my favorite paleo vegetable recipes for feasts

I have lots of recipes on my Pinterest boards, but these are the ones deemed worthy enough to have been included in every feast over the last five years. And of course, because I can't leave well enough alone, I adjust them. But only slightly. 

Collard Greens That Had My GRANDMOTHER Asking For The Recipe from Divas Can Cook 

Y'all. This is the only collard recipe you need. I send EVERYONE to this recipe when they ask how to cook collards. Adjustments: I use lard or tallow (because I don't heat olive oil) and I don't use onions. I have also used about four bunches of collards without increasing the broth amounts (I have a large stockpot). Just please, don't ask if you can use water instead of broth. Because no.

Roasted Radishes from The Primalist

I've never seen such beautiful radishes. Again, I substitute another fat for the olive oil (usually lard). This is a fantastic basic recipe for roasting in general. Because if you have vegetables and are in doubt, roast them. I promise.

Paleo Cauliflower Mashtinis by The Urban Poser

My most favorite paleo blogger ever. And don't get me started on her cookbook, The Paleo Patisserie, because I can just wax poetic for days and days and days. In fact, I'll just do another blog post about her book.

Back to the mashtinis ... this is how I converted my husband to mashed cauliflower. Although these days, riced organic cauliflower in the frozen food section is usually my go-to because it's faster. We use lard as the fat, salt, pepper, garlic, bacon, and maybe cream and cheese (which is primal, not paleo).

Gluten Free Gravy from Holistic Squid

Honestly, I consider this a vegetable because of the amount of onions AND I also double the onions called for (I also double the recipe itself, but only after doubling the onions). Don't skimp on the fat, either. If I'm out of duck fat, we use lard. Because of the amount of onions to cook and because of the recipe itself, it takes a long time. I recommend making this a couple of days in advance. And then use it on EVERYTHING. You'll thank me.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Bacon from Nom Nom Paleo

This is the recipe that converted my kids into Brussels sprout lovers. Without the balsamic vinegar at first, although now they love it. We also add more bacon because ... well, because it's bacon. You don't need a reason.

French Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots using the White Wine and Thyme Cashew Grain Free Gravy from The Urban Poser

I've already said this is my favorite paleo blogger, right? Right. Adjustments to the gravy - I use two onions and since I don't drink white wine, I use the broth. And make sure you CARAMELIZE the onions. Wimpy sautéing is not what you're looking for here. You want the kind of caramelization where you stand over the stove for forty-five minutes constantly stirring (see Slate's article Layers of Deceit if you're confused). Again, do this a day ahead (when you make the other gravy) and just pour yourself a glass of (red) wine and resign yourself to the kitchen for a couple of hours.

Regarding the casserole - I used to not bother with the shallots because they were hard to find and I'd never cooked them before, so I didn't know what I was missing. Now they are far more common and I would never make this without them. And again, we use lard. 

I've never made these recipes and not received compliments. You can be paleo and not ostracized at family feasts, I assure you.