On Our Table: The Best of May
Looking back on the month of May, specifically the meals we made and enjoyed, we ate a lot of veggies, plenty of flavorful proteins, and so many new dishes. While we managed to include a few go-to favorites, I’m pleased to report that we had a pretty varied month of dinners.
Was every single one overly-outstanding? No, but that’s not necessarily the point. The majority were delicious and many were worthy of making a second time. In fact, I’d say May was comprised of mostly winners! And while some involved less actual cooking than others, I’m looking back at the month (it was a fairly tough one) and being really proud of the dinner collection we created. Not to mention, many more of our meals than usual were meatless!
Whether you’re looking for a super, new salad, a great low-effort taco, or a hearty bowl of the best pasta around, I have all of that for you, and more, in this edition of On Our Table. May was a mighty month filled with many meals, memories, and eventually, good cheer.
I have linked recipes and recipe sources as available for all dishes below. Please feel free to reach out with any questions about this month’s meals.
Thank you for reading!
sticky chicken
A healthy alternative to takeout that’s still flavorful and delicious! We paired the chicken with broccoli, but any in-season veggie will do.
Recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
asparagus with garlic and italian chicken
The easiest dinner for when you’re not in the mood to cook. Saute the asparagus with plenty of garlic and coat the chicken with Aleia’s GF Italian Breadcrumbs. Simple, healthy, scrumptious!
italian sausage, kale, and farro stew
To make this one gluten free we used quinoa instead of farro and I must say it worked wonderfully. I loved the flavors in this hearty meal. Perfect for a cooler-than-average evening. Don’t forget the dollops of ricotta on top!
Recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
crispy tofu bowl with pickles and sesame rice
A delicious, meatless meal that was a healthy bowl of comfort. And it introduced us to the joy that is crispy tofu. So versatile! PS: sesame rice is seriously excellent.
Recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
Minty Lamb meatballs with crispy cabbage and tahini
I love lamb meatballs and this recipe continued to confirm that fact! The tahini sauce was terrific and the crispy cabbage kept the meal light, but still quite filling.
Recipe from Cook This Book by Molly Baz.
gf popcorn shrimp and leftover fried rice
Honestly, sometimes you need a dinner like this one! The gluten free popcorn shrimp can be found in the frozen seafood section at Whole Foods. We had leftover veggie fried rice from the night prior. Ta da! Dinner.
red coconut curry with chicken meatballs
Curry chicken meatballs aren’t a new invention, but they are a delicious discovery. This hearty dinner is healthy, spicy, and superb. Red coconut curry is a personal favorite, but you could make this with a curry paste of your choice.
spicy elbows with pepperoni and mushrooms
My favorite way to enjoy pepperoni these days is to add it to a bowl of pasta and sauce. A little spice makes a “basic” dinner way more exciting. This dish also included shallots, mushrooms, and plenty of Parmesan. Our go-to gluten free pasta is from Jovial Foods.
sweet and spicy grilled chicken
The mustard sauce on top was really the winner of this dinner. Although the chicken was delicious and flavorful, the mustard really took it over the top. Per usual, we added a side of grilled asparagus because spring.
Recipe by Melissa Clark for NYT Cooking.
broccoli and tomato capellini
If you happen to have extra tomatoes and broccoli, and a box of pasta, then you definitely have everything for a great meatless meal. I loved this minimalist dish that was still flavorful and filling despite the short ingredient list. It was a “low effort” cooking night with delicious results.
Mixed greens with cucumber, crispy tofu, and almonds
For a salad that came together somewhat haphazardly, the dish itself was really good! With a box of greens, a light dressing, crispy tofu, and almonds, we made a dinner that hardly felt like an afterthought.
Crispy tofu and dressing recipe are from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
everything bagel salad with white beans and pesto
This is one of the most delicious (meatless) salads we have ever made. It is greens, pesto, white beans, and croutons (made from frozen GF bagels) and the dish is just supreme. A perfect dinner for a hot summer night or any time. Make sure to add plenty of Everything bagel seasoning and extra pieces of chunky Parmesan.
Recipe from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard.
ginger beef with rice noodle salad
While I don’t think of this as a true salad, I would say this dinner was incredible! The ginger beef was unreal and the cold noodles (salad) underneath was just the perfect complement. We’ve made many recipes from this book and this one in particular was extra-awesome.
