Five Paleo Dinners To Cook Next Week #28

Yesterday was an epic day! My  husband Dave was awarded his MFA from the Center For Cartoon Studies, which means the Next Chapter has officially begun. Friday is his graduation, and then I guess I have to start calling him Master Dave.

That’s a joke. I am no Jane Eyre.

But I am immensely impressed with his accomplishment. Creating comics has even more steps than creating cookbooks, and he spent a lot of hours refining his scripts and sweating over the details of his art. This comic about a bear investigating a misunderstood witch is one of my favorite examples of his fiction work—and his nonfiction projects are part of a surprise that’s coming soon. (Cliffhanger!)

And now, because good food should never be a mystery, here are five paleo/Whole30 recipes for you, plus an essential condiment and a crunchy snack. Hope you have plenty to celebrate this week, too!

Dinner Ideas (Whole30 compliant)

Bora Bora Fireballs | meljoulwan.comBora Bora Fireballs

Cookup Tips: These succulent meatballs taste best when they’re made just before you eat them, but they’re worth a little bit of pre-dinner hustle!

Recommended Sides: These taste great on a pile of Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice, and also pair nicely with either Crispy (green) Plantains with Garlic Sauce or these Pan-Fried (yellow) Plantains. You might also want to garnish with some Sunshine Sauce… just sayin’.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad | meljoulwan.comVietnamese Chicken Salad

Cookup Tips: You can prep all of the components in advance: poach the chicken, make the mayo, chop the veggies, mix the dressing. Then when it’s time to eat, toss it all together and enjoy!

Recommended Sides: It doesn’t need a thing… YAY!

Bunless Burgers | meljoulwan.comBunless Burgers

Cookup Tips: Burgers cook so fast, I recommend you cook these just before eating—but you could save time by shaping the patties during your Cookup. The link above takes you to my roundup of delicious burger toppers ’cause there’s nothing better than a “sporty supper.”

Recommended Sides: Keep it simple with raw veggies or a Turkish Chopped Salad, or take the classic route with fries: Crispy Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Herb Parsnip Fries, or Classic Diner-Style Home Fries—don’t forget the Kickass Ketchup! You can prep all the potatoes in advance, then throw them in the oven while you cook the burgers.

Paleo Egg Foo Yong | meljoulwan.comEgg Foo Yong

Cookup Tips: This recipe is pretty much made from leftovers, so if you cook chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp during your Cookup, you can toss it into an Egg Foo Yong patty with whatever leftover veggies you have on hand.

Recommended Sides: You can stick with the Asian theme and cook up a batch of Cauliflower Rice, or do a diner-style mash-up and make some Home Fries or Sweet Potato Fries instead. You can do prep on all the veggies for sides during a Cookup, then finish them at dinner time.

Oven-Fried Salmon Cakes | meljoulwan.comOven-Fried Salmon Cakes

Cookup Tips: These hold up great in the fridge and reheat (and freeze) beautifully, so they’re perfect for Cookup action. Serve them with the leftover mayo from the Vietnamese Chicken Salad, or with the Spicy Coconut Mayo below.

Recommended Sides: Veggies that can be made in the oven are nice because you’ve already got the oven going, so how about Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice, Sweet Potato Fries, or Mustard-Garlic Brussels Sprouts?

Condiment (Whole30 compliant)

Spicy Coconut Mayo | meljoulwan.comSpicy Coconut Mayo

Cookup Tips: This is delicious on a green salad, or dabbed on top of the Salmon Cakes or Egg Foo Yong. It’s good until the expiration date on the egg you use to make your mayo.

Treat (not Whole30 compliant)

Grain-Free Green-Ola | meljoulwan.comGrain-Free Green-ola

Cookup Tips: This is easy to throw together and halfway ignore while you’re going about your business with the rest of your Cookup.

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Comments

  • Pauline Ely says:

    Thank you Mel for once again doing this, especially with your extremely busy schedule this week. I have to tell you – my daughter and I had the Latin Chicken last night and I think it’s our new favorite recipe. (Up till now it’s been a sauce recipe you created that we call “plate lickin'”).

    I really appreciate your dedication to us who follow your blog.

    Congratulations to you both on Dave’s accomplishment!

    • I’m so glad you like that Latin American Chicken! It was a surprise to me that the coating+grilling trick actually worked, and I’m so happy I tried it. I think pork chops should be the next experiment! Thanks for your well wishes!

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