Low Budget (45)
Agua Fresca de Pepino is a traditional Mexican drink that is easy to prepare and is the perfect cooling drink for a hot day. With only a handful of ingredients necessary, this drink can be ready to pour in just a few minutes. For a more healthy drink, leave out the (optional) sugar. Instead of using 2 of the common "Garden Cucumbers", I prefer to use 5 or 6 of the smaller "Mini Seedless Cucumbers".
The term "BBQ" can mean a lot of different things, depending on the region. There is Carolina BBQ, Memphis BBQ, St Louis BBQ, Kansas City BBQ, Kentucky BBQ, and about 4 or 5 variations called Texas BBQ. Variations can include a Dry Rub or a Wet Sauce, various cuts of Beef or Pork, the type of wood used to smoke the meat, the presence of vinegar in a Wet Sauce, the use of Tomato sauce or Mustard as the base for a Wet Sauce, the inclusion of Hot Peppers; the variations seem unlimited. Perhaps the most unique BBQ is called Alabama White BBQ Sauce, a Mayonnaise mixture, used as a finishing sauce on smoked chicken, shredded pork shoulder, roasted turkey, ribs, or even a dipping sauce for french fries.
This is an easy recipe to use leftover White Rice that will compliment any Asian meat or vegetable dish. While I frequently use black sesame seeds for this recipe, white sesame seeds would work just as well. For best results in forming the Rice Cakes, use a "Slider" sized Hamburger Patty Press. Use pressure to press the rice into tightly-compacted cakes.
Baked Zucchini Rounds are a tasty snack that is easy to make and relatively healthy.
Country Style Pork Ribs come from the same cut as the Boston Butt or the Picnic Roast and does not contain any actual rib meat. Country Style Ribs can be boneless or they can be bone-in when the shoulder bone is included. Like the Boston Butt, Country-style Pork Ribs should be cooked at a low temperature, for several hours to render the fat and add flavor to the meat, while providing the "fall-apart tenderness" rib-like experience. Choose your favorite store-bought or home-made BBQ sauce and finish the meat with a final broil to form the perfect char. This recipe provides guidance for multiple preparation methods: Sous Vide, Conventional Oven, Instant Pot, and the Slow Cooker.
This is an easy BBQ dish that requires very little effort and can be on the table in less than 1 hour. I am not a fan of cooked Chicken Skin, so I typically remove the skin. This allows all the flavor of your BBQ to soak into the meat and not just the skin. Cooking the drumsticks with the skin on may require additional cooking, so if you don't want to remove the skin, you may need to experiment with the cooking time. I like to use a Carolina Mustard style sauce, but you can use any store bought or homemade BBQ sauce.
Barbacoa (Shredded Beef Roast) is the classic Sunday afternoon family dinner meal. However, roast beef is not always the easiest meal to make. An under-cooked roast won't shred properly, and an overcooked roast will be dry and tasteless. But fear not! With this simple recipe, a consistently perfect shredded Chuck Roast is easy to achieve. Marinade the roast, give it a nice sear, and add it to the Slow Cooker for about 8 hours. Shred the finished beef and add back into the flavorful au jus for the perfect Barbacoa, every time!
Brown Butter or "Beurre Noisette" (meaning: "Hazelnut Butter") does not actually contain hazelnuts. This single ingredient sauce can add complexity and a "nutty" flavor to any sweet or savory dish that calls for butter. Brown butter is made by heating the butter to brown the milk solids and reduce the water. Brown Butter can replace the butter in any recipe, tablespoon for tablespoon.
Contrary to popular opinion, the Caesar Salad was not named for Julius Caesar. Instead, it is named after the Chef from Mexico City who first concocted this savory lemon-flavored egg yolk emulsion. A Caesar Salad is traditionally made with romaine lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and occasionally diced tomatoes, all coated with a serving the famous dressing. Caesar Salad is a great companion to any meal.
This reduction was inspired by Cheerwine Soda, a super sweet soft drink that is commonly found in North Carolina. Like Cheerwine, this homemade cherry reduction can be used in a wide range of recipes, such as BBQ sauce, cherry topping for deserts, a replacement for grenadine, or as a flavoring for soda water. In addition to the frozen cherries, this recipe also calls for bottled cherry juice. For best results, ensure that the juice has no additional sugar added and contains 100% cherry juice. Do not settle for a cheaper mix that includes other filler juices, such as pear juice or grape juice. In order to make into Cherry Syrup, dissolve an additional 1.5 Cups of Sugar.
It always seems like the best potato side-dish recipes require far more effort than any side dish ever should. Until now. This recipe takes minimal effort and results in perfect potato wedges with a garlic-lemon taste.
