Family Meals Matter-White Hot

From the Kansas City Star. I only included the recipes from this story that could be considered or made Paleo. I tried to offer alternatives--I hope it helps!

"White foods - whether cauliflower and cheese, mushrooms and milk or parsnips and pears - also offer a wide range of essential nutrients and should be part of a balanced diet. For instance, mushrooms contain several key nutrients, including copper, potassium, folate and niacin, while cheese offers nutrients from vitamin A to zinc. According to color theory, white is the presences of all colors so the diverse range of nutrients in white foods may not be so surprising after all."

I'm just glad they didn't mention potatoes!

ROASTED PARSNIP SOUP
2 pears, peeled and cut into eighths (maybe use apples instead?)
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 tablespoon canola oil (substitute appropriate fat for this)
1 teaspoon salt, divided (nori flakes are lower in sodium)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup balsamic vinegar (if not Paleo, the substitute one that is)
2 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
2 1/4 cups low-fat milk (substitute nut milk)

Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toss parsnips, pears, onion, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a roasting pan. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until very soft and starting to brown, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil vinegar in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 14 minutes. Watch the syrup carefully during the last few minutes of reducing to prevent burning. Remove from the heat.

Puree half of the parsnip mixture with broth in a blender until very smooth; transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the other half with milk until very smooth. Add to the saucepan and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reheat the soup over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Gently reheat the balsamic syrup if it has become thicker than syrup while standing. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the balsamic syrup.

Tip: Remove the fibrous, woody core of parsnips before using: quarter parsnip lengthwise and cut out the core with a paring knife.

GINGER LEMONADE
2 cups water
1 cup honey (or substitute stevia equal to 1 cup of sweetener)
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 cup Fresh lemon juice
2 cups sparkling water (maybe use coconut water instead?)

Combine the water, honey and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat off and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain the syrup and let it cool. Combine the cooled syrup and lemon juice in a pitcher.

Fill 4 tall glasses with ice and divide the ginger-lemon mixture among them. Top each glass off with sparkling water and garnish with mint sprigs and lemon wedges.

All the rest of the recipes relied on cheese, bread products, or a combination of the two, and I am just not imaginative to find a work-around for gnocchi or cheese sauce.