Paleo Dinner Party

A Spicy-Sweet Paleo Dinner Party

Our rental house in Vermont has plenty of room to spread out, and frequently, our extra-large dining table is surrounded by Dave’s classmates from the Center for Cartoon Studies who rant (in the best way possible) about their favorite cartoonists and the latest class assignments. There’s always at least one vegetarian in the group, but so far, the veggies have been open to fish, which makes planning a little bit easier.

A recent menu with a tropical theme — almost all from Well Fed 2 — was my favorite so far:
Jerk-seasoned Salmon Cakes
Cuban Meatballs
Lizard Sauce
Spicy Coconut Mayo
Salad greens with Zingy Ginger Dressing
Simple Red Cabbage Salad
Spicy-Pumpkin Spiced Pepitas
Sweet and Salty Fudge Bombs

From the dining perspective, it was pretty epic when the Lizard Sauce and Spicy Coconut Mayo mingled together on the plate. Creamy, spicy, cool, hot, umami wonderfulness.

From a nutrition perspective, it’s a big win! Plenty of vegetables; luscious, healthy fats; protein in two tasty forms, and everything except dessert is Whole30 approved.

And from my perspective as the primary cook, this was a very easy dinner to pull together. All of these recipes can be made in advance, so there’s no last-minute scurrying about when you’d rather be visiting with your dining companions. I baked the meatballs and salmon cakes two days before the dinner, then gently reheated them in the oven, wrapped in aluminum foil, just before we sat down to eat. All of the go-alongs were served at room temp.