On Our Table: March, Part Two
Just as I expected, March began like that lion, a little too intense, and has left somewhat like a lamb with much warmer weather and rain instead of snow. I’ll take it! Spring has arrived; the flowers are blooming and we’ve finally been able to let fresh air in through open windows. Hooray!
Fresh air and flowers are two of my favorites so when it’s possible to combine those with delicious, fresh food, well, nothing beats it. Our meals for the second half of March somewhat followed the weather pattern. There were a few lingering meals that leaned more toward winter than spring, but the majority were lighter, brighter, and healthier than the previous season’s go-to dishes. Overall, the rest of March was quite delicious and brought us some new favorite flavors. I love when that happens!
Please find below the dinners we made during the second half of March as well as recipe links when available. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment for us! We are always happy to help.
spicy sheet pan chicken with sweet potatoes and kale
Add to the list of foods I’m now willing to eat and enjoy that I didn’t previously: chicken thighs! I was not a fan for a very long time, but all of a sudden I’m willing to try them and wow, they’re yummy! This recipe called for bone-in, skin-on so once it was cooked the crispy, spicy skin was amazing.
This sheet-pan meal couldn’t have been easier to prepare and very hands-off since it cooked away in the oven. The chicken was the best part, but those sweet potatoes were gems as well.
shrimp caesar salad
It’s never a bad day to make a Caesar salad and this one was even better than usual thanks to cajun shrimp. I just love shrimp on salads and for some reason I always want them to be seasoned with Cajun spices when I have them on a Caesar. I don’t know why?!
This very basic, but very delicious dinner is a staple around here when we want a lighter meal. Add a protein of choice (here we have shrimp from North Coast Seafoods) and it’s good to go! Make sure to buy GF croutons. ;)
Mini italian-style meatloaf sheet pan
I’m not entirely sure what prompted us to choose this recipe, but I have mixed feelings on the results. It was good! Not great. If I were to make it again, I think I’d make meatballs from this same mixture instead of meatloaf. I am a meatball fan for life.
I would also use a different type of potato that would cook more quickly (our meatloaf was done far sooner than the potatoes). The broccoli was actually delicious. Shocking!
Meatloaf is a funny term. These small meatloaves were good, but not as flavorful as I’d hoped. I think they just needed some extra oomph. Or spice? You may like it just the way it is - somewhat mild. And that’s OK!
fish tacos
Even just writing about these tacos I am beginning to drool. These were the most delicious at-home fish tacos I’ve ever had. The flavors were incredible and OMG I could’ve eaten all of them.
I loved the slightly-spicy fish with the bright salsa and cool cabbage on top. Underneath it all was a scrumptious lime crema that I could have eaten with a spoon. Yes! I considered it. Lime wedges on the side for visual appeal and extra juice.
We made these with Siete Foods cassava tortillas, but next time I think we will make tortillas from scratch. Then the tacos will be even more marvelous.
Recipe by Sam Sifton, below. Easily adjusted to be GF!
grilled pork tenderloin
Grilling season has begun! I gave Seth a grill for his birthday and it’s just the gift that keeps on giving - seriously. For its first “run,” he made this delicious pork tenderloin with asparagus. OMG I loved it.
If you haven’t eaten pork tenderloin yet, and would like to, I have a feeling you would love this as well. The flavor was awesome, but not too bold, and was screaming for a side sauce which I’d make the next time.
Serve this dish with a veggie of your choosing. We opted for asparagus, but I might go for a cold, crisp salad in the future.
crispy chickpea and smoked salmon bowl
Another example of a lighter, weeknight meal would be this trusty bowl filled with greens, crispy chickpeas, and smoked salmon. I love this trio because it’s flavorful, filling, and has a great balance of textures. Hooray for double protein!
We have made a dish like this on more than one occasion and it’s always a weeknight win. On this particular night, we served it with slices of GF baguette from Against the Grain Gourmet for an even more filling main course.
Our bowl had a base of baby spinach, but feel free to use any variety of greens you have available. Arugula would be delicious, too!
Find the recipe for our crispy chickpeas via the link below.
grilled chicken and sauteed zucchini
For our second grill of the season, Seth grilled an entire chicken! Who knew?! The result was delicious, but I must admit I preferred the pork tenderloin. We served it with sauteed zucchini and onion; next time it will be a baked potato. ;)
If you’ve ever wondered if it’s possible to grill an entire chicken, rather than roast it in an oven, then you’re in luck! It is possible and it is pretty yummy. :)
basil pesto chicken and broccoli pasta
There is always a night (or two) each month when this dinner is a must. It’s GF pasta with chicken, broccoli, onion, tomatoes, and heaps of pre-made basil pesto. And Parmesan. It’s easy to make, usually offers leftovers, and is so delicious I’m always excited to eat it. It’s springtime comfort food, but I do love it all year long.