Recipe from Milk Street Tuesday Nights by Christopher Kimball.
napa cabbage salad with shredded chicken, cotija, and corn nuts
I loved this salad that was chock-full of crunchy goodness, protein, and fun by way of Fritos and a super dressing. A cabbage-based salad is new for us, but I now strongly recommend them! This one was scrumptious, which I think is mostly due to the dressing, cotija cheese, and those salty Fritos on top. A winning meal!
Recipe from Cook This Book by Molly Baz.
brussels sprouts salad with chickpeas and sesame dressing
I think of this as more of a side dish than a salad, but let’s just go with it! I loved this greens-heavy bowl that had the most awesome sesame-focused dressing running through every bite. It’s a meatless dish, which made me think it could be great paired alongside a steak, but honestly it was really yummy all on its own. Perfect dinner for a hot night or something great to bring to a friend’s backyard BBQ.
Recipe from To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon.
Asian pork meatballs + asparagus and snap peas with peanuts anD basil
This dish kicked off a week of trying new side dishes to pair with proteins and we started the week off well! Asparagus and peas are a great, seasonal duo and that went just perfectly with - what else - meatballs! I love this meatball recipe, save it, and the greens on the side were equally delicious!
Meatball recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking.
Asparagus recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
buffalo brussels sprouts, crispy chicken
I would definitely make these Brussels sprouts again and again all through the fall when my “buffalo flavor” cravings really hit hard. Must be all the football! Ha. Regardless, this side dish was amazing and I loved having it with homemade, crispy chicken nuggets. I think this exact meal will be making many more appearances on our dinner table in the future.
Recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
white pizza-style kale
As someone with a wishy-washy attitude about kale, this dish won me over. It was so good! And so easy to prepare. It’s essentially a cheesy kale pizza, without the crust, which sounds worrisome, but calm down. It was great! We served it with baked chicken, of course, and will definitely make this one again.
Recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
beef and celery stir-fry with wilted basil
Quite possibly one of the most delicious beef-based stir fries we have ever made. OMG I loved it. This recipe calls for boneless beef short rib, which is cut very thinly before cooking, and therefore gives you the most excellent beef for stir-fry ever. The flavor! The texture! All of it. Amazing. That crunchy celery was stellar, too.
Recipe from Cook This Book by Molly Baz.
mushroom cheeseburgers + string beans with cherry tomatoes and garlic
On a beautiful summer night, how could we not grill burgers? We couldn’t resist! Burgers topped with American cheese and sauteed mushrooms - too good!! To keep it fairly light (maybe?) we paired the bunless burgers with green beans which were cooked down with cherry tomatoes and plenty of garlic. Yum! However, when it’s burger night, any side dish will do! Cook what you will enjoy.
Green Beans recipe from Simply Julia by Julia Turshen.
pork carnitas tacos with cilantro and queso fresco
We wandered into the grocery store without a plan for dinner, and ended up with supremely delicious, very low effort carnitas tacos. What a win! We bought pre-made sous-vide pork carnitas from Wellshire, pre-made corn tortillas from VT Tortilla Co., and supplemented with cilantro, queso fresco, red onion, radish, and lime wedges. It should go without saying, but we had margaritas as well. :)
pasta and meat sauce with turkey and pepperoni
We ramped up our usual pasta and meat sauce even further by including double protein: ground turkey and pepperoni! Wowza. This dinner was hearty, decadent, and just delicious. Seth cooked the proteins with mushrooms, onion, shallot, red wine, and extra time to let it all simmer. We used a jar of Rao’s Tomato Basil marinara and Jovial Foods GF fusilli.
homemade broccoli mushroom pizza
The last day of May fell on Memorial Day and to close out a major month of delicious dinners, we made a favorite: mushroom and broccoli pizza on a homemade, gluten free crust. Scrumptious! While we don’t always skip meat on pizza night, I’ve become a big fan of veggie-focused pies. As long as there is plenty of mozzarella, I’m a happy camper. This crust is crazy-good, by the way. Grab a copy of this great cookbook, below.
Crust recipe from No Gluten No Problem Pizza by Peter and Kelli Bronski.