One struggle in Paleo cooking is finding good substitutes for what you would usually have as the starch part of the meal. So, here are some easy ideas:

• See bread-like and cracker-like items post
• Sweet Potatoes or Yams
• Carrots or Parsnips
• Cactus paddles (can buy at Lily’s) – look for future posts on cooking with these
• Winter squashes – pumpkin, spaghetti squash, acorn, butternut. There are a variety of others and you can find them at the farmer’s markets or Wegman’s.
• Summer squashes – yellow squash, zucchini
• Cabbage
• Kohlrabi
• Cauliflower (my least favorite)
• Non-potato starchy tubers that may/may not fit your idea of Paleo – cassava, arrowroot, jicama, turnips, beets,

Out-of-the Box Ideas:

Coming in a future post.

BUY IN A STORE

Coconut Wraps. You can buy these at MOM’s ($5.79/4 wraps) or order them a little cheaper in bulk on-line.  They are small and thin with a fairly strong coconut flavor.  It is a perfect match for a chicken salad, shrimp, or veggie wrap. You can also use the curry ones for a breakfast burrito with some scrambled eggs and something like cilantro to cut the sweet of the coconut. Perhaps they could be used for a dessert; maybe saute some bananas or berries as a filling?  Rating = 4 (it would be a 5 if they weren’t so expensive!).

Flackers (flax), Dr. Kitchen brand, Roots $4.99/5oz. Two of the flavors are Paleo – the cinnamon & currant, and sun ripened tomato & basil.  These have a crunchy texture similar to a cracker, but are made from highly compressed flax seeds. They are not awesome, but if you need a little cracker crunch to go with your soup or salad, they will do the job.  Rating = 3.

MAKE YOURSELF

Pizza Crust. Whisk together 2 eggs until frothy, add 2 Tbl olive oil, salt and herbs of choice, then slowly add 2 C of flour (use all almond flour or cut it with sweet potato or other paleo-ish flour). Roll onto greased cookie sheet to 12x12inch circle, prick with fork, put in preheated 350C oven for 20-25 minutes.  Add pizza toppings and cook until done. (http://www.cookingmycsa.com).  Rating = 4.

Sweet Potato Crepes.  Whisk together 2 eggs, 1C coconut milk, and 2 tablespoons coconut oil. Then add 1/4 tsp salt and 1C sweet potato flour. Whisk until smooth and put 1/8 C batter onto a very hot  griddle, cook for 2 minutes, flip, 2 more minutes and you’re done. Fill with something tasty. Rating = 3. The flavor is very neutral, but the texture can be slightly gelatinous which I don’t like. You can buy sweet potato flour at MOM’s or online from Zocalo gourmet.

Note: there are a lot of examples posted on http://pinterest.com/denisecripps/paleo-recipes-breads-crusts-tortillas-mostly-non-s/ , but I haven’t had a chance to make and explore a lot of these.