low-glycemic

Sweet and Savory Parsnip Mash [RECIPE]

Paleo, Recipes, Side Dish, ,

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet because I’m planning a bonus post for Friday, of which today’s recipe will be a part. I’m featuring parsnips — mashed parsnips to be exact. 

The Parsnip

Parsnips are weird. They look like white carrots that don’t taste very good raw (even Dexter doesn’t like them), and sometimes they can be gnarly and weird. Grocery stores don’t need them to look “perfect” to sell them, so they kind of seem more exotic than your average root veggie — a beet, a carrot, a potato. Parsnips are actually pretty great though. They’re high in fiber (about twice the fiber of a potato or carrot), and they boast a pretty decent nutritional profile: potassium, vitamin C, manganese, folate. Lots of goodies in there. Plus, they’re naturally sweet. Yum.

image found on Wikipedia through Creative Commons by Jonathunder

image found on Wikipedia through Creative Commons by Jonathunder

Parsnip Mash

I have to admit, the humble parsnip has never been a star on my shopping list. I don’t think I ever even tried a parsnip before I learned how easy and delicious roasted root veggies could be. I decided to throw some into the mix one day and have enjoyed them ever since. This was back in grad school when I finally decided to stop being afraid of my oven. In addition to the stove top creation as the main feature of this meal, today’s recipe has an oven component too (for the topping), so get your preheat going and let’s get started! 

parsnip mash

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Parsnip Mash
Serves 6
Parsnips are delicious substitutes for potatoes. They're high in fiber, have a low glycemic load, and have a natural sweetness to them.
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Prep Time
3 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
18 min
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Prep Time
3 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
18 min
Ingredients
  1. medium leek
  2. 1 cup bone broth (affiliate link) or veggie broth
  3. 1/4 cup coconut milk (CWB Favorite Pick)
  4. 1 tsp salt
  5. 2 tbs butter or ghee (CWB Favorite Pick)
  6. pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Cut parsnips into large, even-sized chunks and place in a large pot
  3. Separate the white part from the green part of the leek, coarsely chop the white part and add it to the pot
  4. Slice the green part of the leek into 1/4 inch strips and spread out evenly across a cookie sheet
  5. Drizzle greens with avocado oil and roast while the parsnips are steaming (about 7 minutes)
  6. Cover and simmer parsnips and the white part of the leeks in broth until a fork slides easily through the parsnips (about 12 minutes)
  7. Turn off the fire and add coconut milk, salt, and butter or ghee
  8. Using an immersion blender (CWB Favorite Pick) or potato masher, blend or mash until smooth and creamy like mashed potatoes
  9. Sprinkle black pepper to taste
  10. Top the parsnip mash with roasted green leeks and enjoy warm
Cultivated Wellbeing http://cultivatedwellbeing.com/

FTC DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links (CWB Favorite Picks), which means I may receive monetary compensation for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. I only link to products that I USE and LOVE. All opinions are my own.

Grain-Free Crab Cakes with Spicy Olive Dipping Sauce

Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, , , , , , , , ,

dungenesscrab

It’s Dungeness crab season! Since moving to California, nearly every Thanksgiving has included Dungeness crab alongside the turkey and casseroles. We’ve also hosted at least one crab feast nearly every year as well — sometimes 2 or 3. The season lasts through the winter, and this year, we tripled the celebration — 2 birthdays and a crab feast, all on the same day. Yum!

Growing up in Texas and then moving to Maryland, I’m very well-versed in blue crab. I can pick them and dunk them into butter (or ghee) all day long, never tiring, never getting full. It’s heaven. 🙂 But since moving to California, I’ve discovered the blue crab’s boss — DUNGENESS CRAB! Nearly every bit as delicious, with 5 times the meat in chambers 5 times the size, these monsters are far more bang for your buck. You can eat every single leg (not so on the blue crab unless they’re exceptionally big), and even the joints have little morsels of goodness. Perfect for a party if someone is new to crab picking, and perfect for the hungry!

Due to an awesome deal we got through our friends at Cassis Catering, we went a little overboard on our crab order, and ended up with 2 extra enormous crabs. This is where these beautiful crab cakes come in!grainfreecrabcake1

Crab Cake Ingredients:

  • cooked meat from 2 whole Dungeness crabs (We boiled ours with onion, garlic, Old Bay, bay leaves, lots of salt (more than you might think), cracked red pepper, and lemon juice. We also had corn, carrots, and potatoes boiling in with them for the party)
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 to 3 green onions, chopped into thin slices
  • 1 to 1.5 tbs dijon mustard
  • 1 tbs coconut flour
  • 1 tbs ground flaxseed
  • 1 tsp Old Bay
  • 1/4 tsp celery seed
  • 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
  • (optional) red pepper flake to taste
  • sea salt to taste

Directions: Add all ingredients in medium mixing bowl and incorporate with fork, taking care not to completely shred the crab (I prefer large chunks of crab meat instead of shredding it into mush. In my mind, you aren’t searching for the crab amid tons of breading in a good crab cake. The crab is front and center.)

grainfreecrabcake

Spicy Olive Dipping Sauce:

  • 4 tbs mayo (I was too lazy to make my own, but would recommend it if you’re going strict paleo)
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp wasabi powder or paste
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp EVOO
  • 2 tbs chopped green olives
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • pinch of garlic powder

Directions: Whisk all ingredients except olives until well incorporated and smooth, then stir in olives.

Enjoy!

grainfreecrabcake2

 

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