This creamy cheese sauce is a great addition to a medium rare London Broil or as a filling for stuffed hamburgers patties. Adding the horseradish paste will provide additional flavor and complexity. The amount of Horseradish can be adjusted to provide a stronger or weaker flavor, as desired.
Dutch Baby is the sweeter, more pancaker version of Yorkshire pudding. The batter can be made as much as 3 days in advance. The finished Dutch Baby can be topped with fresh fruit, maple syrup, or even powdered sugar.
This flavorful single-pan meal is easy to make.
Ricotta "Cheese" is not technically a cheese, but actually a cheese byproduct. Fresh Ricotta is surprisingly easy to make, once you learn a few tricks. In less than an hour, you can go from Whole Milk to fresh Ricotta. And using a Sous Vide, makes this process even easier. Use only Whole Milk in this recipe. Milk containing less fat will result in a lower ricotta yield.
Risotto is easy to make, but it requires constant stirring. Cooking Risotto in the Sous Vide removes the need for such focused attention: Just prepare the ingredients, seal them in a heat safe bag, and drop it in the Sous Vide. 45 minutes later, you will have a perfect Risotto. Just watch the time so that you do not overcook it.
This is an easy Chicken recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
A Hasselback Potato is a potato that is opened at the top, through a series of thin slices, then baked. The slices provide greater surface area. When coated with butter/oil and seasoning, the additional surface area provides a crispy, tasty finish for your baked potato.
Whether you call them Hoagies, Grinders, Po Boys, or Submarine Sandwiches, a good sandwich starts with the bread. This from-scratch Hoagie Roll is easy to make, and provides a flavorful freshness that will vastly improve your Hoagie. The bulk of the "Prep" time is spent waiting for the bread to rise.
Pesto is a tasty replacement for Marinara sauce when you are want some variation from the standard tomato-based sauce. However, Pesto can be expensive to make. This Pesto recipe is a tasty, cheaper option, that can be made easily in less than half an hour. Leaving out the Parmasan Cheese will significantly lower the cost. Using a small amount of Marmite will replace the Umami falvor that typically came from the Parmasan, and the reduced price makes this Pesto fit better in your budget. The cost can be further reduced by replacing Pine Nuts with raw, chopped Almonds. Pesto can be a great addition to any pasta dish, a tasty relish for an italian sandwhich, or a Pizza sauce. The Olive Oil should be integrated by hand, since using a blender to mix in the Olive Oil can cause the Oil to break down and result in a bitter flavor.
Bake your favorite Ice Cream into a flavorful cake using this fun and easy recipe.
This flavored Simple Syrup is easy to make and can be used to flavor home-made sodas.
Everybody loves a good loaded baked potato. This is a quick and simple recipe to give all the flavors of stuffed potatoes, in a hearty soup. This gluten-free recipe uses mashed potato to thicken the soup.
Marquis Potatoes are a versatile dish that can be eaten as a finger food or served as a side with a Beef Roast. This French potato recipe is made by piping mashed potatoes into donut-shaped rings, then baking the mashed potato donuts. The open center of the baked potatoes are filled with a savory sauce. This recipe uses a Tomato-based sauce. You can make mashed potatoes from scratch for this recipe, but instant mashed potatoes will reduce the prep time by more than an hour, with no real benefit to the recipe.
First of all, there are NO actual Oreo Cookies used in this recipe. In case you have never seen the inside of a Sports Bar, Sliders are small, bite-sized burgers. This recipe makes Sliders that are stuffed with cheese. As they cook, sometimes the cheese leaks out and they look like Oreo cookies, made with meat. You'll understand when you make them...
Mexican Crema Fresca is a traditional cream-based sauce, similar to Crème Fraîche. Both use Heavy Cream, however Crème Fraîche integrates an active buttermilk culture (Lactococcus lactis or Lactobacillus bulgaricus plus Leuconostoc citrovorum), while Crema Fresca uses an active yogurt culture (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus). This recipe can be easily scaled to produce a larger yield by maintaining a yogurt/cream ratio of 1:8. Note: Yogurt that does not have an active culture will fail to incubate properly. You can replace the Heavy Cream with Half and Half, to reduce the overall cost, without a negative impact on the flavor.
Oven Roasted Cauliflower is a non-traditional cauliflower use that makes a great appetizer or even a main dish.
You can use a variety of seasonings to flavor Roasted Cauliflower
This recipe calls for either Russet potatoes or Yukon Golds. They each have a unique texture and can provide nice character to this dish: Russets will have a better crunch, while the Yukon Golds have a more creamy inside. In order to save time, the potatoes can be par-boiled up to a day in advance.
This easy relish provides a spicy and flavorful addition to spice up your meal. Use it on sandwiches, burgers, or eggs.
