Paleo Green Bean Casserole

Thanksgiving is this weekend here in Canada, which means the typical turkey dinner for most families along with side dishes loaded in dairy, gluten and refined sugar.

For acne-sufferers, this means breakouts!

That’s how it used to be for me and my clients in my acne program, The Clear Skin Solution. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can still enjoy Thanksgiving dinners while promoting clear skin.

That’s why I create a ton of yummy and skin-supportive holiday recipes for my clients and loved ones. One of my family favourites is this paleo green bean casserole. It’s a delicious side dish that will leave your dinner guests and your skin begging for seconds.

Skin Benefits of Green Beans

Green beans have a number of health benefits, including promoting optimal heart health, good eyesight and strong bones. When it comes to acne, here are four ways green beans can support healthy skin.

1. Aids Digestion

The high-fibre content in green beans helps improve digestion and elimination. If you want clear skin, it’s important to have healthy bowel movements every day. Doing so removes acne-triggering toxins and hormones filtered by your liver out of your body and prevents them from being reabsorbed.

2. Abundant in Vitamin A

Green beans are also a rich source of vitamin A. Just half a cup of green beans contains 14 percent of the daily value of vitamin A. This antioxidant can help fight off acne and scars because it stimulates cell turnover, decreases oil production and then clears the pores.

3. Contains Vitamin C

Only half a cup of green beans provides 27 percent of the daily value of vitamin C. This vitamin stimulates the production of collagen, which promotes cell turnover, keeps the skin firm and strengthens the skin’s structural matrix.

4. Loaded With Silicon

Green beans are filled with a type of silicon that is easily absorbed and great for your skin, hair and nails. Silicon is needed to build healthy connective tissues and to strengthen your nails.

Thanksgiving Favourites

If you’re looking for some other healthy and tasty dishes to have alongside your turkey, try these recipes:

• Citrus Beet Salad
• Easy Butternut Squash Soup
• Classic Grain-Free Stuffing
• Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy
• Rosemary Honey Carrot Ribbons
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts
• Easy Paleo Pumpkin Pie
• Cinnamon Baked Apples

Paleo Green Bean Casserole

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Author: Katie Stewart

Ingredients

• 6 cup green beans washed and trimmed
• Avocado oil for sautéing

For the mushroom cream sauce:

• 3 cups shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 medium-large yellow onion roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup broth chicken or vegetable
• ½ can full fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp arrowroot powder

For the fried onions:

• 1 medium-large yellow onion thinly sliced
• 1 egg whisked
• 4 tbsp almond flour
• 2 tbsp arrowroot starch
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ¼ tsp turmeric

Instructions

For the mushroom cream sauce:

• Add avocado oil to pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic, salt and thyme. Saute until onions are translucent and mushrooms cooked down.
• Deglaze the pan with apple cider vinegar.
• Add broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and sprinkle in the arrowroot starch. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
• Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pulse the mushroom cream sauce until slightly chunky (or add to a regular blender and blitz for a few seconds).
• Set aside.

For the fried onions:

• In a clean pan, heat avocado oil (enough to cover the pan) over medium-high heat.
• Combine almond flour, arrowroot starch, salt paprika, and turmeric in a bowl. Set aside.
• Add onions to the bowl of whisked egg and coat well.
• Working in batches, add egg-coated onions to the almond flour mixture. Coating well and adding to hot pan -- keeping onions to a single layer.
• Fry until golden brown and flip -- frying the other side until golden brown as well.
• Remove onions from pan and drain on a paper towel in a single layer. Set aside.

For the beans:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a baking dish with avocado oil. Set aside.
• Steam the beans until bright green and still crisp (about 3-5 minutes).
• Transfer beans to the baking dish and pour mushroom cream sauce on top. Mix until beans are well coated.
• Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
• Top beans with fried onions. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and serve immediately.