tuna & white bean salad

The hardest part about cooking and testing so many recipes (for the upcoming cookbook) is that I get full after a few bites, but my taste buds still scream for more! I wanted to eat this whole bowl...

This recipe is as easy as 1,2,3... literally. Just mix it all together, adjust to your taste buds and you've got a protein packed lunch ready to go. You can eat this salad plain with a fork, top crackers with it, stuff it inside of a pita pocket, or scoop some over top of a bed of spinach. Anyway you serve it, it's super tasty!

One thing to consider with this recipe is the quality of beans and tuna. I chose the most inexpensive options for both, and it showed. The flavor was still top notch, but the beans were falling apart and the tuna was lumps of mush rather than large chunks of tuna meat. So, if you like things to be pretty, make sure to get high quality beans and tuna. :)

You can use any type of white beans you like - great northern, navy, butter beans, whatever. They'll all add an element of "creaminess" without having heavy mayo!

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chocolate hummus

Okay, so this doesn't really have anything in common with hummus aside from the chickpeas, so don't freak out just yet.

This recipe comes courtesy of one of my wonderful readers, Gazel. When she emailed me this recipe for a chocolate flavored dip made with chickpeas, I was immediately intrigued. I'm not a super chocolate freak, but I like the idea of kicking a sweet tooth with something that has tons of fiber! Plus, it's made out of ingredients that I usually have on hand, which makes it super convenient.

I bought some pretzels to dip in my choco-hummus, and that was awesome. But then I tried it with the tart green apple and almost died. SO GOOD. You could also make some cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips and turn this into a sort of chocolate nacho type thing. Yum! So many possibilities.

The amount and type of sugar used here are very flexible. Gazel suggested using honey or agave nectar, while I used plain white sugar to keep the price down. Start with 2 or 3 Tablespoons of sugar and add more if you feel it necessary. I liked it super sweet with a full 1/4 cup - call me indulgent! Have fun with this one because you can make it your own!

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(not) sun dried tomato sauce

You know those little jars of sun dried tomatoes packed in delicious herb infused olive oil that cost about $5 a pop? This is just like that, except not. Ha!

This was completely a happy accident and now my life will never be the same. I started out wanting to make something similar to this magic sauce, but was going to use it as a base for my homemade pizza tonight, so I added some tomato paste to make it more, well, pizza-like. When I gave it a taste I was absolutely stunned. it tasted just like those oil packed sun dried tomatoes!

I was so happy because nearly every time I'm at the store I want to buy them, but the price always holds me back. Now I know I can make something that tastes really, really similar and for VERY little money.

So, what do you do with this "sauce"? Well....

• Use it as a pizza sauce (like I'm going to do tonight)
• Toss warm pasta in it, and then top with some parmesan cheese
• Use it as an uber flavorful sandwich spread (best with focaccia or other hearty bread)
• Use in place of garlic butter on sliced french bread for a tomatoey version of garlic toast
• Just go ahead and dip really good, crusty bread in it!

It's so good that I'm sure you can come up with a million more yummy things to do with it!

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cucumber raita

I had an email from a reader (sorry, can't find the email to fetch your name!) a while back requesting that I try to make a raita similar to the one she had at Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, I've never had raita and there isn't a Trader Joe's near by where I could get some to try. I looked into the recipe anyway and was intrigued. Raita kind of looks like the Indian version of tzatziki... and I LOVE tzatziki.

So, if you're unfamiliar, both are a yogurt based sauce used for dipping, putting on flat breads, or whatever else you'd like. They're creamy, cooling, and tangy. I looked up some recipes for raita and found that there are a million different versions out there. Some with cucumber, some with ginger, some with green onions, some simply with yogurt and a couple of spices . I liked the idea of having both cucumber and ginger to make it extra "cool" on the palate, so I went with that. You can definitely experiment with this and make it your own.