During the summer we often make our own basil pesto, but for times we cannot put it together, our favorite pre-made is from Bear Pond Farm. Theirs is so good and comes in a few varieties. Highly recommend it!
pan-seared scallops with chorizo and corn
Make way for sunshine and the summer to come with this wonderfully sunny, and scrumptious, dinner. Seared scallops served over a medley of corn, cilantro, bacon, jalapeno mixed with buttermilk, and lots of lime juice, has become one of my all-time favorite meals. The flavors are bold, the ingredients delicious, and it’s so quick to make. What a win!
These scallops are from North Coast Seafoods, which we defrosted from the freezer overnight. We also used frozen corn, but I cannot wait until fresh corn is available during the summer. The dish will be even better. ;)
PS: The recipe calls for chorizo, but we swapped it for bacon. Both are delicious!
shrimp burger with bacon and spicy aioli
Why did it take me so long to create this meal? Our plan for shrimp burgers was taken to a whole new level of awesome and delicious by topping each one with spicy aioli (sriracha mayo) and crisp bacon. OMG. What an incredible creation!
The burgers were served bun-less (on purpose) with pan-fried asparagus and shallots on the side (another winning combo by the way). Overall, this dinner was a 10/10 and I’d make it again.
Order the gluten free shrimp burgers from North Coast Seafoods via the link below. The bacon is from the brand Kayem.
chicken cutlets with spicy coconut dressing
For our second meal featuring chicken thighs, this time they were the boneless, skin-on variety, we made this awesome dinner which I’m still drooling over many days later.
The chicken thighs were seasoned only with salt and pepper, but cooked in cast-iron which allowed the skin to get so perfectly crisp. With that minor seasoning, they were still so delicious!
The other win of this meal was the salad served underneath which was just lettuce, but tossed with the most unique, spicy, lime-y, and creamy coconut dressing. It was such a surprise and I really loved it.
You could definitely make this dish with a different protein, but I think it was stellar as is. Get the recipe, and many more, from the cookbook (by Carla Lalli Music) linked below.
pasta with meat sauce
One more time for the comfort food crowd: make pasta with meat sauce! It delivers every time.
My current favorite meat sauce is a box of Jovial Foods GF elbow pasta mixed with a jar of Rao’s tomato basil marinara, ground beef, shallots, garlic, red wine, and plenty of parmesan. It’s a showstopper of a dinner that’s comprised of fairly “basic” pantry ingredients. An ultimate dinnertime win.
Who says a great meal has to be complicated?
braised chickpeas with spinach
Once in a while it’s time for a meatless meal which usually means chickpeas! This delightful dinner had a mild spice and was filled with chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes. Hearty and healthy to the max, I do wish I had a slice of bread on the side. Or a few.
I liked this meal a lot, but the part that brought it all together was the crunchy, salty, and smoky topping of toasted Panko and almonds. That was awesome and I wish we had doubled the topping recipe. I would put that on everything! It added necessary flavor and crunch to the meal.
I do think we will make this one again, but perhaps with a few minor tweaks. It was a naturally gluten free recipe from the book Milk Street Tuesday Nights.
grilled steak with roast sweet potatoes
For our third grill of the month, we made flank steak! Wowza I always forget how much I enjoy a properly-cooked steak. It was ridiculously good and only pre-seasoned with salt.
The steak cooked very quickly on the super-hot grill and then we served it with an awesome, pickled jalapeno and cilantro sauce on the side. The recipe called for this sauce (yum) and actually suggested using skirt steak, but we opted for flank instead.
We chose to serve the steak with sweet potato fries which felt very “bistro chic.” However, you could really serve it with any number of starches or veggies - or both.
This wonderful recipe (“Grilled Skirt Steak...”) came from the book Small Victories by Julia Turshen.
Crispy szechuan-chili chicken
Well, I knew it was all over once we started frying food at home. Usually relegated to a takeout-only option, I finally gave in and selected a recipe that required us to semi-deep-fry in our own kitchen. Oh my! Why did we wait so long?!
Frying at home is far easier, and much less messy, than I expected. And the results are so freaking delicious! I’m amazed we had any leftovers from this meal because this (very) spicy fried chicken was incredible.
It was a naturally gluten free recipe from the book Milk Street Tuesday Nights and one that I know we will make again and again. We served the chicken with steamed broccoli for a lighter, healthy side dish. The flavor balance was terrific.
Obviously deep-frying dinner isn’t the healthiest choice, but I’m so glad we can now have it as a special treat once in a while. What should we fry next?
PS: it’s pretty nice to know we have a dedicated gluten free fryer at home. ;)
enjoy!