guacamole salad $4.81 recipe / $0.80 serving

guacamole salad

$4.81 recipe / $0.80 serving

DING! DING! DING! We have a WINNER! (that means I really really like this recipe)

Avocados have a wonderfully unique flavor and texture and are for that reason one of my favorite fruits (it has a pit so it's a fruit, right?). I also love guacamole but with avocados selling for more than a dollar a piece for most of the year, it doesn't make much sense to mash up four of them just to make a little bitty bit of guac. SO I used Budget Byting Principle #2, pairing inexpensive ingredients with more expensive items to bring the total cost/serving down, to make it more reasonable. I used tomatoes as a "filler" item and bulked up what would otherwise be unmashed guacamole. Also, I waited until after winter to pull this recipe out of my hat because avocados are only $0.79 each at our local produce market right now. YES!

You can also use black beans or corn kernels for extra filler, flavor, texture and fiber!

I've been eating this salad with tortilla chips (I bought a big bag for only $2), straight out of the container with fork and ALSO on a toasted english muffin with a fried egg for breakfast. Yes, I will put just about anything on an egg sandwich but this is especially good in a mexican-veggie-omelet sort of way. Try it!

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chili cheese cornbread $2.76 recipe / $0.18 serving

chili cheese cornbread

$2.76 recipe / $0.18 serving

A couple of weeks ago I challenged myself to make some corn muffins from scratch that were as good as or better than what I get from the Jiffy Cornbread Mix but unfortunately I did not succeed. I will keep trying but until then, I will use the tried and true Jiffy Mix! Anyway, on their site they have all sorts of great recipe variations that you can do if making cornbread from the mix or from scratch. I saw this one for Mexican Corn Bake and I was inspired by the addition of chili powder to the cornbread mix. The resulting cornbread has a nice spicy kick with a little sweetness from frozen corn kernels and a cheesy topping. I usually make corn muffins but decided to do it in a large glass casserole dish this time. I think I prefer muffins because they cook more uniformly and you don't have to mess with cutting squares. Your call. Either way, it tastes great!

BTW, I've been dropping a square into my Taco Soup and eating them together... it's fantastic!

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taco soup $9.18 recipe / $1.15 serving

taco soup

$9.18 recipe / $1.15 serving

It's time for one of those quick-fix, week night dinner ideas that come together in about thirty minutes. It seems like I've been making a lot of complicated items lately, mostly due to my need for a challenge. But, sometimes even I get tired and just need something quick, delicious and (of course) inexpensive. I was first introduced to this recipe by my former roommate, Ashley waaaay back in 2005. Since becoming an avid "reader" of Tastespotting.com I realized that this is one of those tried and true recipes that has made its way around the country and into most American kitchens. Upon first glance this recipe may seem a little domestic with all of its canned ingredients but if you spruce it up with some fresh cilantro and add a couple garnishes it can end up looking fairly classy. I like to use tortilla chips with this soup as you would oyster crackers with other soups. Also try garnishing with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheddar cheese!

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gingerbread steel-cut oats $2.14 recipe / $0.54 serving

gingerbread steel-cut oats

$2.14 recipe / $0.54 serving

This recipe was one of those wonderful happy accidents. Last week I decided to make another batch of my Indian Spiced Oats with Coconut Milk but got lazy when looking for the brown sugar and grabbed a jar of molasses that was right in front of me. I never expected the result to be so soul-warmingly delicious! Molasses has such a deep rich flavor that is almost as savory as it is sweet. The thick, hearty, chewy steel-cut oats seemed as if they were just made to be molasses's canvas. I decided to add the classic gingerbread spices (ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) to round out the flavor of the oatmeal and added raisins for a touch of sweetness and texture variation. This oatmeal is just begging for some cold creamy milk to be poured on top (think gingerbread cookies and milk) so hopefully you're a "milk on your oats" type of person. If not, I'm sure it will still be great!

