On Our Table: February, Part Two
It must have been the extra-cold weather because the second half of February was all about the comfort food favorites. For a short month, we sure did make a lot of pasta. Whoops! However, I have no regrets because every single meal was awesome.
Now that we’re edging toward spring, I’m leaning toward swapping out the pizza and pasta for hearty salads and plenty of protein. Before that happens, let’s take a trip down memory lane and review the mighty meals of late February - it was a truly delicious bunch.
As always, I have linked recipes when available or a key ingredient as it pertains to the specific dish. Please feel free to leave a question or comment below. I’m always here to help you find a great (gluten free) meal to make tonight.
tex-mex beef tacos
This is a terrific weeknight meal because it’s easy, quick, and extremely versatile. Our go-to tacos these days include ground beef, poblano pepper, mushrooms, pinto beans, diced red onion, tomato, shredded cheese, and cilantro. It sounds like a lot, but it’s well-worth the bit of prep time to make your tacos extra-delicious.
We do make our own tortillas when we’re feeling fancy (or have the time), but I’d strongly suggest Siete Foods Cassava and Chia Tortillas for a great gluten free (and grain free) alternative. Heat them up briefly on the stovetop using a cast-iron pan (or skillet).
BASIL PESTO PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS
While we often make our own pesto in the summer, it’s still a delicious treat to have it in the “off season.” Our favorite store-bought basil pesto is from Bear Pond Farm and I love it in this dinner.
Use your favorite gluten free pasta (cook as usual) and toss it together with sautéed sliced chicken, asparagus (or any veggie), onion, and diced plum tomatoes (those go in last).
Add the basil pesto to the pot once everything has cooked so it coats every ingredient. Pro tip: add an extra dollop of pesto to your bowl once you’ve taken a photo of it. ;)
Capellini with pepperoni, olives, feta, and crispy crumbs
When we didn’t feel like figuring out a “real” dinner, we turned to a handful of random fridge ingredients and turned them into one heck of a savory, scrumptious meal.
Somehow, Boar’s Head Brand Pepperoni, pitted Castelvetrano olives, and crumbled feta, all together in one bowl, wasn’t weird or gross. It was delicious! Creamy, briny, salty, and a tiny bit spicy, the trio worked shockingly well in this bowl of capellini.
I decided to toast some Panko at the last minute because there wasn’t enough salt (ha) and I really wanted a crunchy topping. For a dinner that probably shouldn’t have been as great as it was, I loved every bite. And I’d make it again!
green pepper skillet pizza
I’ve raved about this pizza-cooking-method before, but I will do so once again. Cook your pizza in a cast-iron skillet and you’ll never go back to just putting it on a pan ever again. Recipe is from Bon Appetit. The edges are so crisp! The bottom isn’t soggy! You can add all of the toppings to the very edge. It just doesn’t get better than that.
This pie was joyfully topped with sliced onions and pepper plus some remnants of pepperoni we had from a different dish. Our pizza crust recipe is from the excellent book, No Gluten No Problem Pizza which you should definitely add to your cookbook collection.
italian meatballs with zucchini noodles and bread
For a (slightly) lighter version of spaghetti and meatballs, I’d recommend serving beef meatballs with red sauce (we used a jar of Raos’s Basil Marinara) over zucchini noodles. You still get the divine meatballs, the best part, and the flavor from the red sauce, but you don’t feel quite as “overfull” after you finish. Balance!
On the flip side, I would recommend serving this dinner with an A
against the grain gourmet gf baguette, raos sauce. perfect cold weather dinner.
panko-breaded chicken tenders and broccoli
classic duo never goes out of style.
pork and asparagus stir-fry with jasmine rice
I’m not sure why we’re so drawn to asparagus right now, especially since it’s still winter, but I’m loving it in stir-fries so that’s where its landing. This one was made with ground pork, onion, mushrooms, scallion, and a semi-spicy sauce that Seth created as he cooked. So delicious!
The joy of a stir-fry is that they can be made with just about anything you have available and a specific sauce recipe isn’t always necessary. Just make sure the pantry is stocked with gluten free soy sauce (Tamari), sambal oelek, rice vinegar, sriracha, oyster sauce, fish sauce, ginger, and scallions, and you’re often good-to-go!
sausage and kale pasta with fusilli
Honestly, we have made this dinner so many times I’m often wary of including it in these guides since it’s no longer “new.” However, I deem it a weeknight-must because it’s always so good and wonderfully quick to prepare when everyone (read: me and Seth) is hungry.
Plenty of kale makes this dish somewhat nutritious and the Italian Spicy Sausage makes it extra-delicious. We often toss in diced Roa tomatoes, but we didn’t have any on this particular night. Any shape of pasta will work, but I’d recommend the fusilli from Jovial Foods for this weeknight staple.
Don’t forget a hearty shower of Parmesan on top!
red curry shrimp with lime
This is another dinner we keep on the “rotation” because it’s so dependably delicious. And versatile! Red curry is awesome and spicy and works with any number of great proteins. Primarily, we make this dinner with shrimp (here) or chicken. Of course, you could skip the meat altogether and make it veggie-focused, which would be yummy, too.
Not only is this dinner gluten free, but it’s also dairy-free (if you need that) and if you skip the rice, then it will be grain-free as well. A scrumptious bowl as versatile as you need it to be, we love cranking the heat on this one by adding extra curry paste. Make sure to have lime wedges nearby for a bit of acidity and to tame the heat (if necessary).
The original recipe for this dish is from Dinner by Melissa Clark. It is a cookbook I have loved since the day I bought it several years ago. It’s a must for your collection; you’ll never need to cook a boring dinner ever again.
shrimp scampi burgers with zucchini
We don’t keep much in the freezer, but we do keep a fair amount of frozen seafood from North Coast Seafoods (they delivery next-day for orders placed Monday-Thursday before 2pm). We love their frozen (uncooked) fish, but one of their recent creations, gluten free shrimp scampi burgers, are wickedly delicious and perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
One could serve this burger on a bun, but we opted for our new go-to of sautéed zucchini (kept it a little lighter). Of course, I had to add one of those baguettes I mentioned above since this dinner just screamed, “I need a side of bread!”
Not easy to see, but there is a pool of basil pesto under the bread as well. After I snapped the photo, I added a dollop of pesto to each burger to complete the meal. Yum!
healthy asian chicken chopped salad
To close out the month of February, we took a turn for the healthy and made one of our favorite salads from The Lemon Bowl blog (recipe link below). It’s gluten free, dairy free, and really, really good.
This chopped salad has an excellent peanut dressing which we’ve made multiple times for other meals; however, this is the dish where it originated. Besides the dressing, the bowl is overflowing with cabbage, chicken, veggies, and peanuts.
Be aware that this is not a “regular” healthy salad. It’s a delicious meal (salad) that just so happens to be healthy as well. My favorite!
With spring coming up, we’re going to focus on the veggies, the lighter meals, and lots of protein. I’m so glad we started it off with this (excellent) dish.
enjoy!
Mollie and Seth
Follow along @glutenfreemollied .