Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I'm new to paleo and really loving it, but still trying to figure out some of the practical aspects. We have a lot of vegetarian friends (who I have no interest in trying to convert, being a former vegetarian myself and knowing how annoying that is), and we're having a couple over for dinner tomorrow night. I'm racking my brain trying to think of something to feed them that is not meaty yet also not grainy and/or legumey.

I'm open to "cheating" a bit, and do include moderate amounts of dairy in my version of paleo; they eat dairy & eggs. Any ideas?

Thanks!

*ETA: Just realized that you can (and should) edit questions to provide updates/resolutions, so here's this: We did butternut squash-ginger soup (veggie stock, no dairy), big green salad with walnuts & feta, homemade bread (using flour we have on hand from pre-paleo -- only been paleo for a couple of weeks), apple crisp sweetened with very little maple syrup and topped with oats & nuts & butter, real whipped cream (hello, saturated fat!) with a bit of maple syrup in it. I skipped the bread, and mostly avoided the topping on the apple crisp. Couldn't really say no the crisp altogether, since we made it with the beautiful tiny windfall apples in our yard. So I "cheated" a bit (the syrup, a few oats) but had a great meal & a great time, and so did our veg guests. It can be done! Thanks for your input everyone!

edited Sep 25 2011 at 13:26

asked Sep 21 2011 at 15:35

goodgravymissmaisy
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Sounds perfect. Good job!! – Shari Bambino Sep 25 2011 at 17:52

cliff · Answer 1 · 2011-09-21 15:39:36Z UTC

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some sort of tuber based casserole would be your best bet imo

answered Sep 21 2011 at 15:39

cliff
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And at least potatoes are 10% protein and will fill you up! – Orla K Sep 21 2011 at 16:09

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Tortilla española! – Dragonfly Sep 21 2011 at 16:43

hm, I don't usually do casserole-type things -- I'll have to look into that, thanks! – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:50

coldhandinmine · Answer 2 · 2011-09-21 15:38:37Z UTC

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Crustless quiche with spinach, onions, sundried tomatoes, fresh herbs, etc., and whatever level of dairy you're comfortable with?

answered Sep 21 2011 at 15:38

coldhandinmine
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Frittata party!! (make two: one with meat, one without!) – becky yo Sep 21 2011 at 19:45

that's a great idea -- sadly I don't like super-eggy food like quiche or frittata -- it's just a taste/texture thing, and something I'd like to get over, though it probably won't happen by tomorrow night... – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:52

Olivia · Answer 3 · 2011-09-21 15:47:17Z UTC

Off the top of my head, things I would consider making in this situation:

Frittata with mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes, whatever you want.
Mushroom risotto (I guess this is kind of borderline paleo due to the rice)
Ratatouille
A good potato salad (like this not something drenched in mayo)

Plus salad, roasted vegetables, baked sweet potatoes, things like that as sides if you want. There are actually quite a lot of possibilities even without meat, grains, or legumes.

Eedlewee · Answer 4 · 2011-09-21 16:02:18Z UTC

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Can you grill some kebabs? Some with meat & veggies and others with tofu cubes & veggies. (Assuming you're OK with serving them tofu?) You could also use large portobello mushrooms instead of tofu.

answered Sep 21 2011 at 16:02

Eedlewee
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No problem serving tofu (in fact i may have some in the fridge as I've only been eating paleo for like 10 days!)... kebabs are a good idea, especially since grilling season is coming to a close... thank you! – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:55

James · Answer 5 · 2011-09-21 15:46:19Z UTC

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Eggplant lasagna? Sure, it's got the noodles, but you're not trying to convert them or "save them from grains" in one meal...

answered Sep 21 2011 at 15:46

James
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	When I make eggplant lasagna, the eggplant is the noodles. – air_hadoken Sep 21 2011 at 16:50
	I was going to suggest moussaka, but I'm not sure how good it would be without the meat. You can make a vegetarian version with lentils, but the OP said no legumes. – Olivia Sep 21 2011 at 17:21
	ooh, like an eggplant parmesan thing, but lighter on the cheese perhaps? – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:54

