Category: Main Dishes

Pork Ribs

Man, pork ribs are amazing when they’re so tender that they fall off the bone. This recipe is very simple but very delicious–haha, and not very specific in terms of measurements. Of course these can be a little greasy, so you may want to serve it with something light.

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free as long as the rub and BBQ sauce don’t have gluten (which most don’t have gluten anyway). Also, you may want to use a dedicated gluten free brush when you’re brushing on the sauce, since gluten can be trapped in the bristles.

Make it a meal with:

Pork Ribs

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
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Amazing, especially when tender.

Ingredients

  • Pork Back Ribs
  • Rib Rub (like Famous Dave’s)
  • BBQ Sauce

Directions

Using a knife or spoon, pull the silver skin off the ribs. Rub a small amount of rib rub all over (not too much or it will be overwhelming), then wrap the ribs in foil and cook at 275° for 4 hours or until tender. Then remove at least the top layer of foil (carefully–there may be lots of hot juice), brush on BBQ sauce, and broil or grill for a few minutes until the sauce caramelizes.


Easy Chicken Parmesan

This comes from a recipe book that Jeff’s Mom put together, so I like to think of it as Grandma Marilyn Mitchell’s recipe–except I may have added a little more parmesan cheese. I love it so much. It’s easy, we basically always have the ingredients, it’s delicious, and it’s healthier than breaded chicken parmesan. In fact, I even prefer the flavor to breaded chicken parmesan. Also, this calls for parmesan cheese–don’t bother with the fancy shredded kind. The regular powdered Kraft kind works great.

Depending how thick the chicken is, if it’s still slightly frozen when you put it in the oven, or if you have lots of chicken in the pan, it generally takes 40-55 minutes. So of course check for doneness by checking for an internal temperature of 165°.

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free. I’ve also made it with dairy-free cheese instead of mozzarella on top, and it’s still delicious.

Make it a meal with:

  • Pasta
  • Corn or Green Beans
  • Garlic Bread

Easy Chicken Parmesan

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Great for weeknight meals or special occasions.

Ingredients

  • 1 jar Pasta Sauce
  • 1/2 c. + Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half to make 6 (about 1 1/2 lb.)
  • 1 1/2. c. Mozzarella Cheese

Directions

Pour sauce into a greased 9×13″ pan. Stir in 6 Tbsp. parmesan cheese. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Add the chicken to the sauce and turn over to coat both sides. Top with mozzarella and remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 40-55 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165° and the cheese is melted and slightly brown. Serve over pasta.


Pizza Dough

This is from Bobby Flay’s recipe, just with a few clarifications and more info. It’s one of Food Network’s most popular recipes. You can make it with bread flour or all purpose flour. We usually opt for the all purpose flour because it’s cheaper and is still great. The longer you can give this dough to rise, the softer and fluffier it will be. I generally start making the dough 3-4 hours before we want to eat, so there will be plenty of time to rise.

It’s a fun activity for a date night, family cooking, or even holidays, especially when you toss the dough in the air. We’ve had a few times when we’ve made individual pizzas with our guests, so they can put on whatever toppings they’d like.

If you’re making this gluten free, I find that any bread-based recipe will not translate well–because gluten is so integral to the rise and structure of bread. And because gluten free dough ends up being like Play Doh or frosting after you mix it. So you’ll want to use a different recipe like this one.

Make it a meal with:

  • Of course all the pizza toppings, sauce, and cheese
  • Green Salad
  • Root Beer

Pizza Dough

  • Servings: 2 pizzas
  • Difficulty: easy-medium
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You can use bread or all-purpose flour for this great dough.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 c. Flour (plus more for rolling)
  • 1 tsp. Sugar
  • 1 envelope Instant Dry Yeast
  • 2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 1/2 c. Water, 110 degrees
  • 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil (plus 2 tsp. for oiling the bowl)

Directions

Fit a stand mixer with a bread hook, then combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in the bowl to combine. While the mixer is running on low speed, add water and 2 Tbsp. oil until dough forms into a ball. Then beat 5 minutes on medium speed to help form gluten. (If the dough is too sticky, add flour. If it’s too dry, add water.) Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface and knead into a ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining oil, add the dough, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in a warm area to double in size (longer is better–I generally like at least 2 hours). Then turn out onto a floured surface and divide in half. Cover and let rest for at least 10 minutes (I generally opt for 30 minutes).

