What Is Your Best Entertaining Main Course?

I cook a lot (we do cook-lucks with my friends) so here is just a short list of no dairy, or dairy optional.

Main Courses
- Carne Asada
- Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas (super easy w/ jarred salsa verde & rotisserie chicken from the store)
- Pulled Pork Sammies w/ greens & hush puppies
- Caribbean Sammies (similar to cuban sammies)
- Philly Cheesesteak (widdout)
- Paninis
- Seared Shirmp (or bbq shrimp)
- Seared Scallops
((The above two plain, in tacos, in po'boys, etc.))
- Crab Cakes
- Paella
- Gumbo / Jambalaya
- Rissotto
- Stuffed Peppers
- Kebabs
- Curries (a nice coconut curry would work great w/ a dairy allergy)
- Chopped Salad
- Big Soups
- Osso Bucco (and this is a "must"... w/ leek mashed potatoes)
- Chicken Marsala
- Broiled or Grilled sausages

Favorite Sides:

- Grilled Pollenta wedges
- Baguette w/ cannelini beans & purple onions
- Baguette w/ bruschetta
- Red rice and refried pinto beans
- Green rice and black beans
- Roasted Veggies
- Sauteed Greens w/ garlic, salt, and pepper
- Tostones (fried banana slices) w/ guacamole
- Broiled or Grilled portabello mushrooms
- Broiled Asparagus w/ garlic and olive oil
- Crash Hot Potatoes (essentially australian latkes... see pioneer woman)
- Latkes
- Tatertots (don't ask why, but if made for kids, the adults dive in... so I make tons!)
- Bulgar Wheat
- Devilled Eggs
-

We love to make fajitas when we have lots of people over, but it's not the only one I ALWAYS make. You can marinate the steak and chicken, and grill it, and then cut it up and keep it in a pan on warm in the oven so it is still warm when company arrives. Same for the veggies. We also do lasagne, spaghetti, and sometimes just lots of different appetizers or tacos. My kids almost always just eat lots and lots of the meat when we do fajitas, the meat is so good and tender. So that might be good for your son. Here is my marinade recipe that I use:

1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
juice of one lemon
big dash of garlic, or you can use real

I tweak it to my taste, sometimes if it's too salty I add more honey. Then I marinade for several hours or overnight, then grill. Sometimes I pour a tad bit into my pan when I am sauteeing my veggies, it makes it good too. They taste so good!!!

I have enjoyed both of these. Served to my IL recently with parm cheese garlic bread. Or I do shrimp scampi over angle hair and salad.

Roasted Garlic Clove Chicken

Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

Prep Time:
20 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
45 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head garlic, separated into whole cloves, papery skin removed (about 20 cloves)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 lemon, juiced
Bread, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Salt and pepper liberally and allow to temper on a cutting board while you prepare the garlic. In a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, cook the whole garlic cloves in olive oil and butter, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high and brown the chicken skin-side down until the skin is golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, sprinkle on herbes de Provence. Add the garlic back to the pan and place hot pan in oven. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Once the chicken is done, remove chicken thighs and garlic to a platter. Place the pan over medium-high heat and sprinkle the drippings with flour and stir to incorporate. Deglaze the pan with the stock and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken on the platter and serve with bread for sauce-mopping and garlic-spreading.

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

Prep Time:
5 min
Inactive Prep Time:
--
Cook Time:
20 min

Level:
Easy

Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients

1 head broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated the Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Well i cook majority Indian cuisine. If I have non-Indian people over that dont have health issues. I cook a Stew, or a yummy roast, in the crock pot. I am sure to add lots of sides. For my Indian and guest that like the spice of life, a wonderful Chicken or Fish Curry, or my favorite Butter Paneer (Def something you wouldnt be able to eat :( ) I try to be sure I do lots of sides so that if anyone doesnt like the choices they always have something else to fill up on.

we use a lot of seasonal dishes:

smoked pork & beef roasts are our trademark dinners!
we also smoke turkey & chickens.

baked bone-in ham....yumm.

lasagna, or "fake" lasagna - like mostaciolli, but with a sweet sauce, cottage cheese, & shredded mozzarella....all thrown into the electr. roaster.

crockpots of chicken & dumplings, chili, or meatball soup.

we're huge fans of corned beef & cabbage! I bake my corned beef - so it's quick & easy!

& we do mega fish frys....always have a crowd for this! Hush puppies, cole slaw, fresh fried french fries, & sometimes even fried biscuits &/or dill pickles.

Taco night is also fun! As is taco salad....

Chilli in the crockpot with a selection of toppings

Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill