Five Paleo Dinners To Cook Next Week #117

I love spooky things all year long, so this time of year is one of my favorites: chilly temperatures, moody skies, and witches, goblins, ghosts, and ghouls everywhere I turn. Plus, pumpkin-spice everything.

I especially like to eat comforting stews and curl up with moody books when the skies are gray and the wind is howling. I’m currently reading European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman—which involves the daughters of Dr. Jeckyl, Mr. Hyde, Dr. Frankenstein, and Dr. Moreau teaming up with Holmes and Watson (and Irene Addler) to investigate possible vampirism in Vienna and Budapest. There’s Victorian era feminism, the Orient Express, big adventure, and plenty of nerdy literary references. It sounds nuts, but it’s really well done. Next up, I’m diving into Help the Witch, a collection of spooky short stories by the brilliant British essayist Tom Cox. If you want more ideas for spine-tingling reads, here’s my list of all-time favorite spooky books.

With all that suspenseful reading, you’ll be needing something comforting. This week’s recipes are all very easy to make, loaded with flavor, and perfectly cozy. Be sure to make a batch—or perhaps a double?!—of Vampire-Fighting Pork Stew. You never know what’s lurking about out there.

Dinner Ideas (Whole30 compliant)

Vampire-Fighting Paleo Pork Stew

Cookup Tips: This tastes even better after a few days in the fridge, so you can make it up to 5 days in advance. It also freezes very well, so think about a double batch. It tastes really great on a bed of shredded cabbage that’s quick-sautéed withe a little olive oil.

BONUS: Watch Hilah and I make this stew on her show Hilah Cooking!

Recommended Sides: Mashed Cauliflower, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut, or sautéed cabbage.

Cuban Meatballs

Cookup Tips: Meat “dough” can be made 1 day in advance then cooked—or you can cook the meatballs during your Cookup and re-heat just before eating. They’ll stay fresh and tasty for 5-6 days after cooking. They also freeze like champs!

Recommended Sides: Plantains are the way to go, for sure! Go for Crispy (green) Plantains with Garlic Sauce (the sauce would be awesome on the meatballs) or Pan-Fried (yellow) Plantains. You can boil the plantains in advance, so when you’re ready to eat, all you need to do is fry ’em up.

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.

Comfort Noodles

Cookup Tips: Prep the zucchini noodles in advance: sweat, rinse, squeeze, and store in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to eat, the Comfort Noodles come together in minutes! And if you make a lot of zucchini noodles, you’ll have them for other meals throughout the week.

Recommended Sides: This is a complete meal in a bowl and really doesn’t need sides. YAY! Although, if you wanted to beef it up a bit, you could add some cooked ground meat, along with the eggs.

Best Chicken Ever

Cookup Tips: This is a meal saver! Make a big batch during your Cookup, then enjoy it all week long on salads, on a “diner plate” with two veggies, chopped up and sautéed with veggies. Make a double batch of Moroccan Dipping Sauce so you have that around, too.

Recommended Sides: Definitely Cauliflower Rice! And maybe a salad of cucumbers, red bell peppers, and red onion tossed with the Moroccan Dipping Sauce. Slice the raw veggies during your Cookup to save precious minutes at meal time.

Treat! (No tricks.)

Maple-Pumpkin Coconut Macaroons

Cookup Tips: These are not in any of my cookbooks, but a little Halloween treat that won’t release the Sugar Demon seems like a nice idea right about now.

Bonus:

Cauliflower Brains!

Cookup Tips: Sure, I might be alone in thinking that cauliflower is a treat, but this recipe is delicious and might help you fight zombies, so… win all around. It pretty much takes care of itself in the oven and then you can eat it anytime you need veggie super powers.

WANT TO GET A NOTIFICATION OF MY “5 PALEO DINNERS TO COOK NEXT WEEK” SENT TO YOUR EMAIL EVERY THURSDAY? SIGN UP HERE!