Five Paleo Dinners To Cook Next Week #35

We’re putting in 12-hour days right now, shooting the photos for the new cookbook and making final edits because holy crap ohmygosh how did this happen?!, the book goes to print in just 31 days.

And this weekend, right in the middle of the work frenzy, we’re hitting the road down to Foxborough, MA, to see Duran Duran. I’ve written about my deep affection for DD here and here. My Duran Duran playlist is on repeat, and I almost feel 16 again. Almost. Although 16-year-old me had no idea she was going to become a cookbook author and fall in love with lifting barbells. (I am not 16 in this photo with John Taylor of DD. I was about 27 or 28, but just as awkward and goofy about meeting Duran Duran as a teenager.)

To honor my blast from the past, this week’s edition of recipes includes foods I’ve loved since I was a kid. Let me just say that I ate a LOT of creamy Italian dressing growing up—and I love it still.

Happy cooking to you!

Dinner Ideas (Whole30 compliant)

Kibbeh Sinayee

Cookup Tips: The meat “dough” can be made 1 day in advance then cooked—or you can cook the whole shebang during your Cookup and re-heat just before eating. This actually tastes even better after a day or two in the fridge.

Recommended Sides: This tastes great with Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice and Tahini Dressing. (Make it during your Cookup and enjoy all week!) For more veggies, you could add a simple chopped salad of cucumber, tomato, onion, and bell pepper dressed with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil—or get fancy with Turkish Chopped Salad.

Old School Italian Meat Sauce with Zucchini Noodles

Cookup Tips: This recipe is perfect for a lazy weekend day, when it can just do its own thing in the background. You can also prep the zucchini in advance: julienne it, sweat it, rinse it, pat it dry, and place in fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Recommended Side: Yes, it’s cliché, but it’s a delicious cliché: Make a salad and top it with luscious Creamy Italian Dressing.

Mexican Meatza

Cookup Tips: The Meatza can be baked for the first time in advance, then just before eating, add the toppings and do the second bake.

Recommended Sides: This tastes really great Crispy (green) Plantains, or a salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing. Plantains can be boiled and smashed during a Cookup, then crisped in a pan just before your meal. The Cumin-Lime Dressing tastes fresh for about a week, so you can make that in advance, too!

Italian Sausage and Eggplant Strata

Cookup Tips: This tastes better when you don’t eat it right away, so make it during a leisurely cookup, cover it tightly with foil, and slide it into the fridge for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to eat it, reheat in a 300F oven, covered, until hot—or cut it cold into pieces and reheat in a non-stick skillet on the stovetop. (It’s also great diced and mixed into an egg scramble.)

Recommended Sides: This is really nice with Simple Lemon Spinach or Zucchini Noodles with olive oil and garlic.

Chinese Pork Fried (Cauliflower) Rice

Cookup Tips: This is awesome because it’s made mostly of leftovers! When you’re ready to eat, just pull together some bits and bobs from your Cookup and stir-fry it all together!

Recommended Sides: You don’t really need anything additional, but if you want more veg, I like to keep it simple with a side of c0d, raw snap peas—or add a sipping cup of bone broth.

Condiment (Whole30 compliant)

Creamy Italian Dressing

Cookup Tips: Make this during your Cookup and add flair to your meals all week. It’s great on salads, sure, but you can also drizzle it on hot vegetables or a roasted chicken breast, plop it on a bunless burger, and use it as a dipper for roasted sweet potato wedges..

Treat (Whole30 compliant)

Fried Apples (Whole30 compliant)

Cookup Tips: This takes just a few minutes to make, so I recommend that you make this “to order” for maximum bacon crispiness and freshness.

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