Written by Erin Byers Murray | Photos from The Defined Dish: Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes, by Alex Snodgrass. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

At the Table

Easy-Going Weeknight Meals from The Defined Dish

By: The Local Palate

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Food lover, blogger, and author Alex Snodgrass shares healthful recipes to carry you through the month

Dallas-based Alex Snodgrass is the voice and recipe delevoper behind the super-popular blog, The Defined Dish. Her book of the same name came out in 2019 and is the third in a Whole30 Endorsed cookbook series. Full of flavor-packed and health-conscious recipes, the book is also an approachable guide for anyone looking to lighten things up this time of year. Here, Snodgrass shares her own personal goals for this month, as well as two comforting recipes from her book.

The Local Palate: For those who don’t yet know your book, what are the three biggest takeaways for how you approach weeknight cooking?

Alex Snodgrass: As far as weeknight cooking goes, I try to focus on real food ingredients in my kitchen and not overly processed foods. I also love simple, straightforward recipes and, of course, big-bold flavors are important to me as a Southern girl.

TLP: So, we’re not quite doing Whole30 but we’re interested in getting healthier in the kitchen this month. Which recipes should we turn to first?

AS: Whole30 or not, there are so many great recipes for everyone in my book! I recommend doing the grain-free chicken parmesan, black pepper chicken, Whole30 gumbo, and the enchiladas con carne. Those are all favorites here in my house and in The Defined Dish community.

TLP: What are you personally doing these days to refresh and renew your own eating habits this month?

AS: Ah, after 2020, my eating habits changed a lot, and some for the better—some for the worst. I find myself turning to more wholesome grains and legumes that I can keep in the pantry, which I am super fond of. I wasn’t consuming a lot of those before and I’ve really enjoyed adding them to my diet. I am really trying to drink less booze and eat less sugary foods this month as well.

TLP: What ingredients do you turn to most this time of year?

AS: Anything for soups or anything that could be slow cooked in the oven. I love braised meats like brisket and pot roast, and then I love creamy, pureed soups like butternut squash or creamy cauliflower soup.

TLP: What is one super simple ingredient swap (a smarter choice for tortillas, say) that you’re sharing with readers right now?

AS: I am a HUGE and very loyal Siete Foods fan. Their grain-free cassava flour tortillas and chips are a favorite in my home.

TLP: What are you cooking tonight?

AS: Tonight, I am working on a Greek-inspired Gyro meat recipe…it’s one I’ve been trying to perfect for months for a project I am working on…and it’s so close! I’ve been doing a ton of behind-the-scenes recipe development lately.

Find The Defined Dish on Amazon or through your local bookstore.