These kebabs were a great, quick summer meal. I did marinate them overnight, which worked out well. We served this with tzatziki sauce, cucumber and tomato salad, and asparagus. Definitely a repeat.
Main Dishes
Steak Fettuccine
I’ve been planning to experiment with fettuccine sauce with dairy alternatives besides cheese, and this was a great success. We had a flank steak hanging out in the freezer that was perfect for this, and I liked the idea of using steak instead of chicken – if the sauce was lackluster, the steak has a stronger flavor than chicken. But the sauce was great, and I would definitely make it with either chicken or steak. We did use gluten free noodles.
Creamy Gnocchi with Ground Pork
Gnocchi is an easy thing that I can eat and also makes for fast weeknight dinners. If you are watching for gluten-free food, DO read the back of the box – while gnocchi is generally a potato-based pasta, it often has wheat included. I liked this recipe because I think you could sub ground chicken as well, so you have options if you can’t find ground pork. You could also add any number of veggies. It’s a great base recipe that I’ve used several times now, with or without meat.
Salisbury Steak
The ultimate in comfort food! I’ve never actually tried to make this, but it was worth a go on a particularly cold evening after chores. While I am not much of a heavy food person, I did really enjoy this. We had it with mashed potatoes and green beans. I liked this recipe and would not make any changes. It does require gravy, which I don’t include here – use your favorite recipe for beef gravy.
Baked Stuffed Clams
We are both originally from New England, and both of us love clams – chowder, fried, dips, or like this recipe, baked. Which makes this meal perfect for our Valentine’s Day – as much as we both love it, it is a bit of work, so we reserve it for a special meal. We had this with a simple salad, and we did make it gluten free.
Chicken and Dumplings
I am generally not much of a comfort food person, but during a cold snap, this WAS pretty good for dinner after coming in from barn chores. I adapted this recipe from The Modern Proper, adding a few more vegetables than called for (including adding a half a bag of spinach that we had on hand), and subbing most of the dairy products. The only dairy I did leave in was the buttermilk. I find that if a recipe is calling for buttermilk, it’s probably there for a reason. This came out very well, but I made the dumplings too big, so they were a little gluey. Would definitely make this again with smaller dumplings.
Apple Cider Brined Turkey
This is our go to brine for our turkey every year. It comes from a Cooking Light recipe in the mid-2000s and we love it. The measurements for the spices are just a guide – add more or less to taste. Just make sure you have a pot big enough for your turkey to brine overnight!
Smoked Sausage Stew
I stumbled on this recipe in my constant search for interesting slow cooker ideas, and although it is a cassloulet type dish, I thought the base idea might be something fun, and easily modified. I love beans, particularly in soups and stews, but unfortunately they’ve been off the table for a few years now. For those interested, this would work well with low FODMAP and most AIP diets (besides the diced tomatoes). We particularly enjoyed this one the next day!
Butternut Squash and Leek Risotto
This was a really lovely risotto recipe from Bon Appetit that can be used as a meal itself, or as a side. The original recipe called for more fresh herbs than I had on hand, and I would definitely recommend using them if you have them, but dried worked well. I thought the leeks were a really nice, mild flavor. We will definitely do this one again!
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
Now that the weather is starting to improve, I come in from the barn later in the evening and would rather have something convenient for dinner. Something that doesn’t end up being a handful of pretzels. I haven’t done this in a while, but it made sense to start trying out recipes for freezer meals (the challenge being they have to be adaptable for my diet – mostly stick to AIP). This was a winner that I took from several techniques to get something that worked. There is dairy in it, but cheese has been my hardest thing to give up, and I find if there is NO other dairy for a while, it works. This comes together quickly, it’s very good, will freeze well, and is modified for AIP.
Om nom nom! 