Toss or roll out the dough. (Optional: Cover a pizza peel with corn meal before placing dough on top to help the pizza slide off.) Top with sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired. Bake on a preheated pizza stone at 450° for at least 15 minutes until the crust is golden brown underneath.


Fish and Chips Batter

I think this was originally a copycat for Long John Silver’s fish and chips batter. I’m not sure if really does taste like a copycat because I think I’ve only eaten there once in my life, but it’s a great recipe. It’s flaky and crisp like a fish and chips coating should be–flakier than say a soft sweet and sour chicken breading. Although, I have used this to make sweet and sour chicken as well, and it’s still delicious.

Make sure to use a nice white fish–I generally use cod–and squeeze the extra water out of the fish before dipping so the coating will adhere nicely to the fish. Otherwise it can get gooey and come off easily after it’s cooked. Also, if you’re frying fries to go with your fish, you’ll probably want to do those before frying the fish so the oil doesn’t taste fishy for your fries or have pieces of fish stuck to the fryer basket.

If you’re making this gluten free, all you need to do is use gluten free flour. I’ve made it a few times, and it’s delicious–I can’t tell that it’s gluten free. Note that gluten free stuff often doesn’t get as dark golden brown as regular, so you may want to cook it a little more “blonde” than usual so the fish doesn’t shrink and overcook. The recipe picture is gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

Fish and Chips Batter

  • Servings: 3
  • Difficulty: medium
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Make sure to use a nice white fish and dry it before coating.

Ingredients

  • Oil for frying
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3-4 Frozen Cod filets, thawed
  • 3/4 c. Flour (or gluten free flour with xanthan gum)
  • 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
  • 1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 3/4 c. Water

Directions

(Fry your fries before your fish so the oil doesn’t taste fishy. To thaw the cod, place it in a water bath in the wrappers for 30 minutes.) Preheat oil in deep fryer around 350. On a cutting board, place paper towels below and on top of cod filets, then gently press out as much extra water as you can. Lightly salt and pepper the fish, then cut the filets into chunks for frying (generally 4 or so per filet). In a medium bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients to form the batter. When the oil is heated, place the fish chunks in the batter to coat. Using tongs, drop the fish in the oil. You may want to hold onto each chunk and let it cook for a few seconds before dropping, just so the batter doesn’t cook into the basket and get stuck. Cook fish until the coating is golden brown, generally 3-5 minutes. Serve with fries and tartar sauce.


Chicken Gyros

We’ve made these several times, and they’re delicious. Especially with warm pitas. But I wouldn’t mind trying a new gyro recipe. If I find a new recipe that’s even better, I’ll update.

If you’re making this gluten free, you’ll need to find a substitute for pitas. I haven’t found gluten free pitas in my grocery store, but you could probably try making some. I’ve used gluten free tortillas and made it a wrap, but it wasn’t so great. I’ve made gluten free naan before, which was delicious and may make a good substitute. Even just a warmed up piece of gluten free bread works fairly well.

Make it a meal with:

  • Fries or Chips
  • Grapes or Dates

Chicken Gyros

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: medium
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Make the tzatziki first so the flavors can meld, then do everything else.

Ingredients

Tzatziki

  • 1/2 c. Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/2 Cucumber, peeled and seeded
  • 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
  • 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste (need a fair amount)
  • Drizzle of olive oil

Marinade

  • 2 tsp. Minced Garlic
  • 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbsp. Oregano
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1 1/2 lb. Chicken Breasts, cubed

Toppings and Bread

  • 1 Tomato, diced
  • 1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin
  • 1/2 Cucumber, diced
  • 3-4 Pitas (or gluten free bread)

Directions

For the tzatziki: Chop the cucumber in large chunks and place in blender with a little water. Blend until smooth, then pour the liquid through a paper towel and squeeze to remove as much water as possible. Place the remaining cucumber pulp from the towel in a bowl and mix with the rest of the tzatziki ingredients. Adjust flavors as needed. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes so flavors can meld.

