Soooooo yay for long weekends!  Long weekends mean I actually get to sleep.  And socialize.  I’m such a hermit…that’s what you get when you work 14 hour days.  Except that my hours here are SO much better than in Texas and I live 10 minutes from work instead of 60.  So I guess I’m just a loser.  OH!  Double yay for Ross being home for a few days before heading up to Boston for the summer…no big plans but there will definitely be good food and outdoors time for all.

To kick off the official beginning of summer I wanted to offer up some picnic food.  Seriously, my neighborhood smells like barbeque and charcoal and smoke.  It’s driving me crazy it’s so good.  But I really don’t need to talk about burgers and brats and steaks because everyone does those and cooking out is like, the single most Paleo-friendly social event ever.  But sides…what to do about the sides…I’ve literally been to outdoor parties where all I could eat was meat.  And maybe some crudités.  Which is fine but sometimes you need a little color on your plate so I’ve been working on some good picnic food this week, whether you need something to bring to a potluck or just to have on hand for a summery meal.

I threw together a big batch of this potato salad earlier this week to have as a convenient side and found that it packs up nicely to bring out for a picnic or cookout.  Besides being visually appealing—summer colors!—it’s a fresh and light tasting staple for any Paleo picnic plate.

Ingredients

5 Large Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/4 c Olive Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

Juice of 3 Lemons

1 t Salt

1 t Fresh Ginger

1/4 t Chinese Five Spice

1 T Coconut Aminos

Chopped Fresh Parsley

1/3 c Pine Nuts

Instructions

Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender but not mushy.  Drain and cool.

Meanwhile, combine oil, lemon juice, seasonings and coconut aminos in a bowl and whisk until combined.  Pour over cooled potatoes and stir to combine.  Garnish with fresh parsley and pine nuts.