Can a Traditional Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole Go Paleo?

From Chicago Now. Fingers aren't numb any more, but one's wrapped in a huge bandage.

"As of 2 Thanksgivings ago, STS (the author) was officially kicked off cooking duty. Why? Because I made the kind of Green Bean Casserole that you find under the section "healthy eating" in all the magazines and cookbooks - you know the kind with diced tomatoes. You start making the green bean casserole by sauteeing the green beans in a pan with olive oil, a little garlic, some spice to taste, add the tomatoes and tiny bit of Miracle Whip, bake for about 15 min....my family was NOT going to have that - no way, no how.

So I bring the red and white wine every Thankgiving (and a little extra "thank you host" special beer for the brother in law) and I'm perfectly fine with it. I will eat the traditional green bean casserole with the canned beans, cream of mushroom soup, french fried onions from a can, etc., along with the turkey, stuffing, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, bread, sausage (yes the brother in law is big on sausage) and maybe a salad? Not sure.

Now if I was healthy eating hardcore I'd just bring all of my own stuff to eat, but that would be very snobby of me and I would be missing out on some really good food. So I'll try to use cardinal rule diet tip number 1: control the portions on Thursday; eat slower, in moderation. I'll TRY, I said, but I'm not too optimistic that it will happen because after the main meal there's apple and pumpkin pie, with homemade whipped cream, coffee...YUM.

Yep...I'm having tradtional Thanksgiving food tomorrow (well except the sausage - every family has their "thing")...but then I was thinking: what would it be like if Thanksgiving's traditional green bean casserole went paleo? So I googled "green bean casserole paleo" and there were quite a few hits!

If you don't know about paleo, or The Paleo Diet, it is all the rage right now in types of dieting. Some endurance athletes swear by it. Simply put, being on a paleo diet means to eat everything like our ancestors would, specifically those who lived in the in the Paleolithic Era. It has been shown as effective as a detox option as well as a potential diabetic diet and, with weight control possibilities, claims have been made that one can lose weight fast by being on a paleo diet, but I'm not sure I'm into that. Regardless:

from US News & World Report , a section on Best Diets :

Paleo diets are based on a simple premise—if the cavemen didn’t eat it, you shouldn’t either. So long to refined sugar, dairy, legumes, and grains (this is pre-agricultural revolution); hello to meat, fish, poultry, fruits, and veggies. What you eat and how much depend on your goals or the specific program you’re on, if you choose to follow one.

So no legumes? That means no green beans are to be consumed using a paleo diet as it is a "grain legume," something that was farmed and not grabbed by our paleolithic ancestors as a means for nourishment.

BAH HUMBUG... Ok well, then there are varieties of green bean casserole that are paleo-esque.

One blogger uses kale instead of green beans in a Green (Not Bean) Casserole. Nell Stephenson, nutrition expert, triathlete and a huge advocate of the paleo diet, says to scrap the whole casserole altogether and go for something like brussel sprouts . Another blogger says to try her French Green Bean Casserole W/Crispy Shallots , which uses fresh green beans, crimini mushrooms and her very own Creamy Cashew Gravy recipe.

That last recipe sounds scrumptious, but that will have to be a personal recipe.

I'm not sure anything I'm eating on Thanksgiving will be Paleo; for that matter, the same probably goes for Christmas. You know, ever since I started this fitness for wellness journey almost 3 years ago I realized that I'm not a huge fan of processed food anyway - it mostly just tastes funny. I will still try to plan out my meals accordingly, but I will stick to portion control and moderation over the holidays - it's the only way to go. I will just enjoy the food I eat...and:

We'll keep savoring really good food over the holidays, especially the non-paleo, traditional, good ol' fashioned green bean casserole."

Stick with the turkey and B-I-L's sausage--the only two things NOT coming from a can! I don't even want to know who's going to come away with what BPA levels.

As for the casserole replacement, we chose a salad. Just meat, salad, and some sort of pumpkin dessert--who needs more?