My IBS diet series may have you toying with the idea of going grain-free but actually making that transition can seem overwhelming. Grains are a staple ingredient in most cooking and eating regimens and cooking without them can seem like a tough challenge.

It doesn’t have to be hard or boring to eat a grain-free diet.

Here are 7 Paleo dinners, spiced up with an international theme.

Try fruit, eggs, or smoothies for breakfast and salads with protein for lunch. And try these dishes for dinner. Make them as is or customize with your own ingredients. Cooking this way encourages creativity.

See how you feel after one week of eating this way.

 

7 Paleo dinner ideas

SUNDAY: Caribbean night:

This is what I had for dinner the other night. Because of the Plantains, this is a Caribbean-inspired dish.

Plantains look like large bananas and blacken when they ripen. They have a flavor similar to bananas but have a starchier texture.

Peel, slice and saute plantains in coconut oil (you can use olive oil too) and add sea salt, cumin and garlic powder.

I also cut up and marinated pieces of organic chicken breast in red miso paste (if you don’t have red miso, any miso paste is fine).

Marinade chicken overnight with miso, olive oil and chopped red onions. Remove from fridge an saute. Miso is a great probiotic source.

I chopped up fresh cilantro to garnish the chicken before I served it.

Lastly I tried to make cauliflower rice. I’ve successfully done this before by grating the cauliflower with a large cheese grater but I decided to experiment with the Vitamix to grate my cauliflower.

It didn’t work so I roasted it as is. The food processor would have worked better. Once the cauliflower is grated it just needs to be topped with olive oil and baked for half and hour at 375 on a cookie sheet or pan. Here is another recipe for cauliflower rice.

 

 Japanese-inspired MONDAY:

I love Japanese food and after my trip to Japan I made a dish called Okonomyaki until I perfected it. The original dish called for flour but I made a flourless version with broccoli slaw (pre-cut in a bag and available in many supermarkets).

If you don’t have broccoli slaw you can use shredded cabbage.

To make this dish simply mix broccoli slaw or shredded cabbage or both with eggs. I used 3 eggs for a 16 ounce package and I added chopped garlic and cherry tomatoes and put it in the oven and to bake for 35 minutes at 375 degrees. (All oven are different so keep checking to make sure it doesn’t burn.)

To go with this I sauteed some arugula in coconut oil (or you can use olive oil) with garlic and spiced it with paprika, sea salt and cayenne pepper.

For protein, I shaped some ground lamb in to meatballs and sauteed them so that they were still pink in the middle because I like my meat rare. If you want to spice the meatballs you can add cumin, salt, garlic powder and oregano.

 

 Ceviche Tuesdays:

This Peruvian-inspired dish is really easy to make. It’s the Latin version of sushi.

Simply cut up your choice of fish into small chunks, sea bass and salmon work well.

Pour fresh squeeze lime or lemon juice on the fish, mix well and put in the fridge over night. You can add chopped red onion, fresh garlic or garlic powder and cumin. If you like spice, add some sliced spicy peppers like jalapeno or habanero.

Chunks of avocado and tomato is a delicious addition also. I threw in some pumpkin seeds because I love them but that is totally optional.

You can serve the ceviche with a green salad on the side. For a little bit of warmth, you can saute some cherry tomatoes with garlic and add that to the ceviche when it’s served.

 

 Italian Wednesday:

This might be a strange combination but it is truly delicious. The sweetness of the sweet potato (use less-sweet yellow fleshed sweet potatoes) and the saltiness of tuna compliment each other perfectly.

Bake some sweet potatoes, and scoop out the flesh. Saute onions and add some sugar-free marinara and a can of tuna packed in olive oil.

Pour the tuna marinara mixture over the sweet potato. Enjoy.

Another idea, instead of pasta, is to use spaghetti squash and smother with marinara or dairy-free pesto. Check out my pumpkin seed pesto recipe.

 

German Thursday:

This famous German dish is so satisfying and healthy. Cabbage is extremely nutritious.

Just make sure to use natural sausage from your butcher that is simply ground and spiced meat in casing.

Saute some onions and add in shredded cabbage. Saute until semi soft and add in sliced sausage. Any sausage will do, lamb, pork or chicken.

You can add in a touch of sugar-free marinara sauce for extra flavor. Salt and serve. You can also mix in frozen peas for a pop of color.

 

 

 

Middle Eastern Friday:

This dish is typically served over hummus but I served it over baked, mashed root veggies. I roasted and mashed yucca but you can use parsnips or yams.

Simply roast and mash the root veggie of your choice and top it with sauteed ground lamb, sauteed onion and peas.

Serve with a side of sauerkraut. Spice the lamb with salt, cumin and cayenne.

Serve with babaganoush, a middle eastern dish of pureed eggplants.

Just roast an egg plant or two and throw it in the food processor with the skin. Add garlic cloves, salt and olive oil.

Flavor with more olive oil and lemon, a touch of sugar-free marinara or some natural mayonnaise like Vegenaise, made from grapeseed oil. You can find Vegenaise at Whole Foods Market.

Top with paprika and olive oil.

 

Indian or Thai Saturday:

Combine roasted kabocha squash, butternut squash or pumpkin with coconut milk and Indian or Thai curry spice.

Boil down until the curry reaches your desired consistency. More boiling creates a thicker texture.

Garnish with cilantro.

You can put chunks of chicken or fish in the curry while you cook it or serve fish on the side. Simply rub curry spices on your choice of fish.

I roasted some catfish.

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