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pork & ginger pot stickers $6.96 recipe / $0.54 serving

pork & ginger pot stickers

$6.96 recipe / $0.54 serving

I wanted to make something to eat along side my sushi bowls this week so I decided to make some Pork and Ginger Pot Stickers. I remember attempting to make pot stickers a long time ago but... well... lets just say they stuck to the pan and just didn't work out. This time I did a lot of recipe research and tried a few different methods of cooking them (boiling, steaming, frying and combinations of all three) and I can proudly say that I think I have mastered the art of the pot sticker. The process is a little lengthy and requires a lot of steps so I'm going to rate this as "advanced". That being said, don't be afraid of them. They're quite delicious and a great challenge/experience for those of you who are more seasoned cooks. The greatest part about these pot stickers is that you can fill them with just about anything... while you stand there filling and folding them you're likely to come up with about ten different delicious ideas for fillings. I know I did!

I used shredded and sauteed cabbage here as a filler to offset the cost of the ground pork (the most expensive ingredient in the dish). I also had a little bit of leftover shredded carrot from the sushi bowls so I threw that in as well. Don't be tempted to use dried, ground ginger in place of fresh grated ginger in this recipe. Fresh ginger is quite inexpensive (you can break off a chunk that is just the size you need, you don't have to buy the whole big piece) and it adds an amazing amount of bright, fresh flavor. The fresh ginger and green onions really made these pot stickers shine!

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sushi bowls $7.17 recipe / $1.20 serving

sushi bowls

$7.17 recipe / $1.20 serving

Ah, sushi. So insanely delicious but also so insanely expensive. Sushi has a right to be expensive, seeing as fresh, sushi grade fish can be anywhere in the neighborhood of $16-$20+ per pound. Plus, you have to add in the cost of the expert technique that is involved with the intricate cutting, slicing and rolling. So, when I do shell out some cash for sushi, I feel like it's well worth it. Unfortunately, I can't afford to have sushi as often as I crave it. But, of course, I have a solution. These neat little sushi bowls are the perfect budget friendly fix for those days when you're craving sushi but your bank account is not.

The main cost cutting factor here is that I used imitation crab. Yeah, yeah, I know, imitation crab is "scary". But once you know what it is all of your fears will float away, I promise. Imitation crab is simply a less expensive fish (usually pollack) with a little crab flavoring mixed in. The "crab" that I bought, was actually a mix of pollack and real crab so it's even LESS scary (plus it boasts sustainable fishing practices and lots of omega-3s). Besides, I'm just going for a sushi fix, not authenticity. It's mouth-wateringly delicious and easy, that's all that counts.

Another thing that makes these sushi bowls great is the fact that all of the difficulty has been removed. You don't need to know how to roll sushi. You don't need to know how to perfectly julienne any vegetables. Cut the "toppings" however you see fit, throw them all into a bowl and dive in! I cut mine into different shapes and sizes for fun but you don't need to be fancy to have it taste great.

Okay, enough intro already...

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louisiana red beans & rice $8.48 recipe / $0.85 serving

louisiana red beans & rice

$8.48 recipe / $0.85 serving

I've lived in southern Louisiana for nine years now so it's about time I try to make some Red Beans and Rice from scratch. Honestly, until now, I've been content with buying the Bluerunner canned "Creole Cream Style Red Beans", heating them up and tossing in some cooked sausage. But, I figure, at some point I need to learn to make them or else they'll throw me out of Louisiana. So, I did some recipe research and finally came up with a plan. I based my recipe on the one found in The Joy of Cooking but with a few tweaks to meet my needs. The biggest debate was whether or not to buy a smoked ham hock. In the end, I didn't get one because I wanted to simplify the ingredient list. Plus, they were sold in a pack of three and I didn't know what I'd do with the other two. Instead, I sauteed the sausage first and used the grease from that to flavor the vegetables and broth. Truth be told, I will buy a smoked ham hock next time because I believe it will add A LOT to the final flavor profile. The beans were still amazing and I can't wait to make it again and hone my red-bean making skills! (See notes below for directions for using a ham hock).

One more thing. This is definitely a Sunday afternoon recipe. It takes a few hours to cook but most of it is passive time so you can go do chores or something else and just check in with the beans once in a while.

