(not) Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Guess what? I had one more container of Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef in my freezer and one more trick up my sleeve.

(please excuse my chewing, I'm eating one of these as I type... and it's sooo good.)

Why is it a (not) Philly Cheesesteak? Well, because it's really just a Philly Cheesesteak-esque sandwich made with slow cooked beef rather than thinly sliced steak. Different technique, but insanely delicious all the same.

This is by far one of the fastest and easiest recipes that I made with the Multi-Purposed Shredded Beef. All it takes is a quick re-heat of the beef, a super fast saute of the onions and bell peppers, and then a quick melt of the cheese in the oven and you'll be in cheesesteak heaven! Now I definitely need to restock my freezer with shredded beef.

I did much better with my produce prices for this one. Green bell peppers were on sale 2/$1 and I got a big 'ol 3 lb. bag of onions for only $1.29 (score!). I used two bell peppers and two onions and it was probably more than enough for four sandwiches. You might be able to get away with using one of each, or two bells and one onion (or vice versa).

Any way you slice it (har har har), I think you're gonna love this one!

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roasted vegetable french bread pizza

Ecstasy. Pure ecstasy.

This recipe turned out even better than I had imagined. You know, when you take that first bite and you're not even done chewing before you have to let out a muffled "Woah..." This roasted vegetable french bread pizza with pesto and ricotta made me do that.

The pesto sinks into the bread and creates an almost garlic bread type base, the ricotta gets warm and creamy, and roasted vegetables are, well, they're just heavenly (one of my favorite things on the planet, actually)! I'm going to be making this one over and over and over.

The cost of this recipe got a little out of hand, but there are several ways you can rein it in. First, if you can find a farmers market, CSA, or some other cheap source of vegetables, that will help a lot. Produce prices at my local grocery store were a bit (okay, more like a lot) on the steep side. This might be a good recipe to stash until the peak of summer when produce is abundant and cheap. You can make your own pesto (use this parsley pesto recipe) and that should help. Also, you could make this on some homemade focaccia instead of French Bread, which would cut a big chunk from the price (although the crispy exterior and fluffy interior of French bread is pretty magical). And lastly, this pizza was actually quite filling, so you might get more like 8 servings out of it.

Oh boy, I can't wait until I get hungry again so that I can have more...

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golden rice bowls

I was talking with a friend recently who was so excited to be finally getting stove in the house that he's been remodeling and living in. So I asked, "What is the first thing you're going to cook?" "Rice. Lots of rice." he replied. Of course. It's so easy to take simple food for granted. I love simple food because it's easy to make and subtle flavors are not lost in complicated cooking processes or long ingredient lists.

So, I decided to go back to my roots for this one and prepare a simple yet filling bowl of Yellow Jasmine Rice, quick sauteed spinach, and a hearty egg. It's awesome. The yellow jasmine rice really makes this recipe special. It's one of my favorite recipes and I'm happy to be able to use it in a new way.

To make this recipe last throughout the week, I filled single serving containers with the cooked rice, added a scoop of the sauteed spinach and either cooked an egg fresh when I was ready to eat, or I pre-fried an egg and just reheated it all together in the microwave. The reheated bowls that had a pre-cooked egg didn't have that nice runny yolk that almost acts as a creamy sauce, but they were still delish.

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funky monkey baked oatmeal

Oh, this one is so much fun! (and delicious!)

I really wanted to do some sort of peanut butter baked oatmeal, but I couldn't figure out what to put with it... until I thought about how mashed bananas have made the best baked oatmeals, texture-wise. And then it all just came together. What goes better with peanut butter and banana than coconut and chocolate chips? Nothing! It's Funky-Monkey-Fun up in here!

I wanted to use large flake unsweetened coconut to reduce the sugar content and add texture, but I wasn't able to make it out Whole Foods (they have it in bulk bins). My local grocery store only had the finely shredded, pre-sweetened coconut, so I went with it. I reduced the sugar content from my normal baked oatmeal recipes by half to compensate for the sugar in the coconut and chocolate chips, but honestly, I might even try it without any extra sugar next time.

This oatmeal has just a hint of peanut butter flavor, so if you like super peanutty-ness, increase the PB to 1/3 cup. And, as always, natural peanut butter has loads more peanut flavor than other peanut butter (you know, the big name brand kinds).