Full fat, strained (or Greek) yogurt is best for this recipe because it makes a nice thick, rich sauce. I happened to have some non-fat regular (not Greek) yogurt in my fridge so I used it instead of buying more. It was still delicious, although much thinner. It was still flavorful and went great with my Tandoori Chicken Bites. I also like the idea of adding a pinch of cayenne to juxtapose the cool cucumber and ginger... I might go add some now :)

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indian style creamed spinach$8.41 recipe / $2.10 serving

I fell in love with a new blog last week, it's called US Masala. Lots of delicious looking Indian dishes with gorgeous photos. Because I adore creamed spinach AND Indian spices, I immediately wanted to make this Palak Paneer.

Unfortunately, my homemade paneer (fresh cheese) didn't turn out so stellar and I didn't have all of the ingredients that were called for in the Palak Paneer recipe, so what I ended up with was basically just creamed spinach with an Indian flare. And I'll admit, throughout the entire process of making this dish I kept thinking, "oh boy, this isn't working out..." Until the end when it all magically came together and turned into the best tasting spinach I've ever had!

My cost got kind of out of control, so I flubbed there too. To stretch this recipe out further and reduce the cost per serving, you can serve it over rice, or add some cubes of cooked potatoes. The high cost was partly due to the fact that I got a little lazy and picked up half of my ingredients at Whole Foods instead of stopping at my regular grocery store. I definitely could have gotten a better price on some of these items (the tomato, spinach, and onion for example). Lesson learned.

But, I have to say it again, this is the best spinach I've ever had. Ever. You just have to get over the fact that it looks like green goop.

NOTE: Many have found this dish to be too spicy. So, I would suggest starting with 1/4 tsp cayenne and adding more at the end to taste.

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sriracha hummus

I never really understood why people say that chocolate is better than sex. Chocolate? Chocolate?! No ma'am. If any food is even going to come close, it's gonna be this sriracha hummus.

Okay, so maybe I'm just not a chocolate person.

Anyway, I don't know why I hadn't put two and two together before or why no one has told me to try this, but sriracha + hummus = heaven. Add an egg, stuff it into a pita, and you've got the best damn breakfast sandwich on the planet.

The end.

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easy pineapple salsa

Okay, so this little gem really deserves a post of its own, rather than being hidden in the Chili Lime Shrimp Bowls recipe post.

This salsa is SO good that I could just sit and eat it out of the bowl (and I did while i was making the shrimp bowls!). It's really simple and extremely versatile. You can use this to top chicken, fish, burritos, quesadillas, salads... the sky is the limit. It should stay good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days but chances are it won't last that long!

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seven layer dip

Often times, I'm at complete mercy to my cravings. Last weekend I was craving seven layer dip like a junkie. I just had to have it. Since I wasn't planning on having a party any time soon, I had to figure out a way to turn this classic party food into every day food.

I took a closer look at each of the seven layers and figured out what I could do to make them healthier or at least less snacky or junk food-like. So, here is what I did:

• I made the refried beans from scratch. Low salt, no fat, and WAY more flavor than the canned stuff.
• I roasted some fresh corn in the oven. This requires virtually no work and has so much juicy flavor that my mouth waters just thinking about it.
• Rather than buying a jar of supermarket salsa, I whipped up some fresh pico de gallo. Fresh pico is my new love... so much punchy, fresh, summer flavor! Plus, all it requires is some quick chopping.
• The grocery store didn't have any good avocados so I had to purchase some pre-made guacamole. I checked the ingredients because I'm convinced that a lot of pre-made guacs are nothing more than sour cream with green food coloring... this one was legit. It only had real, live, guac ingredients! Score.
• I chose light sour cream because I find it to be just as tasty as full fat. That being said, I'd never buy fat free sour cream because I find it disgusting. There is a very fine, but important line between the two.
• Lastly, I sprinkled on just a little cheese. I could have used reduced fat cheese here but I didn't feel like there was enough to warrant it.

Many seven layer dips also have black olives but I skipped them because I've found them to be quite pricy lately.

I've been eating this dip with Mission tortilla strips because they're awesome and for some reason they're always much less expensive than actual tortilla chips. Go figure. You could also scoop this into a tortilla for a soft burrito or top some rice with it. And just like that, you have a great vegetarian meal where there was once a guilt-inducing super bowl snack.