Henny · Answer 6 · 2011-09-21 19:20:22Z UTC

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The answer is basically no ;-)

answered Sep 21 2011 at 19:20

Henny
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	Why so? Just being curious... – greyman Sep 21 2011 at 20:58
	I'm hoping you can see the error in your thinking now? The answer is more than basically a big, fat yes! – Shari Bambino Sep 25 2011 at 18:01
	My opinion is the answer is still no. Vegetarianism is unhealthy and opposed to paleo principles. – Henny Sep 28 2011 at 1:02

jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com · Answer 7 · 2011-09-21 19:34:14Z UTC

For the most part all dishes are adjustable - any on my list can have a protein added to the side so everyone is happy and can be mixed and matched for the most part:

Fried rice, use cauliflower instead of rice. Stir fry. Frittata. Big salads full of all kinds of crunchy veg. Egg salad on endive leaves. Deviled eggs. Big fat baked potatoes and make things to top them - nuts, steamed veggies, since you're doing dairy make a cheese sauce to top. Roasted portabello mushrooms. Huge pot of veggie soup. Get rice paper wrappers and everyone makes their own summer rolls - have bowls of all the veg ready to go and slices of pork, chicken, shrimp for yours. Veggie curry. Scalloped potatoes or root vegetables - if you don't want to make it milk based thickened and seasoned veggie stock is tasty.

smartcookie · Answer 8 · 2011-09-21 19:48:43Z UTC

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paleo pizza party. http://stuffimakemyhusband.blogspot.com/p/great-pizza-experiment.html

I made the cauliflower "crust" with a bit of coconut flour. works great and you can make the "dough" ahead.

answered Sep 21 2011 at 19:48

smartcookie
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That looks freaking amazing. I'm so making that in the near future, whether my veg guests get to partake or not -- thank you! – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:49

Love seeing all the pizzas renditions in one place! I think just cheese and egg (1 egg to 1 cup cheese with some seasoning) makes the best thin crust though. I bake them and keep them in the freezer to pizza emergencies. – Shari Bambino Sep 25 2011 at 17:59

Years of Dry Eye · Answer 9 · 2011-09-21 20:30:48Z UTC

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Love the ideas above re: frittata and kebabs and crustless quiche.

You could make mashed cauliflower with the kebabs. A great salad with the frittata or crustless quiche.

You might look up some Peruvian dishes. They use a lot of tubers, not a lot of grains.

answered Sep 21 2011 at 20:30

Years of Dry Eye
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Love the Peruvian idea, I never would've thought of that -- thanks! – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 21 2011 at 20:58

air_hadoken · Answer 10 · 2011-09-21 21:39:12Z UTC

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Definitely take advantage of squash this time of year, if you're doing vegetable-first dishes. Zucchini are still in season at the moment, and they make several great dishes, including ratatouille (mentioned elsewhere in the thread), but also cooked down with just onions and some parmesan cheese. Spaghetti squash can take all the same sauces that regular spaghetti can. Baked acorn squash with some sugar and nuts (whatever nuts you find paleo-appropriate) is fantastic, and butternut squash makes a great soup with vegetable stock or an aligot-texture puree if you add lots of cream.

answered Sep 21 2011 at 21:39

air_hadoken
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	Thank you! We've actually settled on a ginger butternut squash soup (I make a delicious and easy one if I do say so myself), a big green salad with walnuts, and a loaf of homemade bread. I'll skip the bread, but we've got a lot of flour in the pantry (we've only been eating paleo for less than 2 weeks), and my partner makes awesome artisan-style bread -- might as well use it up on guests who will appreciate it. – goodgravymissmaisy Sep 22 2011 at 12:48
	Great idea. I'm not above making bread and other non-paleo treats for people who aren't myself, either. If you want something paleo for yourselves to substitute for the bread, you can make potato pancakes by pan-frying a batter made from potato, onion, egg, and water. – air_hadoken Sep 22 2011 at 21:10

Matt · Answer 11 · 2011-09-25 16:55:10Z UTC

Sounds like the meal was overall a success. The bread seems completely superfluous, and totally un-paleo. Sure you didn't eat it, but you fed it to your guests. Looking on the bright side, hopefully you've purged wheat flour from your pantry now. I would think that some properly-prepared legumes would have been perfectly fine (after all, they are a whole food, just high in some phytates and fermentable oligosaccharides).

I think the key to making paleo accessible to non-paleo eaters is to stick to the broad rules: no seed oils and gluten-free.

Meals that are both vegetarian and paleo friendly?

11 Answers