On Our Table: February, Part One
February is a funny month. It’s the second month of the year so we have settled into 2021, but we’re still amidst winter and have a long way to go before spring makes its much-anticipated arrival. February is also the shortest month, which is never lost on me. It feels like a short month as here we are already closing in on the third week. Time flies when you’re cold and shoveling and eating, right? ;)
All jokes aside, I actually like this funny, short month of February. It’s quick and has a lot going on (besides Valentine’s Day) and is a great opportunity to eat all of the comfort foods you can find. Winter has us craving warmth and goodness, which I find, for the most part, through delicious food (and a hearty dose of quality TV). Therefore, the dinners we’ve made thus far are cozy, crave-worthy, and comforting for the sweetest, shortest month of the year.
As always, I have included recipe links, as available, for all of the meals below. Please know that we use the New York Times Cooking app quite frequently, which requires a subscription. I whole-heartedly recommend getting a subscription to this wonderful resource. We turn to it constantly to find great recipes for dinner, weekend brunch, last-minute ingredient inspiration, and beyond. In my opinion, the cost is well worth it given how convenient it is (the app is on my phone) to find a quick dinner idea while grocery shopping. Also, on a fun note, the comments written on recipes are often very entertaining (helpful, too).
So, let’s get to the food! February has already been so delicious; let’s take a look…
Lemony White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens
Keep this one nearby for the next snowstorm or extra-cold night. This soup is hearty, healthy, and incredibly delicious. Made mostly from pantry staples, this is one recipe where I’d say don’t change anything! Perfect for dinner and (most likely) lunch the next day.
herbed chicken and spinach meatballs with broccoli
On the other hand, I’d strongly suggest serving these meatballs with some sort of dipping sauce. Preferably a creamy one. These meatballs were good, but not nearly as flavorful as we had hoped.
We kept it plain with rice and steamed broccoli (why?). I dare say we’d try them again someday with a bold dipping sauce and a much more interesting side (steamed broccoli isn’t exactly an exciting vegetable).
roasted cauliflower salad with halloumi and lemon
This was one of the most delicious meatless meals/salads we’ve ever made. Roasted cauliflower covered in turmeric, a scrumptious shallot-filled dressing, and the most amazing fried halloumi come together for one flavorful, fabulous meal.
You could definitely serve this as a light main course, but I do think it would be a great side dish to grilled chicken or steak. Fried halloumi is a gift to the cheese world, if you didn’t know.
thai rice soup with pork-cilantro meatballs (congee)
This is another excellent, extra-cold-night dinner. Congee, Thai rice soup, is a rice porridge, which takes time to make, but is well-worth the extra effort.
The rice soup itself is fairly plain, but once the meatballs are added and all of the delicious garnish goes on top, this dinner is as bold as anything. I love adding extra sriracha for heat and plenty of scallions for crunch.
Congee is honestly a delicious dish any time of day. :)
penne with spicy sausage marinara
We’ve been tweaking our “pasta and meat sauce” dish over the last few months and this current iteration may be one of the best yet. This dish was made with hot Italian sausage and one jar of Rao’s Homemade Arrabbiata Sauce (spicy) enhanced with carrot, onion, shallot, garlic, scallions, red wine. So good!
Rao’s sauce is awesome on its own, but we’ve been adding extra ingredients to make it extra-flavorful and delicious. As usual, we combined the sauce with Jovial Foods gluten free pasta (shown here is the GF penne).
buffalo chicken dip
For the Super Bowl, we went direct for the best: buffalo chicken dip. It’s savory food at its finest and is pretty much the best dip to eat while watching sports (or anything else). This particular recipe happens to be the best version we’ve ever made and was heavenly scrumptious.