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(not) refried beans

Have you ever had refried beans that were so good that you wanted to just eat them plain out of a bowl? If you've been getting them out of a can, I'm gonna guess not.

These beans are just that. They have an incredible, complex flavor thanks to the jalapeno, chili, and other spices... and they're completely GUILT FREE. Actually, you should not only feel guilt free, you should feel proud. You deserve to wear a little gold star pin that says "Winner!" on it just for eating these beans. Beans are full of fiber, protein, and antioxidants... and I promise you'll want to come back for more.

My batch was just a tad on the spicy side and I know that many of you can't go there for various reasons. So, I would suggest using half of a jalapeno and half of the chili powder. Both the jalapeno and the chili powder bring a lot of flavor along with their heat so I wouldn't suggest nixing them all together. When preparing the jalapeno just be sure to remove ALL of the seeds and white ribs on the inside because this is where most of the heat lives.

This recipe makes about the same amount as three standard sized cans of refried beans. The left overs can be frozen so don't worry about the volume. I used mine in a recipe (stay tuned) but you can also eat it as a dip, fill up some burritos, or even stuff them into tacos. Refried beans are all-purpose, which is probably why they come as a side to every single entree at Mexican restaurants! Well, that and they're cheap.

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creamy avocado dressing

I wanted to make some green goddess dressing but couldn't find the herbs that I needed... so I ended up with this instead. I couldn't be more happy with the result.

This delightfully creamy dressing packs a huge "fresh" flavor punch thanks to the avocado, parsley and lemon. I threw a little garlic in there just to give it some ground and it was absolutely perfect. I realized later that I had bought some green onions with the intention of adding them to the dressing but had forgotten all about them (I'm losing my mind). So, if you have some, try adding a few to the dressing. I bet it would be amazing.

If you have trouble getting yourself to eat vegetables, this will definitely solve the problem. I couldn't get enough crunchy vegetables dipped in this cool creamy dressing. It's fairly health too. The buttermilk is made from 2% milk so the fat content isn't super high. I used light sour cream and mayo and all of the fats in the avocado are very healthy. I gave myself free reign with this dressing and you should too.


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tartar-like sauce

I'm calling this "tartar-like sauce" because I don't really know what it is. Well, it's the sauce listed with this recipe but changed a whole bunch to fit what I have in my refrigerator and to reduce the fat.

Whatever this mixture is, it tastes DELICIOUS! I might just have to use it as a dip for a bunch of different things. I combined light mayonnaise and fat free plain yogurt as the base for the sauce but if you don't happen to have fat free plain yogurt around, you can just sub more mayonnaise in it's place.

A side note on mayo: Not all light mayonnaise is created equal! If you've tried it and don't like it, you may have just tried the wrong one. Honestly, Hellman's light mayonnaise is the only one that I'll eat. As a matter of fact, it tastes so good that I can't tell the difference between it and it's full fat friend. And, no, they did not pay me or send me free stuff to say that.


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pumpkin cream cheese spread

There are a kajillion pumpkin recipes that I'd like to make and not nearly enough time or stomach room for them all. But this recipe has been in my queue since last year so it definitely gets priority.

The recipe comes together in minutes and is good spread on anything from home made cinnamon raisin bagels to crackers. It's sweet, tangy and full of deep autumn spices! Plus, adding pumpkin to cream cheese is like adding a vitamin and fiber packed pill to something that is normally sinfully delicious. Sounds like a win-win.

I like having the option of savory (plain) cream cheese or sweet (pumpkin) so the recipe is a half-block portion. If you don't want left over cream cheese just double the recipe and use up the whole block. Or, you can use the left over half a block of cream cheese to make some Spinach Artichoke Pasta.


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fire roasted salsa

What would life be like without salsa? I don't know and I don't care to imagine it that way. I'm a salsa lover through and through. I could eat it straight with spoon, I love it so much. I know that you can buy a big 'ol jar of generic red salsa for a buck fifty at the grocery store but sometimes you want a little more. This salsa will no doubt leave you wanting more... and more... and more.