And lastly, with all off the goodies baked into this, you really don't need to add coconut, bananas, and chocolate chips on top in the bowl like I have in the pictures. I did that purely for illustrative purposes... you know, so people would be able to instantly see what's in there and not wonder what that brown blob of stuff is in the bowl. It's super flavorful by itself and super tasty with some cold milk poured over top!


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black bean & avocado enchiladas

Okay, I have to take a little break in the Shredded Beef programming to bring you this absolutely scrumptious vegan delight!

I've been eating this for lunch all week and the fact that I only have one serving left almost makes me want to cry... I might have to make a second batch PRONTO. Yes, they're that good.

What makes these enchiladas so amazing? Not only are they filled with super fresh flavors, but they're smothered in a homemade enchilada sauce. Now, if you've made my homemade enchilada sauce before you know that it takes less than ten minutes to make and is 100 x better than the canned stuff. Well, this time I went one step further and added a little cocoa powder to the enchilada sauce. OMG. You won't believe how rich and amazing the cocoa makes the sauce! It doesn't taste like chocolate, just extra rich and good. It's the same amazing chili/chocolate combo that works magic in the Aztec Cocoa. SO. GOOD.

Black beans give these enchiladas filling power and avocado offers that creaminess that you'd usually get from cheese. If you're vegan, just make sure your tortillas are vegan (some use lard, some don't). Or, try making your own!

And yes, I know that enchiladas are supposed to be wrapped in corn tortillas, not flour. Use whichever type you like. Delicious is more important than correct, in my book.

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hoisin beef tacos with sweet & sour slaw

One of the most important aspects of street food is that it has to be easy. Fast and easy.

This idea came from some of my friends who were gushing about a local food truck. I've never eaten at said food truck, but apparently they have a hoisin pork taco topped with an Asian slaw. Sounds easy enough! Since I already had the shredded beef on hand, I went ahead and made it with beef instead of pork (although pork would probably be less expensive and also super tasty).

I went with the most basic of basic Asian slaws out there to make it fast and easy. It's just a little shredded cabbage and carrot with a sweet and sour dressing. If you want to get a little more fancy, you could add green onions, chopped peanuts, and maybe some pineapple or fresh ginger. As it is, though, it's got all of the crunch, sweet, and sour that this taco needs to make you want that second, third... or fourth taco.

Speaking of, I priced these per taco because it's hard to estimate a serving with these. I could eat anywhere from one to three, depending on the situation. So, I'll just let you make that call.

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bbq beef stuffed potatoes

I'm crazy about BBQ sauce, so the first thing I wanted to make with my Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef was something drenched in that sweet, tangy sauce. Sure, I could have just piled the BBQ shredded meat on a bun and called it a day, but these stuffed potatoes are WAY better.

Once you've got the shredded beef made and waiting for you in the freezer, these potatoes are super easy to whip up. I took the long route and baked my potatoes in the oven so that I could have that nice, crispy skin. But, if you want a faster route, you could always microwave the potatoes or even have them cooking in your slow cooker while you're at work. That way, dinner is practically five minutes away once you get home!

These potatoes are absolutely huge, and honestly I'd probably only eat half of one and pair it with some steamed or roasted broccoli to round out the meal. Oh, and if you're not a beef person, this would be equally as amazing and delicious with shredded chicken or pork.

(I only made two potatoes because I knew that's all I'd be able to eat over the next few days, but this recipe easily doubles or triples if needed.)

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multi-purpose shredded beef

Today I made a big batch of shredded beef as a "base recipe" for which I'll provide various uses throughout the next week or two. This is a basic shredded beef with neutral, plain beef flavor, that will have other flavors added to it later on for each recipe. By keeping the flavor plain, I'll be able to use this is Asian recipes, Tex-Mex recipes, or with any other flavor profile.

This is super simple to make and you can do it while you're at work or even while you sleep. The shredded beef can then be frozen and quickly reheated for use in recipes any night of the week. Below I've provided cooking and freezing instructions. Shredded beef like this can be used for basic BBQ sandwiches, burritos, tacos, and more, but I'm going to post a few new ideas over the next week or two. Look for the first recipe using the shredded beef tomorrow!

