On Our Table: Dinners of September, Part Two
Looking back at the meals we made during the second half of September, one word definitely comes to mind: comfort. As fall settles in, with its chilly nights and earlier sunsets, our kitchen has turned into a comfort zone of deliciousness (no complaints here). Our meals were flavorful, bold, bright, and just plain awesome.
I could never pick a favorite dish - although many of these will go on the “make it again” list. However, I do pick favorites when it comes to cookbooks and there are several linked below that I cannot recommend highly enough. I’ve also included recipe links when available.
September weather was a roller-coaster so I’m looking forward to October’s slightly-more predictable nature. I love the foliage, the sweaters, the need for layers, and of course, the food. Here’s to a delicious September and what I hope will be an even cozier October ahead.
Enjoy!
Sausage, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes
When in doubt, roast sweet potato cubes and serve them alongside sautéed sausage, peppers, and onion. The meal will be delicious and you’ll be enjoying a low-effort, major-flavor dinner. Our go-to sausage brand is Pig Rock Sausages because they’re a local company that uses minimal ingredients to make an awesome product.
turkey and feta meatballs with fusilli
Crank up the goodness on regular turkey meatballs by mixing in feta! The extra moisture from the cheese makes for an even more amazing meatball; not to mention a really delicious dinner! Use your favorite jar-tomato-sauce for this meal or make a sauce from scratch. Add Jovial Foods gluten free pasta, of course.
Pepperoni, mushroom, and onion pizza
No time to make dough from scratch? No problem. One of our favorite GF crusts is from Against the Grain Gourmet. This one came pre-topped with a light tomato sauce and some mozzarella. We personalized the pie by adding sautéed mushrooms and onion, thin-sliced pepperoni and more mozzarella before baking. It was sublime!
BEEF AND BROCCOLI CHOW FUN
This dish is a recipe in one of our favorite cookbooks, Myers + Chang at Home, which is the first book from the incredible Boston restaurant Myers + Chang. The recipe was easily made gluten free and is one of the most satisfying comfort foods out there (in my opinion). It’s way better than takeout, but if you don’t want to cook, then I’d recommend takeout from the restaurant. ;)
gREEN coconut curry with Chicken
We adapted the recipe (from the cookbook Dinner by Melissa Clark) due to ingredients we had on hand and I must admit it was just as awesome as the original. On chilly nights there’s nothing better than a piping hot bowl of coconut curry. We made ours with chicken, but it would be equally great with shrimp, beef, or even just veggies.
healthy chicken Taco soUP
When you’re craving a taco night, but prefer to keep it a tad healthier, and you want soup, it’s time to make this meal. Packed with bold flavors and lots of chicken, this taco soup blew us away. It was fantastic! We added shredded cheddar, but it’s actually a dairy-free dish so feel free to skip it. This is a gluten free recipe and you can get it by clicking the link below.
String beans with pork, ginger, and chile
This is one of our favorite, and fastest, weeknight meals. It’s a homemade version of a classic takeout dish and without fail, every time we make it, we never have leftovers. It’s just so good! The recipe is from the wonderful book Small Victories by Julia Turshen, which you can find by clicking the link below.
Roasted cauliflower, sausage, and garlic pasta
One of the best discoveries since cooking with cauliflower has been realizing how delicious it is when mixed with pasta. So, we took an otherwise unexciting vegetable and added it to our classic “veggie and sausage pasta,” thus creating one amazing meal. This dish included hot Italian sausage and Jovial Foods grain free cassava pasta.
chopped salad with chickpeas, feta, and avocado
Let me introduce you to one of the best salads I’ve ever had. No joke! This is a meatless bowl of greens that’s dotted with salty feta, briny Castelvetrano olives, and mellow, but rich, avocado. Not to mention chickpeas! And fresh dill! We changed the recipe (by Lidey Heuck) slightly by crisping our chickpeas in olive oil and using GF croutons instead of making them from scratch. The result was superb. I know we will make this one again and perhaps top our salads with grilled chicken or shrimp. Yum!
Baked Risotto with greens and peas
A weeknight-friendly version of my beloved risotto, this dish was overflowing with kale, spinach, and peas. Bring on the greens! The cook-time was quick and the results were excellent. I loved this baked risotto as a meatless main dish, but it would be an excellent side as well to a main (meat) course.
SPICY BEEF LARB
This meal has quickly become one of my weeknight favorites. We frequently have the necessary ingredients and it’s easy to adjust based on what’s in the fridge. Our version shown here included spinach and Cubanelle peppers (and carrots for garnish). It was scrumptious! This dish is also quite versatile - feel free to swap the protein for turkey or chicken if you prefer.
carne asada nacho fries
We closed out the month with this decadent dinner that was as awesome as it promised to be. Essentially, this meal is roasted potato wedges turned into nachos, which is an amazing idea. The wedges were topped with slices of steak, plenty of cheese, homemade guacamole, and pico de gallo. And if your mouth isn’t watering yet, well, it should be. ;) Joyfully, the recipe is naturally gluten free and linked below.
let’s eat, well.
Mollie and Seth
@glutenfreemollied