Paleo Green Bean Casserole

Version 1:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Aluminum foil is an acceptable substitute.
3. Drizzle 1 Tbl EVOO on the thinly sliced yellow onions and sprinkle with 1 tsp sea salt. Massage the EVOO and salt evenly into the onions with your hands. Spread the onions out on the baking sheet evenly.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F, removing from the oven and stirring/flipping every 10 minutes. You’re looking for a brown/crispy texture. [Note: cook for an additional 5+ minutes if they aren’t crispy enough].
5. Put a large pot of water and salt on high heat and bring to a boil.
6. Roughly chop the bacon and add to a sauté pan on high heat. Lightly crisp the bacon then add the chopped shallots. Once the shallots are slightly clear, add the minced garlic. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms and continue to stir on medium/high heat.
7. Cut the green beans into half and add to the water when it starts boiling. Boil for 5 minutes then remove from the water and place in a bowl. When the mushrooms have cooked down and have a golden color, remove the entire bacon/scallion/garlic/mushroom mixture and place aside in a separate bowl.
8. With the heat on medium/low, add 1 Tbl EVOO and 1 cup of the almond milk and stir with a metal whisk.
   Add half of the almond meal and whisk until it dissolves. Carefully add the rest of the almond milk and almond meal, whisking the mixture together over a medium simmer.  Add 2 tsp sea salt and the 2 tsp pepper.  Whisk until the gravy thickens slightly to the texture of heavy cream. Reduce the heat and add the bacon/mushroom mixture then stir.
9. Add the green beans to the sauté pan and stir. Pour the entire mixture into a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil & the lid (if you have one) and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
10. Remove the foil/lid and sprinkle the dried onions evenly on top.
11. Place back in oven for 5 minutes at 350F uncovered. Enjoy!

Version 2:

1. Break apart the onion discs so that you have rings. Toss them in the beaten egg and then coat each onion in the powdered pork rinds. Lay them out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 30 – 45 minutes (or until they start to brown and look crispy). Remove from the oven and set aside and roughly chop up when cooled.
2. Put the trimmed green beans in a large soup pot and cover with water. Set over medium heat and once it comes to a simmer, set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain and dunk in some cold or ice water to stop the cooking process.
3. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they’re reduced in size and browning.
4. Add the coconut milk then whisk in the 2 tablespoons of arrowroot.
5. Stir in the salt and pepper and let simmer, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes.
6. In a large bowl, toss the green beans with the mushroom gravy and chopped bacon.
7. Pour into a 9×13” casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
8. Remove from oven, toss the chopped onions on top and return to the oven again (uncovered) at 350 for an additional 5 minutes.
9. Serve warm.