Recipes Using Multi-Purpose Shredded Beef:

• BBQ Beef Stuffed Potatoes
• Hoisin Beef Tacos with Sweet & Sour Slaw
• Beef Ragout with Mashed Cauliflower
• (not) Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches

One word on portions - as with most of my meat recipes, I use meat in small portions combined with vegetables and grains to stretch it out across many servings. I estimate that I'll use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the shredded beef per serving in the future recipes. I'll be freezing the beef in 2 cup portions, so that I can thaw/reheat one recipe's worth at a time (or 4-6 servings of the beef).

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simple portabella pasta

My favorite recipes are those that feature just a few ingredients so that the subtle and intricate flavors are not lost. ...not to mention, they're just easier to make! ;)

Nearly every time I go to the grocery store I look at the portabella mushrooms longingly. They're so good, but so expensive. This time I decided to take the plunge. I figured I could just employ the basic budget bytes principle of combining expensive ingredients with bulkier inexpensive ingredients to keep the cost down. Well, it worked marvelously!

If you have the option to buy the portabella caps loose (by the pound) rather than packaged, you're likely to get a better deal. My grocery store sells them both ways, $5.99 for a package of three small-ish caps, or $5.99/lb. Portabella mushrooms are very light and spongy, so they don't weigh a lot. I got two large caps for just $2.70. Of course, weigh them out first and compare.

This pasta is super simple, but packed with flavor. Rich portabella mushrooms give a deep earthy flavor, while garlic, thyme, parmesan, and a splash of red wine vinegar add zing. All that marvelous flavor grabs a hold of the pasta and rides right into your happy mouth. Your very, very happy mouth.

Want to take it a step further? Try adding either spinach, sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, or goat cheese. They all go marvelously with portabella mushrooms.

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zesty tomato & artichoke pasta

THANK YOU, dear Anonymous, who left a comment on the (not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce recipe last night about adding artichoke hearts and making a "pantry meal" out of the sauce! I wasn't sure what I was going to cook today until I saw that comment and thought, "YES. That's exactly what I feel like eating!" All I had to buy was some tomato paste and a can of artichoke hearts, and the rest I had on hand! Love it!

This pasta is super fast and easy, and is just bursting with flavor. The secret is the (not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce, which is basically tomato paste, olive oil, and a bunch of herbs. The zesty, herbal sauce perfectly coats the pasta, artichoke hearts, and spinach, adding flavor to every single nook and cranny available. I like to use bow tie pasta for this, because I find it difficult to stir other ingredients into long pasta, like spaghetti.

I sprinkled a little parmesan cheese over top of each bowl, but that's completely optional. In fact, this makes quite a delicious vegan pasta dish if you skip the parmesan!

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loaded sweet potatoes

I had a really hard time deciding what to load these potatoes up with because there were just so many options. So, look forward to more versions of stuffed sweet potatoes in the future!

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite produce items because they're yummy, nutritious, don't go bad quickly, relatively inexpensive, and can be cooked about a trazillion different ways. This time I paired them with some sauteed spinach, sweet-tart cranberries, and crunchy walnuts. It's so simple, yet oh so good!

This recipe is vegetarian, but can easily be made vegan by substituting the butter with coconut oil. Sweet potatoes and coconut oil (and coconut milk) go really, really well together.

I made three because I knew that's about how much I'd eat over the next couple of days, but this recipe could easily be scaled up or down to make any number. You don't really need to measure the ingredients, just wing it.

Oh yeah, one more thing... these are pretty big, so I'd consider this the main dish. Maybe add a warm roll, a small salad, or a cup of soup and call it a day. It's practically a meal on its own!

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navy bean soup with sausage & spinach

I think we're experiencing one of the last cold spells of the year here in Louisiana, so I wanted to make one last hearty, soul-warming soup. This soup was incredibly easy, but boasts huge flavor and major filling power. In short, it's AWESOME.

Lately I've been trying to ween myself off of my bouillon crutch. I usually use chicken bouillon (Better Than Bouillon brand) to add oomph to my soups and just make the whole process super easy and flavorful. What I've found recently, though, is that I really enjoy the subtly of broths made simply by the vegetables and herbs that I use in the soup. This soup is a perfect example. Plus, this way you can be in complete control over the sodium.

I used smoked sausage in this soup, but there are a couple of options if you don't want to use sausage. You can substitute the sausage with bacon (about 6 ounces should do), or you can use a smoked ham hock. The ham hock doesn't need to be sauteed, just add it in when with the beans, herbs, and water. If you want to do a vegetarian version, just add a little liquid smoke to give the broth that nice smokey depth. The vegetables and herbs should add all of the flavor that you need!