For the marinade/chicken: Mix all marinade ingredients and chicken together in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for a few minutes while you chop the rest of the vegetables for the toppings. Once everything is chopped, heat a heavy frying pan over high heat, then add chicken and cook until it’s done, about 7 minutes or so. Warm the pitas in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Assembling the gyro: Place a warm pita on a plate, then spoon chicken down the middle. Top with tzatziki, tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. You can either wrap it up or fold it slightly and eat like a taco.


Chili

My sister-in-law Stephanie makes a great chili, and she shared the recipe with us. I love hominy and bell peppers, so we add those in. We’ve also made this with a pound of cubed, cooked pork chops for an extra meaty chili–haha, we called it “Meaty Meat Meat Chili”. You can make this in a pot or let it simmer in the crock pot.

And this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

  • Sour Cream and Cheese to top
  • Corn Muffins
  • Melon or Grapes
  • Green Salad

Chili

  • Servings: 6?
  • Difficulty: medium
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It’s got a fair amount of spice, but you can add even more chili powder to up the heat.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
  • 1 lb. Sausage
  • 1 lb. Pork Chops, cubed (optional)
  • 1 Onion, diced
  • 2-3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
  • 1 heaping Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1 Tbsp. Paprika
  • 2 Tbsp. Cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. dried Oregano
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Pepper
  • 2 tsp. Garlic Powder (or fresh garlic)
  • 2 c. Beef Broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 1 can Rotel
  • 2 Bell Peppers
  • 1 can Kidney Beans, drained
  • 1 large can (25 oz.) Hominy, drained

Directions

Cook the meat, then add the onion (and fresh garlic if using). Add the spices (chili powder to garlic powder) and stir. Then add remaining ingredients and heat through.


Strawberry Bacon Salad

This is a nice summery meal, and it makes lots of leftovers. You can use prepackaged candied pecans, but I usually make my own because I can make a lot–and they’re much cheaper. The coating from the candied pecans does tend to dissolve off in the leftovers, though. Haha, that’s if you don’t secretly sneak all the candied pecans before dinner–they’re too tempting! Sometimes the red onion can be a bit much, so we often opt for green onions instead. You can opt to add feta cheese, but we found that the salad didn’t need it, with the salt from the bacon. And this salad is delicious, but it does take a fair amount of time to make.

For the salad in the picture, I just used one package of spinach, 1 pound of strawberries, a package of bacon, 1 bunch of green onions, a rotisserie chicken, and I made my own candied pecans. And I used Kroger Poppy Seed dressing, much cheaper than Brianna’s.

And luckily the poppy seed dressing is gluten free, so this one is naturally gluten free.

Make it a meal with:

Strawberry Bacon Salad

  • Servings: 6-8?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Delicious and summery–try not to eat all the pecans before mealtime. Haha

Ingredients

  • 1-2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Spinach
  • 1-2 lb. Strawberries, sliced
  • 1 pkg. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 small Red Onion, diced OR 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
  • 1 Rotisserie Chicken, broken down into pieces OR 4 Chicken Breasts, cubed and cooked
  • 2 c. Candied Pecans (prepackaged or using recipe below)
  • Brianna’s or Kroger Poppy Seed Dressing

Candied Pecans

  • 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt
  • 1 Tbsp. Water
  • 1/4 tsp. Vanilla
  • 2 c. Pecan halves

Directions

Place the spinach in a very large bowl, then place the rest of the ingredients on top, except the dressing. We generally don’t toss the salad because everything falls to the bottom of the bowl. Each person can add dressing as desired.

For candied pecans: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, water and vanilla. In a heavy frying pan on medium-high heat, toast pecans until they smell nutty and brown. Be careful because once they’re toasted, they can start to burn quickly. Pour the liquid over the nuts and mix to coat. Spread nuts on wax paper or Silpat to cool and harden.


Wonton Soup

The best part of wonton soup is the pork balls. Even if the wonton falls off while cooking, it’s still delightful to eat the pork balls. This is a fun soup, but we don’t make it very often because it takes a long time to make the wontons. And be careful that you keep the wontons covered with a damp cloth, so that they don’t crack (both the wonton wrappers in the pile and the finished ones with pork inside). The part of wonton making that takes the longest is shaping them–dipping your finger in water and sealing all the edges.

