A Dinner Party Menu [ 2 Courses of Recipes ]
Last weekend my guy and I hosted a couple of family members at our house for dinner. It was a crazy week so I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. Let’s be real, when you’re having people over you want to be able to enjoy that time and spend it visiting as opposed to worrying about the food. Otherwise, the cooking (and subsequent cleanup) can take all the fun out of the visit.
We decided to make simple wild sole filets because they are fairly thin and quick to cook, and a whole bunch of veggies, all of which we managed to prep and cook while the fish was in the oven. For dessert, some nut-free sunflower seed Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. You guys, this was such a delicious meal. We had rave reviews from our guest and zero leftovers, which is always a great sign! So happy cooking, and it will be so quick that you can relax and enjoy a glass of wine instead of worrying about the meal 
These quantities may vary for you depending on the number of people you are serving and each recipe is simple enough that it can easily be adjusted to fit your needs. This takes four adults into account.
Sole
We used sole for this particular recipe. I like it because it’s a mild fish so you can do lots of different things with it to have it take on different flavours. I always purchase wild fish and recommend going that route whenever possible because I prefer that the fish feed in their natural environment that way, since we eat what they eat. Given the environmental effects happening in our oceans my opinion may change on this, but I will always choose the nature-made version whenever I can.
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Sauteed Veggies
This is super quick and so easy I was hesitant to even post it as an actual recipe! I love doing this on our BBQ burner in the cast iron pan as well, gives it even more flavour. And, you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. No need to stick to this exact combination, all kinds of veggies work well.
If you don’t have a cast iron pan, I highly recommend it. It’s inexpensive and with the right care will last for a lifetime, I know people who use cast iron pans passed down through generations and they are still going strong. Depending on which foods you are cooking in the pan, you can actually absorb a little iron from using it to cook as well which can be great if you are in need of some iron. When we have fires in the backyard we will often use it to cook our meals over the fire as well, it’s perfect!
Ingredients
1 medium onion, roughly sliced
2 red pepper, roughly chopped into chunks
2 yellow pepper, roughly chopped into chunks
1 large zucchini or 2 smaller ones, roughly chopped
10 – 12 cremini or white mushrooms, cut into halves
1 Tbsp cooking oil if needed (aroma-free coconut oil is my preference for cooking)
Directions
I roughly chopped all the veggies so the chunks are a fairly large, just my personal preference. Chop the onion first and toss into the pan with a little oil over medium heat. Let heat for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to turn translucent. Then add the chopped peppers and zucchini and stir together. After another couple of minutes add the mushrooms. Stir every few minutes until the veggies have broken down a little but still have some crunch.
Salad
Ingredients
5 – 6 handfuls of mixed baby greens
2 chopped green onion
1 avocado
3 – 4 rainbow carrots (extra colour!)
3 – 4 sticks of celery
Dressing
5 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp pure maple syrup
Chop all vegetables and peeled avocado, and mix with baby greens. Top with dressing to taste.
And last but most certainly not least….dessert. I baked these the night before so I didn’t have to worry about them the night we were having people over. They were a huge hit, and I got the recipe from the extremely talented My New Roots, you can check out the recipe for her Double Chocolate Chunk Sunbutter cookies here.
One of our dinner guests brought Buddy for a visit. He got to snack on a different type of cookie!
If you have a chance to make any of these recipes, let me know how it goes! Or, take a picture and tag me on social media with the hashtag #DesignYourOwnDiet.
Can’t wait to see what you cook up. Happy entertaining!
