Editor’s Note: If you start reading through this recipe and think, “Geez, that’s a lot of work I really don’t want to do”, never fear! Since making paleo grits from scratch, I have found out you can actually just buy them already prepared in the store. In fact, (You Won’t Believe It’s Not) Loaded Instant Mashed Potatoes is one of my favorite meals now because I don’t have to do any dehydrating if I don’t want to. And I won’t blame you if you go that route because reality is that is what I am doing now. But I like to keep this recipe up because I want to encourage you to think outside the box when it comes to your backpacking meals!
Sometimes I am amazed at the new foods that I have been incorporating into my diet since making the change to a whole foods, paleo lifestyle. Although I ate more than my share of unique things growing up (my mom was born and raised in the Philippines), it turns out there are still so many foods out there to try!
#cassavaroot #seasalt #garlicpowder #oliveoil
In the last year, I have been experimenting with more forms of starches for my backpacking meals beyond sweet potatoes. One of these has been the cassava root, sometimes called manioc or yuca (not to be confused with yucca). This is the starchy tuber we get tapioca from. It has twice the calories of potatoes or plantains and more protein, as well.
I have to admit I was a little intimidated at first for two reasons. One, I read that cassava contains some level of the compound found in cyanide so you have to cook it properly (most is found in the peel). Yikes, that’s not intimidating at all. Then I found out that there is a bitter and sweet variety, with the bitter being the one to worry about. But it is only found where it is grown and here in the U.S. we only find the sweet variety in the store. Sweet.
The second is that if you overcook it, it simply turns into one gelatinous mass (think tapioca pudding). If you have ever used tapioca starch to thicken anything, you know what I mean. I was looking for something that would replace potatoes or rice so globbing (is that a word?) was not going to do.
I read somewhere that folks in some African countries use it to make polenta so I should I would give it a try. I peeled the root and grated it like cheese. You want to choose a root that is very white without brown spots. My friend says she will break off an end at the store but I took my chances.
I then steamed it for just a few minutes until it became translucent and laid it out in my dehydrator to dry.
It became a stiff bark when dry which I broke up into small pieces and put in my food processor to break it down into a coarse powder.
I then experimented with adding water to rehydrate it. It turns out these are best rehydrated in cool water where they will make a consistency similar to grits or polenta. Use the heat of what you serve on top to warm them. If you use warm or hot water to rehydrate, you get something closer to tacky glob (as tends to happen with tapioca). They come out to the consistency of polenta, grits or cream of wheat.
I have found success adding olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt to these. Nutritional yeast is good, too. I also use them as a base for dishes like Salmon Mushroom Polenta. I particularly like that they are no-cook and I hope to add them to my meals this summer with both savory and sweet dishes!
Paleo Polenta or Grits
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Total Time
26 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Paleo, Soy free, Vegan, Whole Food
Servings: 2 1 cup servings
Ingredients
- 1 cassava root 8-9 inches
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cut off the ends of the cassava root and then cut it in half. Using a paring knife, cut off the bark. Rinse well.
- Grate the root like you would cheese.
- Steam until the shreds turn translucent. It will be a bit gelatinous.
- Dry in your dehydrator on the fruit/vegetable setting until it is a stiff bark and completely dry.
- Break into small pieces and put through your food processor or a spice blender until a coarse meal.
- Store in an airtight container. They will last longer if kept in the fridge.
- To rehydrate, cover with cool water in a 2:1 ratio and let sit for a few minutes. Mix in the salt, garlic powder and olive oil. Enjoy!
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