I'd like to be one of those recipe blogs, but I don't have many original recipes to contribute just yet. I should be more experimental, and probably will in the future, but at this point I'm cooking to make as much food for as little money as possible, so I tend to buy only what I need. But I think other people's recipes are good jumping off points, so let's just say I'm laying the groundwork now. I don't mind learning from others' successes, as well as their mistakes.
These are all the recipes I've tried lately, ranked for deliciousness. I'd rank them for cost too but they were all pretty inexpensive to make.
Italian Wonderpot by Budget Bytes - 2/10
The Italian Wonderpot had so much potential. Pasta that you cook in broth with spinach, tomatoes, garlic, and other tasty spices? Sounds legit. And it was pretty good right after I made it. Sadly I had to cook everything for so long to make the onion soft, and by the time it was done the fettuccini was softer than I like. As I ate it through the week everything just kind of blended together and became mushy and bland. Maybe I'll try a variation where I cook everything separately, keep the pasta al dente, and saute the onions a bit first.
I would like to say that I really like the Budget Bytes website. You can search for recipes by a number of categories, and every recipe tells you about how much each serving and each ingredient costs. I've tried other recipes from here that turned out better than the Wonder Pot, so don't let this recipe turn you away.
Taco Chicken Bowls by Budget Bytes - 6/10
This was a crock pot adventure recipe, and it turned out pretty well. The slow-cooked chicken was super tender and it was an inexpensive, filling dish to make for the week. My problem with it may have been my own mistake: the recipe calls for you to pour salsa over the chicken, and I chose a black bean and corn salsa, forgetting that black beans and corn were in the recipe already. The result was more like chili because of all the beans. Not bad, but next time I would try a different salsa. There's a ton of spices in this too, so much that they overpowered the chicken a bit. This recipe reminded me a lot of my aunt's chicken recipe where you cover chicken with salsa and bake it for an hour or so. I might just stick to her recipe, since I like it a little better and it takes less time to cook. Either way, I would recommend adding cheese when it's done cooking. And avocado. Always avocado, forever.
This is a pretty solid, classic chicken wild rice soup recipe. I just threw everything in the slow cooker and went to bed. It was delicious, though I didn't end up buying enough broth so it was more porridgey than soupy. Also, I ate it all week and by the end the rice was pretty gloopy. All in all, it's a good basic chicken wild rice soup but not super exciting.
Asian Oven Roasted Pulled Pork by White On Rice Couple - 7/10
Not only did this recipe give me a great excuse to visit an Asian grocery store in Edgewater (so many strange, interesting, and delicious things there!) and use my cast-iron skillet, it was extremely tasty and unique. The combination of sweet chili sauce and fish sauce gave it a sweet umami flavor, and it was incredibly moist. The only downside of this recipe was that the fish sauce made it (and my apartment) smell a bit, well, fishy, and it made so much food that I ended up throwing out some of the leftovers. But now I know how to make pulled pork and I can try out different sauces.
Lentils and Sausage Braised in Red Wine by Big Girls Small Kitchen - 8/10
When I was in Spain, the woman I lived with made The Best lentil soup. I'm still trying to recreate it (chorizo is SO expensive though) but this quest has opened me up to the possibilities of the nutritious lentil. I amassed a large amount of lentils that were sitting uneaten in the cabinet, so I looked around for some recipes. A lot of them seemed spicy or difficult or involved too much prep or ingredients, but this one was really easy and tasty. And cooking with wine is almost as fun as drinking it. The red wine added a rich, spicy (but not hot-spicy) flavor to the lentils and turned everything slightly purple. It went really well with the Italian sausage too. This recipe made a TON of food, so I ate it all week and then froze a good amount of it for later. I served it, as they suggested, with mashed potatoes, but it's also good on its own or with some good bread to dip in it. Like take-and-bake ciabatta (I just really love bread ok??). This recipe is really good but I feel like it's missing something... maybe a kick from spicier sausage or red pepper flakes. Or maybe I'm just getting tired of it after eating it all week. But it's a solid, hearty winter recipe and I'll probably make it again.
Jumbo Spinach and Mushroom Turnovers by Teri Tsang Barrett (Recipe #2) - 8/10
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| Fresh from my oven! |
Mango Avocado Black Bean Salad by Green Plate Rule - 10/10
This salad is amazing. It's delicious. It's really good for you. It seems impressive and fancy. It's gluten-free and vegan--well, almost, because there's honey in the dressing. It's also easy to make the night before and take to work for lunch. There's also a ton of protein here thanks to the the black beans and quinoa. I love fruit in salads, so the mango is great and it goes very well with the cilantro-lime dressing. The recipe calls for jalapeños, but since I don't like them I substitute red onion. And, unlike many salads, it is really filling and satisfying. In conclusion, if you feel a bit blah or are worried you've been eating too much junk and not enough fresh fruits and veggies but hate boring salads, this is a great recipe. Make this, impress your friends, and do your taste buds a favor.
**I wish I'd taken more of my own pictures of these recipes, but somehow I didn't. How uncharacteristic of me. Must be sure to do this in the future.
