Five Winning Dinners that offer all of the leftovers.

This was one of those weeks where I truly loved every single dinner we made. Each one was beyond-delicious, very different from the previous night’s dish, and best of all, offered plenty of leftovers for Seth to take for lunch. The trifecta! Not to mention most were pretty quick to prepare - a bonus, always.

Let’s dive into this week’s dinners. I highly recommend every single one. They were all winners which is the most delicious news of all.

Tikka Masala Soup

Recipe via The Modern Proper.

While we do not dabble in Indian cuisine too often, one dish I can get behind and recommend is Tikka Masala. And this soup, made hearty with plenty of chicken and chickpeas (we added those!), is a delicious way to introduce yourself these flavors.

The best part of this meal was how quickly it came together and how versatile the recipe seemed to be. We skipped puréeing the soup before serving because we liked the the pieces of tomato and onion throughout. And we chose to add chickpeas in addition to the chicken for extra protein. However, I’d recommend using only chickpeas and skipping the chicken (and yogurt on top) if you’re interested in making this a vegan dish. Chickpeas and yogurt? Then it’s vegetarian. The final soup is up to you! We loved this one.

Korean Chicken Nachos

Recipe from The Nacho Manifesto.

If you’re ever in the mood for quite a unique nacho platter, then let me steer you toward this dinner. These dairy-free nachos are a scrumptious mix of semi-spicy chicken, a homemade garlic aioli, and plenty of kimchi. A blanket of hot tortilla chips was the base for this fun dish and I must admit we really enjoyed this non-classic version of my favorite football snack.

Who knew kimchi on chips would be so good? Yum. The ingredients are a mix of hot and cold, spicy and tangy, and a zing from the aioli. I loved the variety of textures and how it just went together. A delicious surprise! Note: make homemade aioli. It’s worth the effort.

Chorizo, Tomatoes, and Chickpeas with Yogurt

Recipe via Bon Appétit online.

Behold a dinner that may look unexciting from afar, but may just become one of your weekly favorites. The title of the dish explains exactly what it is: chorizo, tomatoes, and chickpeas are cooked together in cast-iron (preferably) until the flavors melts together slightly. Then you serve it in a bowl, add a dollop of Greek yogurt and ta da! Dinner. Couldn’t. Be. Simpler.

We added gluten free, grain-free tortillas to wrap it all up, but it turned out to be a slight mess. Delicious and messy; exactly what you need after a busy Tuesday. I loved all of this meal’s ingredients, but I definitely think it would be equally awesome to swap out the chorizo for pepperoni, or remove the meat and use tofu if you prefer (but add extra seasoning).

Skillet dinners like this one should always be in the weeknight library of bookmarked recipes. I know we will make it again!

Ginger Scallion Chicken Bowl

Recipe via What’s Gaby Cooking.

How many ways can I rave about this dish? I simply loved it beyond words which is a strong statement about a weeknight dinner. At home. On a Wednesday. But! It was just so freaking delicious and satisfying and awesome. And so colorful! Another dairy-free delight (can you see a pattern?) that was easily made gluten free by making sure to use GF soy sauce (Tamari) when the recipe calls for it. Other than that, the ingredients are good to go.

This dinner had every element covered to make it a complete, and hearty, meal. The bowl had a jasmine rice base, which was great, but not entirely necessary since the chicken and cabbage mixture was very filling on its own. I love rice so I didn’t mind, but would consider skipping it next time in favor of a lower-carb content. The cucumbers and avocado were yummy additions that added more to the final flavor than I expected - who doesn’t love a green garnish?

The standout component to the dish was the ginger-scallion sauce which I would like to add to every salad I make for the rest of my life. It’s amazing how one seemingly small part of a dish can really turn it into one you want to eat over and over again. This bowl was fantastic and made plenty! We had leftovers for days…😎

Pasta with Cauliflower, Walnuts, and FetA

Recipe via Smitten Kitchen.

We closed out our cooking week with a pasta splurge! Nothing wrong with pasta whatsoever, but we don’t have it too often. It’s definitely a treat! And this one was out of this world wonderful. A meatless meal with bountiful flavor, the star being the awesome, local cauliflower and the sprinkle of feta over all of it.

Note: we used Jovial Foods gluten free brown rice pasta to make this dish GF. No other changes needed.

We decided the balance of flavors was what took this somewhat minimalist bowl to the next level and that having the toasted walnuts amidst the cauliflower really added a nice, crunchy punch. Nuts and veggies and pasta. Who knew? It was a breath of fresh air after a week of pretty hearty fare. I loved this dinner for it’s simplicity, great flavor mix, and the fact that meatless meals are often more delicious than you expect. ;)

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As always, please leave a comment below or send us a note if you have any questions about the meals we ate this week.

Enjoy!

Mollie and Seth