5 Delicious Grain-Replacement Recipes

Over the years I’ve somewhat unintentionally reduced or eliminated the amount of grain products that I eat. I’m at a point now where aside from white rice (or white rice pasta), I really don’t eat grains.

While I never considered my meal choices to be “grain replacements,” I get many of the same benefits from the foods that I eat, none to few of the down sides, and tons of flavor and joy that you might be concerned you’d be giving up along with those grains. With that said, here are my top five “grain-replacement” recommendations:

1) Sweet Potatoes/Yams: High in vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin C and potassium. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel 1-2 sweet potatoes, slice them up, throw them in a pyrex dish with coconut oil, sea salt, pepper and cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes.

2) Parsnips: Good source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. Made similarly to sweet potatoes above. Just bake about 5 minutes less and add some ghee or butter after you take them out of the oven.

3) Butternut Squash: Great source of beta-carotene, will also solve your need for carbs, and this one also has the added benefit of being a monosaccharide, making it easier on those with gut issues. Follow the same directions as for the parsnips.

4) Beets: Help to lower inflammation, naturally alkalize and detoxify the body, and support hormonal health. If you’re feeling creative, try making Sweet Beet Potato Hash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel a sweet potato and two beets. Chop everything up very finely. Toss together with sea salt, pepper and coconut oil. Place in a pyrex dish and bake for 35 minutes.

5) Banana-Egg Pancakes: Bananas are packed with potassium, magnesium and fiber. Eggs (the free-range variety) are a good source of protein, are high in omega-3 fatty acids and reduce the risk of heart disease. While this recipe isn’t for every day, it’s delicious and simple. Throw the following ingredients into a bowl: 2 ripe mashed bananas, 3 eggs, 1tsp of cinnamon, 1tsp of vanilla extract, sea salt (to taste) and ghee. Pour the mix into a pan with melted ghee or coconut oil already in there and make some pancakes as you normally would. Add a small amount of butter (or ghee) and raw honey to the top of the stack to finish it off. This one’ll have kids and grownups alike begging for more!

As you can see, going grainless can actually be pretty painless, and incredibly flavorful!