grilled veggies like me then you will surely agree that these veggies have an amazing flavour. Whether you have these with some dressing as appetizer with your favourite drink or wrap in a tortilla for a wholesome meal the crunchy veggies are a hit among the vegetarians and vegans alike. I love the flavour that comes out with grilling the veggies. Be it summer or winters I love to munch on these crunchy veggie bites. We usually like to have our veggies and kebab with green chutney and yogurt dip. Here for the recipe, I made this Vegan Cilantro creamy dip as Pegan diet prohibits the use of yogurt (a dairy product).

Veggies that I used and which ones can also be used for grilling?

I have used mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and red onions. You can uses any veggies of your choice. Like sweet corns, cauliflower, pumpkin which are allowed in the pegan diet plan. You can also add chicken or meat pieces as per your choice, with the required meat intake. It is a no fuss recipe, the only time it takes is to marinate the veggies and which is at least 1 hour.

This recipe is not only for those who follow Pegan diets, but anyone who likes grilled vegetables. Vegetarians, Vegans, Paleo, Weight-watchers, Diabetics . You can add these grilled veggies to spinach or tomato based vegan curries.

For Creamy Vegan dip, I mixed one avocado with half cup of spicy green chutney which I already had in my refrigerator, but you can always make fresh dip. Please see the recipe card for the method.

Let's see the recipe for Grilled Veggies with Creamy Vegan Dip.

Serve hot Do try these crunchy Grilled Veggies with the dip. Serve these with dash of lime juice and chaat masala on top. Any other seasoning like Mediterranean seasoning can be used. It is a healthy and light option weight watchers and those on special diets. Also these are a great option for appetizers for vegetarians for your get-togethers, game night or movie night.

Eat Fresh and Healthy and Stay Healthy and Happy !!

My references for the Pegan Diet..

• https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a25906196/what-is-pegan-diet/
• https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pegan-diet
• https://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/1015p20.shtml

As I already specified above I am no expert in this subject, my knowledge is based on the the linked online resources. Before trying any of the diet plans do consult your dietician or a trusted health professional.

Whenever you try these Grilled Veggies and Vegan Creamy Dip , do post a picture of the dish. I will love to see the pics on any of my social media pages..FB or tag me on Instagram(#foodtrails25) . You can also Pin the recipe for later use.

Sharing this with Angie's Fiesta Friday co hosted this week by Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau and moi.

Other dishes from the blog that may fall into the Pegan category.. some of them are.. Lehsuni Dal Palak, Chickpea and Couscous Soup, Tomato Soup with Red Lentils,Sarson ka Saag.

Also, whenever you try the recipe, I will love to hear/share your feedback or any queries in the comment section below. I will try to answer your queries as soon as possible.

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Thanks for stopping by!! Keep coming back!!

Swati