I think I can get away with calling this "fire roasted" since I use a gas oven, right? Besides, "oven roased salsa" just doesn't have the same ring to it. You can make this salsa with a gas or electric stove, so worry not - no real flames required.

Make sure you wait until tomatoes are at their peak and selling for a good price before making this recipe. If you get tomatoes out of season, the cost can quickly add up. I was lucky enough to find roma tomatoes on sale for $0.99/lb.


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chipotle peach salsa

Peach season is finally here! If you follow Budget Bytes on facebook then you know that I've been looking for a new, spectacular peach recipe to top last year's Balsamic Glazed Peache Sundae. A few days ago I found this AMAZING recipe for chipotle peach salsa on Allrecipes.com. I made a few changes, including using fresh rather than canned peaches.

Not only is this salsa great on it's own atop a tortilla chip but it makes a great topping for grilled chicken, pork, fish or tofu. I would even go so far as to sprinkle some over some spinach leaves for an instant salad. The possibilities are endless with this amazing Chipotle Peach Salsa!

I was lucky enough to find some peaches on sale for $0.50/lb so take note when reviewing the prices. Usually at the height of peach season they'll sell for $1/lb or just under. I just happened to find a REALLY good deal.


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hummus (four flavors)

In case you haven't noticed, this is Mediterranean week here at Budget Bytes (not really, I just started with the yogurt and it snow-balled). Readers have been asking for hummus and I used to make it a lot but haven't in quite some time so I figured now was good.

If you're unfamiliar with hummus, it is a spread/dip made from chickpeas (garbanzo beans), olive oil, tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon and garlic. There are a million different things you can add into hummus and I have posted three variations here (Jalapeno Cilantro, Roasted Red Pepper and Parsley Scallion). I also added a little cumin to my "original flavor" for some smokey depth and I garnished with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of paprika and a few whole chickpeas. All of that is completely optional.

Hummus is great to keep in your fridge to eat as a snack with some pita, vegetables or chips but it also makes a great spread for sandwiches and wraps. It has a really great richness and adds moisture so I find that it makes a great substitute for mayo or cheese if you're trying to watch your saturated fat. This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, requires no cooking and all you need is a blender or food processor. EASY!


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tzatziki (greek yogurt sauce)

I have a whole menu of Mediterranean food planned for this week so I decided to start with the Tzatziki, since it goes with just about everything. Tzatziki is a delicious sauce made with a Greek Yogurt base, seasoned with garlic, cucumber and dill. This cool, creamy sauce is great for dipping vegetables, bread and dolmas or as a spread for sandwiches. This tzatziki was so easy to make and so good that I couldn't stop from eating it right off the spoon. The sauce should stay good in your refrigerator for 5-7 days and the flavor will intensify as it refrigerates. For that reason, I used minced garlic from a jar rather than fresh. I find that fresh garlic leaves me with the most unbearable breath for a good 24 hrs... no matter how many times I brush and gargle with mouthwash. Garlic from a jar is more subtle.


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greek style yogurt

Just in case you haven't heard, I'll give you the scoop. Greek style yogurt is all the rage. What is Greek yogurt? Basically, it's just yogurt that has had some of the moisture drained off so that it has a thicker, creamier consistency. Some people also love it because it has more protein per ounce than traditional yogurt (everything concentrates as the moisture is removed). Greek yogurt is great for making dips (like the tzadziki I'll be making later this week), topped with honey, nuts and fruit as a snack or as part of big bowl of Yoatgurt.

The problem with Greek yogurt is that it's insanely expensive. I've seen little 4 or 6 oz. cups retailing for over a dollar when regular yogurt cups usually sell for about $0.50. Sure, it takes more regular yogurt to make the same volume of Greek yogurt but I really believe that some of that extra cost is a "fad fee". People are lovin' the Greek yogurt right now and are so willing to pay for it.

So, promise me this: If you're a lover of Greek yogurt, don't pay over $1 for a tiny portion. Buy some regular yogurt and magically transform it into Greek yogurt in your refrigerator and save yourself some money. K? Good.


Pictured here with honey and almonds. YUM.

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