Roast fennel and aubergine paella

"Roast fennel and aubergine paella" is a vegan dish delivering roughly 10.7g of protein for about 233.9 calories a serving — a solid plant-based option for life on Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound.

Ingredients

• 6 Baby Aubergine
• 4 Fennel
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Courgettes
• 1 Onion
• 300 g Paella Rice
• 1 tsp Paprika
• pinch Saffron
• 200 ml White Wine
• 700 ml Vegetable Stock
• 100 g Frozen Peas
• 1 Lemon
• handful Parsley
• pinch Salt
• pinch Black Pepper

Method

1. 11 Put the fennel, aubergine, pepper and courgette in a roasting tray. Add a glug of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss around to coat the veggies in the oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning a couple of times until the veg are pretty much cooked through and turning golden.
2. 22 Meanwhile, heat a paella pan or large frying pan over a low– medium heat and add a glug of olive oil. Sauté the onion for 8–10 minutes until softened. Increase the heat to medium and stir in the rice, paprika and saffron.
3. 3Cook for around 1 minute to start toasting the rice, then add the white wine. Reduce by about half before stirring in two-thirds of the stock. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes without a lid, stirring a couple of times.
4. 43 Stir in the peas, add some seasoning, then gently mix in the roasted veg. Pour over the remaining stock, arrange the lemon wedges on top and cover with a lid or some aluminium foil. Cook for a further 10 minutes.
5. 54 To ensure you get the classic layer of toasted rice at the bottom of the pan, increase the heat to high until you hear a slight crackle. Remove from the heat and sit for 5 minutes before sprinkling over the parsley and serving.

Tips for GLP-1 appetites

• A reasonable everyday option — nothing here should be hard on a GLP-1 stomach.
• Plant protein digests more slowly than meat for some people — eat slowly and stop when satisfied.
• At 10.7g of protein a serving, pair it with a protein-forward side if you're short of your daily target.