This dip is overflowing with dairy, as it should be, so if layers of cheese aren’t the best for you, it may be best to skip it (or find non-dairy alternatives). We topped our skillet of dip with crumbled blue cheese from Jasper Hill Farm which took it over the top. Served with tortilla chips and celery sticks (for health), this buffalo chicken dip is not to be missed.
risotto with shrimp and asparagus
When in doubt, make risotto. There’s not much that’s cozier, or more delicious, than a hot bowl of risotto during the winter. I am a lifelong fan of this dish and these days I am loving its versatility. Almost anything can be added to risotto to make it a more-grand meal. This version included shrimp (from North Coast Seafoods) and asparagus, but we’ve also loved versions with chicken, sausage, mushrooms, peas, the list goes on and on.
If there’s a dinner I tend to crave most of the time, I am happy to report it’s risotto. :)
veggie skillet pizza
Ready for a new way to pizza? Get yourself a cast-iron skillet and get cooking! This new-to-us method for cooking pizza was eye-opening and OMG amazing for a crisp-crusted pie that was one of the best ever. The skillet method recipe is linked below, from Bon Appetit, but we used a GF pizza dough recipe from the book No Gluten No Problem Pizza, which is our go-to book for making GF dough from scratch.
In terms of toppings, we stuck to veggies and covered our pie in green peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Plus, some fresh garlic sprinkled on top. We bought a block of whole-milk mozzarella too that we shredded for the pizza at home. Made all the difference! That cheese, and pizza overall, was awesome.
Bonus: since the pizza cooks in a skillet, I’d advise to go heavy on the toppings and generously cover the whole crust. Nothing will fall off the pizza (and into the oven) due to the high sides of the skillet. Win!
smoky chipotle chicken chili
We started the month with an awesome soup and we got to the middle of the month with this really delicious (and healthy) chicken chili. Bold flavors, some spice, and lots of garnish on top creates an ideal bowl for a cold night.
This chili was topped with cilantro, avocado, scallions, and cheddar. Is it missing anything? Nope! Highly recommend this recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking; I can’t wait to make it again.
shrimp scampi burgers with zucchini and crispy potatoes
Whenever we make these burgers, which is somewhat often, I’m usually worried (confused?) about what to serve with them. However, this time around I think we finally got it right. Gluten free shrimp scampi burgers - order through North Coast Seafoods - go perfectly with zucchini noodles and a side of crispy roasted potatoes. Scrumptious!
For a last-minute topping, we mixed together diced tomato and feta and that turned out to be the cherry on top of a really great weeknight meal.
asian pork meatball bowls
As an alternative to ordering takeout on a Friday night, might I suggest this excellent dinner instead? Pork meatballs with jasmine rice and stir-fried asparagus. So delicious, pretty healthy, and just plain good for that Friday-at-home vibe we’re all amidst right now.
This dinner is very easy to prepare and takes very little time to cook which is the exact combo I’m seeking at the start of the weekend. Keep this recipe handy - you’ll want it again and again (every Friday).
crab cakes and caesar salad
If you, like me, consider crab cakes to be one of the best foods ever (ever), then you need to make this meal. Seth made us crab cakes for Valentine’s Day dinner and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier from a plate of seafood. My goodness they were a true dream come true and just heavenly delicious. Perfection!
Yes, I really do love crab cakes quite a bit. But to be fair, they are rarely available gluten free in restaurants so having them in general is pretty special. To make it even better, he made a Caesar salad with homemade dressing, another favorite, and (not shown) the best baked potatoes.
It was an incredible dinner that transported me to summer and countless memories of many years ago. Plus, we got to eat it together in our new home on our fancy Bernardaud china from our wedding. Overall, a stellar dinner for a Sunday night. ;)
Find the crab cakes recipe below; we bought the crab from North Coast Seafoods. For the best baked potatoes use the recipe from Gimme Some Oven. It’s fantastic.
beef and broccoli
To balance out the grandness of those crab cakes, we toned things down with this weeknight winner, which is always welcome and delicious. Beef and broccoli, a classic takeout dish, that we now make at home! It’s so good and so easy to make for a regular old weeknight. We use a recipe from The Woks of Life and it works perfectly every single time.
Pro tip: use flank steak for stir-fries that call for beef. It’s a great cut for dishes like these and is well-suited for the pre-cook-marinade. If there are leftovers, this meal is just as awesome the next day. ;)
enjoy!
Mollie and Seth