If you’re making this gluten free, make sure to use tamari or gluten free soy sauce (since soy sauce is usually made with wheat). And you’ll have to make your own wonton wrappers. I actually made mine the other day, and they turned out surprisingly well. They were a little thicker than usual, but I was so pleased. And they didn’t fall apart in broth like so many gluten free pastas do. I’m going to try making egg rolls with these wonton wrappers as well.

Wonton Shapes. We made 1.5 pounds of pork the other day, and I tripled the recipe from glutenfreeclub.com. It still wasn’t enough. But I included the recipe below so you don’t have to find it. I tried two different shapes when I made the gluten free wonton wrappers. It doesn’t matter what shape you use, as long as it tastes good. We traditionally made what I think my mom called “little nuns”, where you roll it in a tube, then bring down the two bottom corners of the tube and join them under her “chin”. But I also tried making one that’s more like a fancy ravioli or something. They were both great–I felt like the ravioli one shaped like an X was a little easier to make with the gluten free wonton wrappers. You just bring all the corners of the square to the middle. 

Make it a meal with:

  • Egg Rolls or Fried Rice
  • Fresh Fruit
  • Fortune Cookies

Wonton Soup

  • Servings: 5?
  • Difficulty: medium-hard
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Delicious pork balls–and don’t forget the green onions for the broth (that makes it good).

Ingredients

  • 1 qt. Chicken Broth
  • 1 bunch Green Onions, sliced
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 lb. Ground Pork
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Ginger
  • 2 Shakes Soy Sauce (or gluten free soy sauce/tamari)
  • Wonton Wrappers (or gluten free wonton wrappers)

Gluten Free Wonton Wrappers (from glutenfreeclub.com)

  • 3 c. Gluten Free Flour (with xanthan gum), plus extra for rolling
  • 3 Eggs
  • 3/4 tsp. Salt
  • About 3/4 c. Water (adding a Tbsp. at a time)

Directions

In a small pot, combine broth, green onions, and salt to taste. Heat until steaming but not boiling. In a medium bowl, mix the pork, 1 tsp. salt, ginger, and soy sauce together. Place a small ball in the middle of a wonton wrapper and fold the wrapper into wonton shape, using water to seal edges (you can dip your finger in a small bowl of water to do this). Keep finished wontons under damp paper towel to prevent drying/cracking. When a large pot of water is barely boiling, place wontons in water and cook until they float and the pork is no longer pink in the middle (generally a few minutes). Don’t let them stay in the water too long or they’ll start to fall apart. Scoop out finished wontons with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl, then cover with broth and serve.

For gluten free wonton wrappers: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the flour, eggs, and salt. Add the water 1 Tbsp. at a time until the dough is the consistency of Play Doh. Generously flour your work surface and place a small ball in the middle. Flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough as thin as you can without cracking. Cut off the rough edges so you have a square, then use a pizza cutter or bench scraper to cut into squares about 2″ x 2″. Brush any extra flour from the wontons and place in a pile, then cover with a damp paper towel to prevent cracking. (Refer to glutenfreeclub.com for more pictures if needed.)


Turkey

Before I went off to college, I wanted to make sure I knew how to do everything for Thanksgiving. Of course a turkey is pretty easy–it may seem intimidating, but mostly you just put it in the oven and cook until you reach the appropriate temperature.

If you’re making this gluten free, of course turkey is naturally gluten free–but be sure either not to stuff it, or just stuff it with a gluten free stuffing. Sometimes turkeys can have sauce mixes or weird basting that might have gluten, but most are just fine–just check the ingredients.

Make it a meal with:

Turkey

  • Servings: varies
  • Difficulty: medium
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Just cook until the internal temperature barely reaches 165° to keep it juicy.