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southern-style potato salad $3.63 recipe / $0.61 serving

southern-style potato salad

$3.63 recipe / $0.61 serving

People take their potato salad very seriously here in the south, I learned that quickly. I was never a fan of potato salad in my youth but after living in south Louisiana for nine years, I now love it. And boy, was I craving some potato salad this week! I made a lighter fresher tasting version of potato salad for the blog last summer but today, I wanted the real stuff. Heavy, creamy, tangy, no holds barred southern style potato salad. I used light mayo so I wouldn't feel so guilty but feel free to use regular if you'd like (regular is usually much less expensive too). Many recipes for southern-style potato salad use celery salt, which I didn't have, so sprinkle some on if you've got it!

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quick ramen bowl $1.01 each

quick ramen bowl

$1.01 each

By noon today my throat had swollen up so big that I couldn't swallow and my head was pounding. The sickness was upon me. So, as soon as I got home I started searching for something warm and soothing to eat. A quick scan of my refrigerator showed one lonely egg, some left over spinach, mushrooms and green onions from the salads that I packed for lunch this week and on top of the refrigerator I found my roommates stockpile of ramen noodles. Bingo! A hot soothing bowl of "souped up" ramen! Now, I know I may sound a little like a hypocrite because in my "About Budget Bytes" introduction I spoke of not having to eat ramen noodles every day to stay on a budget. That being said, you can do some pretty delicious things with these humble packages of noodles. This one is great because not only does it increase the nutritional value (if it had any to begin with) but it is an excellent way to use leftover veggies - experiment with whatever you have. Plus, when you're sick, an easy, hot, soothing and delicious bowl of noodles is just what the doctor ordered!

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garlic bread $1.77 recipe / $0.11 serving

garlic bread

$1.77 recipe / $0.11 serving

Eating anything with marinara sauce is just so much better when you have a garlicky, chewy/crispy piece of bread to sop up the extra sauce. So, while I was planning my Pesto Stuffed Shells this week, I thought about grabbing a box of garlic bread from the freezer aisle... after all, it's very cheap, only about $2 a box. Then I started thinking, "Well, I can buy a HUGE loaf of fresh french bread for a dollar... can I make the garlic bread for less?" You bet. Many grocery stores sell giant baguettes of French bread hot from their bakery every day for $1-$2. Snatch one of those up, make this quick buttery garlic spread and you're well on your way to having hot, fresh (and trans-fat free!) garlic bread. This bread was so delicious that it disappeared almost instantly between me and my roommates.

The best part of it is that you can control how much butter/oil is on your bread- you just never know with the frozen kind. This recipe yielded 16 2-inch wide pieces of bread and I only used 4 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp of olive oil total. That equals out to just .25 Tbsp of butter (less than a teaspoon!) and half that much oil per piece. Not bad... not bad.

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pesto stuffed shells $8.51 recipe / $1.42 serving

pesto stuffed shells

$8.51 recipe / $1.42 serving

It should be obvious by now that I love to stuff things (Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken, Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin, Stuffed Poblano Peppers). Well, here I go again, stuffing some more filling into what would otherwise be a very boring bit of food. Instead of doing the regular old cheese stuffed jumbo shell pasta, I decided to give it a little kick with some pesto. I mixed basil pesto into the cheese filling which added TONS of bright flavor. I had some fresh spinach lying around so I decided to roughly chop some and throw it into the mix as well. You can leave out the spinach or add more if you'd like; it is not a major player here, I just like to add more veggies whenever I can. Also, I have been making my own marinara lately but I had a jar of store bought sitting up in my cupboard using up space so I decided to use that this time instead.

I set a serving size at 3 shells per person because I made a big green salad and garlic bread to go along as sides (recipes later this week). If you are eating the shells alone you may want four... or five if you are a big muscular man with a monsterous appetite. I was able to fill 22 shells with the amount of pesto cheese mix I made, which left me with more than a few left over shells. Even though you probably won't end up using all of your cooked shells, it is a good idea to boil all of them in case some rip or tear in the process. Just consider them "back up" shells.

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