This quick and easy red sauce can compliment pasta, be served over grilled vegetables, or used as a pizza sauce. Enjoy the convenience of a flavorful marinara sauce that can literally be put together in minutes and requires no cooking, before adding it to the pizza.
This tangy sauce works well over tacos, grilled chicken, or steamed fish. This sauce can be made with either Greek Yogurt or with Crème Fraîche. Both of which can be homemade (see the related links) or store bought.
This sauce goes well on roast pork or roast chicken. Drizzle over the Roast just before serving for a sweet/sour fruity finish. For a variation, replace the Pomegranate Molasses with something like Raspberry Jam.
If Canada has a national dish, this is arguably it. I first tasted good Poutine on a visit to Montreal a few years ago. While the origins of this dish are not entirely known, there are multiple sources who claim to have invented the dish. Poutine is simple to make. The traditional recipe contains French Fries, White Cheese Curds, and Brown Gravy. A widely accepted variation is to add cooked meat. If Cheese Curds are not available, you can use shredded Oaxaca Cheese or (in a pinch) Shredded Mozzarella.
The Quesadilla Crunchwrap (commercially marketed under a similar name) could be easily obtained at a well-known fast food chain. However, this recipe will allow you to replace the "fast food" ingredients with better quality and better flavor. This Quesadilla Crunchwrap can be cooked in a frying pan, or (ideally) with a Panini Press. The Quesadilla Crunchwrap is an extremely flexible dish that can be filled with pretty much any kind of Meat that you have on hand.
Roasted Spaghetti Squash has a flesh that naturally resembles spaghetti strands. Spaghetti Squash can be served with marinara sauce or with nothing more than a pinch of salt. Additionally, the seeds can be reserved and roasted, much like roast pumpkin seeds.
This is an easy Chicken recipe, designed for the Sous Vide. You can prepare beforehand and freeze in a vacuum-sealed bag up to 6 months. Just drop the bag in your Sous Vide pot and walk away. Your main course will be ready to eat a few hours later.
Salsa Roja, a Mexican red sauce, is traditionally made from dried red chiles, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices. Ancho chiles (dried poblano peppers) provide a mellow heat with a slightly smoky flavor. This is a simple sauce recipe, with the expectation that it will accent a wide variety of dishes. Other ingredients can easily be added to this base sauce to further enhance the flavor.
This is a fun and tasty frittata that is easy to make. For a little variation, you can add finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and peppers, or baby spinach.
Using the Sous Vide to prepare Corn can save time. The Corn can be prepared before-hand, then easily re-heated when it is time to serve.
Soutzoukakia (pronounced /soot-zoo-KA-key-ah/) are Greek meatballs, that are traditionally oven-baked in a tomato sauce. Soutzoukakia is similar to a Turkish dish called Kofte. This recipe is prepared on the stovetop and includes a loosely defined Arabic spice mix called Ras El Hanout. If you do not have this mix on hand, you can make your own mix. Serve with Tzatziki over a bed of basmati rice or with roasted potatoes. Poblano or jalapeno peppers will add heat to the dish. For a Keto version of this recipe, serve with a medley of Keto-friendly roasted vegetables.
This is an easy recipe with that is flavorful, healthy, and filling. Most of the ingredients can be prepared before-hand and refrigerated.
Toad in the Hole is a traditional British dish where sausages are cooked in Yorkshire pudding. The various steps required to successfully create Yorkshire pudding are oftentimes approached with all the fervor of religious dogma. However, good Yorkshire Pudding is actually quite easy to make. The batter can be made 30 minutes to 3 days in advance. The heated oven and preheated pan causes the Yorkshire pudding to rise and then crisp, as it turns a golden brown color. As a side note, if the pudding fails to rise properly, the dish is called "Toad in the Bog". Toad in the Hole is traditionally topped with grilled onions and a few scoops of beef or chicken gravy.
Udon Noodles is a traditional Japanese dish, but the noodles have a thicker, more silky texture than their more popular Ramen cousin. Traditional Udon Broth calls for Light Soy Sauce (that is different from the low-sodium "Lite" Soy Sauce) and Dark Soy Sauce. The inclusion of both types of Soy will provide a more full savory flavor. If Dark Soy Sauce is not available, replace the Dark Soy Sauce with 2 additional Tablespoons of Light Soy Sauce (frequently labeled "Soy Sauce"). Additionally, Mirin (containing alcohol) is also a traditional ingredient. This recipe replaces the Mirin with Rice Wine Vinegar.
This cool refreshing drink is perfect for a hot Summer Day
Although potatoes cooked in the Sous Vide take about 30 minutes longer than baking in the oven, using the Sous Vide to cook potatoes is an easy option that ensures that the oven is available to prepare other parts of the meal. And if you set the Sous Vide to the correct time and temperature, you will end up with perfect potatoes, every time.