Ingredients

  • 18-22 lb. Turkey (for Thanksgiving of course)
  • Small skewer for neck flap (if stuffing)
  • Bread heel (if stuffing)
  • Cooking Spray
  • Large disposable roaster pan (if large turkey)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Onion and garlic powder (optional)
  • Celery and Carrots

Directions

For thawing a giant turkey, take it out of the freezer and put it in your fridge about a week before. When it’s thawed, wash turkey and take out innards. Look on bag to see how many pounds and how long to cook–the manufacturers are the experts. For an 18-20 lb. turkey, it often takes about 4 hours to cook.

Use broiler pan with rack for smaller birds or a large disposable pan for Thanksgiving-sized birds. Put foil in bottom of the broiler pan and spray the rack. OR for the large disposable pan, place the pan on a cookie sheet for added stability, then spray the pan and place celery and carrots under the turkey so it won’t stick.

If stuffing: Stuff the neck first–flip the bird on its breast, then hold the neck flap out while you gently spoon in the stuffing. Skewer the neck flap closed, attaching it to the main body. Then flip it on its back to stuff the large cavity. Optional: You can salt and pepper the large cavity before stuffing (or just before baking without stuffing). Gently spoon stuffing into the large cavity, not compacting it too much. Place a piece of bread in to cover the stuffing before putting the legs back in the holders.

If NOT stuffing or if you’ve already stuffed the turkey: Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray with Pam before putting in oven so it won’t dry out. Then lightly sprinkle skin with salt and pepper–and garlic and onion powder if you’re using them. Pull wingtips behind so they won’t burn–like it looks like the turkey is lounging and putting its wings behind its head while sunbathing. Haha. Place turkey breast-side up, then place the pan in the oven. [For small turkey, pour about 2 c. water in bottom of pan so the drippings won’t burn.] Cook 1 hour at 325° before covering. Place a tent of foil loosely around the turkey, not tucked around the turkey. Fold in the middle so the turkey won’t overbrown.

If not brown enough near the end, take off foil at last half hour. To check doneness, breast should be 165° and thigh should be 185°. After removing from oven, cover turkey with foil to keep heat and let turkey sit 15-30 minutes before carving so juices can sink back into meat.

For more gravy juice, in water, simmer neck and gizzard with carrot, celery, onion, bay leaf, 2 bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. Members Mark Chicken Base) for about an hour. Then strain and use juice for gravy (about 1 qt. + water).


Stir Fry

Stir fry is great because you can kind of put in whatever vegetables you have in your fridge. And it makes great leftovers. I generally put in at least carrots and broccoli. And to make things faster, I usually microwave the broccoli, then add it to the rest. Jeff prefers to have stir fry on rice, but you can also make a kind of lo mein and mix it with noodles (like spaghetti).

If you’re making this gluten free, you can either buy gluten free teriyaki sauce or make your own with tamari or gluten free soy sauce (since soy sauce is usually made with wheat).

Make it a meal with:

  • Rice or Noodles
  • Egg Rolls
  • Fortune Cookies

Stir Fry

  • Servings: 5?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Great Asian flavors and great leftovers.

Ingredients

  • 2-3 lb. Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1/3 c. Oil
  • 1 heaping tsp. minced Garlic
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 1 big Carrot, thinly sliced
  • 1 bag fresh or frozen Broccoli (or broccoli/cauliflower blend)
  • Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce to taste
    • For gluten free, use gluten free teriyaki sauce or make your own:
    • ⅓ c. Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Tamari
    • 1 c. Water (or for more flavor use 1/2 c. water, 1/2 c. orange juice)
    • 1 tsp. minced Garlic
    • 1/4 tsp. Ginger
    • 3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. Water
  • ½ c. Cashews
  • White Rice, prepared; Minute Rice, prepared (2 c. rice, 2 c. water); OR 1 pkg. Spaghetti, prepared

Directions

Heat heavy pan or wok on high, then add oil. When the oil is shimmering, add chicken and cook until golden brown. Then add garlic and onion to cook until softened. For faster cooking, microwave broccoli while doing the rest. Add the carrot and cook until tender, then add in cooked broccoli. Then add sauce to taste, diluting with water if it’s too strong. Mix cornstarch and water to make a slurry, then add it to the mixture to thicken the sauce. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough. If the veggies aren’t soft enough, cover the pan with a lid and steam a few minutes until they’re soft. Just before serving, add cashews. Serve on rice or toss with spaghetti noodles.