Is the Meatless Week the New Normal?
Have a cup of hot coffee and settle in to read.
First off, let’s set the record straight: I am not giving up meat. Sorry, I’m just not. And while many of our weeknight meals suggest otherwise, you may be interested to know that I do eat meat, daily. My lunch is usually homemade turkey meatballs, which are protein-packed to get me through the work day.
Despite several dinners these days being meatless, I do want to be honest with all of you. Meat isn’t being removed entirely. I love a great cheeseburger and Vietnamese pork meatballs may be one of my favorite foods. We’ve just been in a “zone” of finding great meals which happen to be meatless.
For the record, and while I’m still yammering on about this topic, eating less meat is good for your health and the environment. But you already knew that!
If I still have your attention, then I’d love to share with you the four fantastic dishes we made this week. They just so happen to be meatless, but flavor-full.
Baked Feta with Chickpeas and Greens
Recipe via Cook90 by David Tamarkin
While I resisted this recipe for quite some time, for a reason unbeknownst to me, now that we’ve made it, I can only say that I can’t wait to make it again! It is so delicious, so easy, and so perfect for a filling, flavorful, and fun weeknight meal.
Apparently, the original recipe skipped the tomato sauce base in flavor of dollops of yogurt once cooked, but I find the tomato sauce really brought it all together. And made for a fabulous “topping” for the crispy toast you have ready to go on the side.
Yes, be sure to crisp some GF bread in olive oil on the stovetop for sopping up the sauce and creating a seriously delicious “chickpea/kale/feta toast,” my new favorite meal (snack).
The slabs of feta are really the big treat of the dinner. When else will you consider giant pieces of cheese resting on a bed of chickpeas and kale an acceptance form of dinner? The feta doesn’t melt while being baked, but it does soften so it’s easy to break up for covering the toast. It’s beyond yummy. And filling. I love that the protein is from the cheese and chickpeas; it’s a healthy balance!
We will definitely make this one again, I can guarantee it. Some may say to add ground meat to the pan, make it a more “substantial” meal, but why bother? This meatless marvel is pretty perfect all on its own.
Spaghetti with White Beans and Dill
Recipe via Cook90 by David Tamarkin
Well, hello spaghetti! Nice to see you. It’s been a while! The pasta night has made an appearance and it was worth the wait. We try to keep pasta dishes off to the side because, honestly, I have a hard time consuming an “appropriate” portion. So in an attempt to not eat several days worth of pasta in one night, we serve it fairly infrequently. It works for us.
This meatless bowl featured our favorite Jovial Foods gluten free spaghetti, plenty of white beans, harissa paste, and a fresh sprinkle of dill throughout. Yes, a great combination of ingredients, but I dare say it needed…more. So before diving in, I added a shower of Parmesan which helped immensely. And then I added more Parmesan. ;)
When you’re skipping meat in a bowl of pasta, I do think the bolder, brighter flavors are a must. Even with a lot of harissa this dish wasn’t quite as punchy as I’d hoped. But! I still enjoyed it. I added a lot of Parmesan, but I enjoyed it.
Next time, we may add another veggie, more spice, and - gasp - a spicy sausage. I’m just saying. It would be delicious. ;)
Black Bean Tacos with Avocado and Spicy Onions
Recipe by Melissa Clark for New York Times Cooking
In another edition of avoiding recipes for no reason, we had scheduled this black bean taco meal weeks ago, but just kept putting it off in favor of other flavor cravings, going out, or just doing something else entirely. So finally, we had it on this week’s plan and stuck to it. We would make these tacos! And thank goodness we did, in fact, finally make them because they were amazing. 😮
Now, I personally often choose meat-filled tacos, but again, I’m open to new flavors and options. And I usually prefer pinto beans to black beans, but let’s just go with it. We trust Melissa Clark recipes so we made it as written, no substitutions, and kept those black beans. Holy taco night was this dinner delicious.
The filling of black beans and onion and peppers got cooked down so it was extra-flavorful, but not mushy, then added to the taco shell (we used GF cassava flour ones) and topped with salsa, sour cream, avocado, and spunky spicy onions (jalapeños for heat). The result was a ridiculously yummy taco that I overfilled, per usual, and had covering the table, and my lap, within moments of my first bite.
What can I say? When something is that delicious, it’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll make a mess whilst inhaling its goodness. #worthit.
After eating a few of these meatless wonders, we were exceptionally full and discussing how soon we should make them again. The answer? Very. Soon. However, I think I may riff on the meal a bit.
I’d love to make this same black bean mixture, add it to a baking dish, top it with plenty of shredded cheese, then bake it to bubbling perfection. Voilá! A new black bean dip. Perfect for parties. Or your next taco night. Keep the tortillas warmed, on the side. ;)
Cauliflower, Cashew, Pea, and Coconut Curry
Recipe via New York Times Cooking
We closed out our week with yet another meatless, marvelous meal. Four for four! On a roll (gluten free) with finding awesome dinners that just so happen to be meatless. This one in particular was also vegan. A little less dairy never hurt anyone, either. You heard it here first! Or maybe not.
Considering I’d usually include chicken for a coconut curry dish, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this veggie-only mix. Cauliflower, onion, and plenty of peas made the base of this great meal and the roasted cashews on top provided a terrific, salty crunch against the coconut-covered backdrop. Sweet and salty, you could say!
We served the curry with basmati rice and a bit of fresh cilantro. After a few bites, we deemed it a smidge bland and called for backup. Always keep limes in the fridge!
With a little sprinkle of salt and a hearty squeeze of fresh lime juice, this meal went from really good to really great. As we have all learned from Samin Nosrat (look her up!), you need to make sure a dish has all four necessary components: salt, fat, acid, and heat. No meat required. ;)
*****************
As always, please leave a comment below or send us a note if you have any questions about our meals.
Enjoy!