This recipe makes a huge batch, but it can be easily halved... which I totally should have done! Oh well, guess I'll have some stocked in my freezer for a while. No complaints here. It's delish!

Oh, P.S. Both my sausage and spinach were on sale. One hint for spinach... avoid the small, salad sized bags of spinach and look for the large bags of "cooking spinach". They're about three times the size of bagged salad spinach and contain the exact same thing. Mine was on sale for $2.50, which is less than the small bags of "salad" spinach!!

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island rice pilaf

I really can't imagine ever just eating plain rice again. Over the past few years I've discovered so many different things you can do with rice, especially cooking it with different liquids and seasonings.

One of my all-time favorites is Savory Coconut Rice, which combines coconut milk, garlic, and jasmine rice. This recipe is kind of like that, but it veers off in a slightly different direction. Instead of using jasmine rice, this recipe uses plain rice (great for those of you who can't find jasmine) and includes some black beans, which always go great with rice. Coconut milk makes everything creamy and mellow, while savory herbs like garlic and thyme add depth. A little sweet pineapple and fresh cilantro help round everything out to create an awesome (and easy) side dish.

The mellow creaminess of this rice was perfect for balancing my Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken, but it would go great with any spicy meal.

Although I called this "pilaf," be aware that it's definitely heavier and more dense than most pilafs. When I hear the word pilaf I think of a light, fluffy rice mixture. Cooking the rice in coconut milk definitely makes it heavier and even a little sticky. So, just be aware of that before you begin. That being said, I could eat a mountain of this rice!

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slow cooker jerk chicken

The slow cooker wins again! This incredibly easy recipe boasts big flavor and very, very little work. Just mix up a fragrant spice rub in your blender, slather it over the chicken, and then let the slow cooker do the rest. You will want to pop the chicken in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes at the end to get that nice, charred, crispy skin that is just not achievable in a slow cooker, but still... SO little effort!

Cooking the chicken in the slow cooker makes it juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. I don't advocate cooking this on low because even on high it takes a while for the chicken to reach safe temperatures. So, plan this dish for a day when you'll be home and can get back to it after four hours.

This did make a LOT of chicken, but the recipe can easily be halved to fit smaller slow cooker or to feed a smaller crowd. My slow cooker is somewhere around 6 quarts and so a whole cut up chicken fit nicely. If you have a smaller slow cooker, you can buy a 2 pound pack of chicken thighs, drumsticks, or even a couple of breasts and just halve the spice rub. It's that simple.

Jerk chicken is famous for it's spicy heat, but you can eliminate the serrano pepper and still have some freaking delicious chicken. To make it extra spicy, add the serrano to the spices in the blender. For medium spicy, add the serrano sliced up to the slow cooker like I did. And for mild, just skip it all together!

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sweet potato & kale salad

I was in dire need of some vegetables this week, so I made a BIG delicious salad. This salad is super hearty, thanks to the kale and roasted sweet potato. You can eat it as a side salad, or have a bigger portion for a light meal (maybe add a roll or slice of good bread).

I love the flavors of this salad. A tangy champagne dressing contrasts perfectly with creamy sweet potato. Raw sunflower seeds add just a touch of nuttiness and dried cranberries add a pop of sweet-tart flavor. It's just great! If you don't like kale, this would also be great over baby greens or spinach, although both tend to be more expensive than kale (at least in my area).

I used champagne dressing because its flavor is light an unobtrusive, yet it's super tangy. I predressed the kale because as the dressing soaks in it will help soften the tough kale. I found that predressing the kale with just a 1/4 cup of dressing was plenty for the entire salad even after adding the other ingredients. Depending on the size of your bunch of kale, you might not even need that much. If you are using other greens, I wouldn't suggest adding the dressing until just before serving as most greens can't stand up to dressing the way kale can.

Enjoy!

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blueberry mug muffin

The idea for this awesome little recipe came courtesy of Annie, who wrote to tell me that every since she tried The "One" Chocolate Mug Cake, she's been trying all sorts of mug cakes! Her favorite? Mug pancakes! Annie uses pre-made pancake mix and blueberries to make single serving pancakes! Genius!

