{Primal} Dinner Party

 Last Friday we hosted a {primal!} dinner party to celebrate Sissy's 7th birthday (and my 28th). I am quite disappointed that I didn't get a good picture of the food, but there were almost 20 people here, and I was busy! (My father-in-law had his camera out and captured the party, so all photos are courtesy of him.) My main goal of the party (besides celebrating birthdays) was to introduce my family to our new way of eating, and to show that it really is not that extreme.
The dinner menu included salad, boiled carrot medallions, steamed broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes (sweetened & seasoned with coconut oil, honey, and cinnamon--til it tasted right), and baked chicken thighs.

Distracted by a new toy...

I found the recipe for the chicken at The Food Lovers' Primal Palate, modifying it slightly. I had never worked with chicken thighs before, and was very pleased with the juicy, flavorful outcome, not to mention how EASY it was! First, I preheated the oven to 425. My mother-in-law minced garlic (one clove per thigh), and sliced up some green onions (one for every 3 thighs). I {not so}carefully separated the skin from the thigh (though not completely), and stuffed some garlic and green onion underneath. Then I quickly brushed the tops with olive oil, sprinkling with a freshly ground pepper medley and Real Salt. We baked them for about 45 minutes, until the juices ran clear. I loved the thighs, and heard many compliments on them. When I asked Hubby what he thought, however, his simply replied, "it's chicken." What can I say? He's hard to please....

For dessert I modified Elana's carrot cake recipe. In a large bowl, I combined 3 cups sifted almond flour (thanks to my mother-in-law for sifting--it takes forever!), 2 teaspoons Real Salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. In a separate bowl, I combined 5 eggs, 1 c. agave nectar (if you make this, only use HALF a cup--I mixed up my frosting and cake recipes, but it ended up turning out alright), and 1/4 cup melted coconut oil. I stirred in 3 cups of shredded carrots and a cup of raisins. These cooked in 2 round pans for about 40 minutes at 325 degrees. For the frosting, I followed Elana's recipe for Vegan Coconut Cream Frosting. I really enjoyed the cake, but I didn't care for the frosting. Several guests actually commented on how much they liked the frosting, but it was just a little too coconut-y for me!

Overall the night was a success! We enjoyed great company and delicious food, and my family learned that we in fact haven't started eating "powdered alligator bones and liquidized cheek fat from a possum."