Paleo Colcannon + Sugar Detox


I haven't posted in about a week because 1) I have writer's block, 2) I haven't cooked anything, 3) I haven't gone out to eat anywhere, and 4) because I'm on a sugar detox, Paleo diet for the rest of the month of February.

The main focus is on the sugar detox because I have a huge sweet tooth. I know sugar is bad. Dr. Oz says sugar scours the walls of your arteries making it easier for plaque to cling and clog them. Cancer cells also feed off of sugar.  My mom-in-law has had two bouts with breast cancer. The last time she decided to try a new treatment where they filter the sugar out of your blood. She would go and have it done every few months for about a year. Well... she's now cancer free and eats healthy now (she ate healthy before, but even more so now). 

For the rest of the month I am not eating anything sweet (including fruit), dairy, grains, or beans. This means I'm pretty much on a Paleo diet. If you haven't heard of that one, it's also called the Caveman diet with the premise being that all cavemen ate was meat and veggies only. The argument is that our bodies haven't evolved that much over the millennia and that we should go back to eating that way.

Now while one of my friends is a true convert to Paleo, I can't imagine going so myself. I love dairy too much for one thing. But I wanted to do the sugar detox and figured I might as well go full throttle and eliminate the other stuff too for the month.  That's why you see a little tab above for Detox Diary.

Honestly, the meals aren't that difficult. Eggy based breakfasts in the morning, salads or ceviche for me at lunch, and meat and veggies for dinner. I'm snacking on nuts mostly for snacks. It hasn't been too hard on the sweets side during the week. For me the week is easy. It's on the weekends that I get bored and want to bake.

Even though potatoes are a vegetable, white potatoes are a no-no for sugar detox and Paleo because of the high carbs that are easily converted to sugars. Paleo practitioners love to use cauliflower as a substitute. This weekend I tried cauliflower "mashed potatoes" for the first time and decided to make them into colcannon by adding some kale.

Colcannon is an Irish dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale mixed in. As we are approaching St. Pat's Day, it seems appropriate to post this version.

Paleo Colcannon

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small pieces
2 c kale or cabbage, chopped
1 T bacon grease or oil of choice
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper 

Over medium heat on the stove...

In a large pot of boiling water, add the cauliflower and cook until tender. A fork should be able to easily pierce the pieces.  Drain the cauliflower and set aside.

In the same pot, add the bacon grease. Once it has melted, add the chopped kale and saute until wilted and tender. 

Return cauliflower to pot and add olive oil. Mash the cauliflower with a masher or a fork while mixing in the kale. Season with salt and pepper.