I didn't have any pancake mix on hand so I set out to just make my own. While I was playing chemist in the kitchen, the term "mug muffin" popped into my head and made me giggle so much that I decided I had to use that name for the recipe. ...and I guess it's a little more like a blueberry muffin than a pancake anyway, although I did top it with maple syrup.

I also decided that I need to start calling people "mug muffin," but I can't decide if it's going to be used as a term of endearment or an insult. Feel free to weigh-in in the comments below. I could use the help.

Anyway, mug muffins, let's get to it!

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oven fajitas

Ooo, these are my new favorite thing!!

I love fajitas, but have had a hard time replicating their smoky goodness at home. I don't have a grill or a cast iron griddle, so it's been difficult to achieve that authentic fajita flavor. I've seen this oven method around the interent a lot lately, so I thought I'd give it a shot. SO glad I did!!!

Roasting the meat and vegetables in the oven gives them a slightly charred edge and a hard to replicate sweetness that you just can't get in a plain old skillet. Even better yet, you don't have to stand over the stove and babysit it while it cooks! Set it and forget it! YES. (can you tell how excited I am about this?)

I went with a vegetable heavy mix to keep costs low. I specifically used more green bell pepper and onion than anything else, because these are the two least expensive vegetables. I only used one small chicken breast (probably about 3/4 lb.) and sliced it very thin. The meat to veggie ratio was perfect after everything had cooked down. If you want to make this vegetarian, try using sliced portabello mushrooms in place of the chicken.

I like to keep my fajitas simple, with just a splash of lime, a few cilantro leaves, and a dollop of sour cream. I find that the lime really makes the flavors pop, but the other toppings are completely up to you! Play with it! :)

Oh, and although the ingredient list may look long, most of that is the fajita seasoning mix. If you want, you can just buy a packet of fajita seasoning instead, although they're charging you a great deal for the simple act of stirring spices together!

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taco pizza

I was sitting at work last weekend all bored and hungry when I was hit with two super strong cravings at once - tacos and pizza. I knew a taco pizza had to be in my near future. So, here it is. My version of the grade school lunchroom classic!

I decided to make this one a vegetarian pizza just because it seemed easier at the moment. To make it non-veg, just brown some ground beef (or chicken!) with taco seasoning and add it with the rest of the toppings.

I used a refried bean mixture as the "sauce" because I loved having a bean "sauce" on my hummus pizza. Another option would be to use straight taco sauce as the pizza sauce, and then sprinkle whole black beans on as a topping.

I cut costs by buying my cheese in bulk (the rest will be frozen) and making my own dough. I didn't include the dough instructions, but you can check them out here. Or, you can buy pre-made dough from your local pizzaria or grocery store.

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cardamom cornmeal cookies

This Valentine's Day I'm professing my new love for cardamom. I always shied away from buying cardamom because it's one of the most expensive spices out there, but I recently came across a large jar of pods at World Market for a really good price (about $4-$5 dollars, if I remember correctly). The jar sat in my cabinet for quite a while before I got up the courage to break open the pods and discover what was inside...

When I did, I was blown away by the floral and almost citrusy scent that wafted up at me. It was amazing.

Sure, the spice is expensive, but that doesn't mean it can't be used in moderation for special occasions, like Valentine's Day! I added cardamom to this simple cornmeal cookie recipe from Martha Stewart and it was a match made in heaven. My cookies look a little bit flatter, but that's because I tried to make a half batch (so I wouldn't eat ALL 16 COOKIES) and I wasn't so successful at halving the egg. :P

Anyway, these cookies are awesomely awesome. I'm going to make them again and experiment with many different flavors. They just SO EASY. Make some for your sweetie tonight! ;D

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honey mustard chicken salad

I was really craving some chicken salad this week, so I set out to find a new twist on the old classic. I knew I wanted cranberries, so I took quick inventory of my fridge and pantry and came up with this honey-dijon mustard dressing and added celery to bulk the whole thing out and stretch the cost.

Chicken salad is always going to be on the expensive side and the total cost will depend heavily on the price of your chicken. Even if chicken is fairly expensive in your area, I'm willing to bet that making chicken salad yourself will be far less expensive than buying it pre-made from the deli, where it can sometimes top $10/lb.

You can eat this salad on a sandwich, piled onto some spinach leaves, with yummy crackers, or by itself with a fork (like I did once I realized that I had no bread, no pita, no crackers, and no spinach - ha!). However you eat it, it's quick, delicious, and filling!

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