Evan said…
In my Paleo thus far I haven’t included lots of starchy vegetables, mostly because I A.) don’t know very many and B.) don’t know how to prepare them.

Thanks, Evan. Let’s talk about ‘safe starches’: those that are composed primarily of glucose and fiber and do not appear to have gut irritating antinutrients like lectins or saponins.

This list is not comprehensive, but it will get you started:

Roots/Bulbs/Tubers: Beets, carrots, celeriac (celery root), garlic, green onions, horseradish, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rutabaga, shallots, turnips, yam, maca, jicama, ginger, cassava, manioc, yucca, taro, water chestnut, artichoke, fennel.

Squashes are a ‘safe starch’ too: Acorn, kabocha, butternut, delicata, pumpkin, hubbard, spaghetti. As are green plantains.

You’ll have to ask around to find a lot of these–your average grocery store probably won’t carry the more obscure varieties. Try farmers markets and Asian grocery stores (Uwajimaya is a good bet).

Cooking: Beets, parsnips, rutabaga, taro, yucca, yam, plantains are all delicious when roasted. Chop, put some coconut oil/butter/lard in a pan in the oven at 375 degrees, add salt/pepper/spices (get creative!) and mix frequently. They will get soft in ~ 30 minutes or so. You can also dice into small chunks and cook on your stove top in a covered pan, or slice thin, put on cookie sheet and make ‘chips’.

Squashes cook well when roasted in the oven.

Here’s a great recipe for celery root soup.

Kohlrabi, radishes, jicama, and fennel are all delicious raw: Jicama and kohlrabi need to be peeled first.

Artichokes are best when steamed.

Anyone else found tasty ways to cook up safe starches?