banh mi bowls

Oh the mighty banh mi. It's one of my favorite foods in the entire world. It's truly the perfect sandwich. If you're unfamiliar with banh mi (Vietnamese submarine sandwich), check out this excellent little write up Viet World Kitchen for a little history and explanation as to why they're so freaking amazing.

This is (obviously) not a traditional banh mi recipe. I was feelin' a little creative, so I decided to try putting all of the flavors of banh mi into a bowl... because I love anything in "bowl" form. Of course, if you wanted, you could just stuff all of these ingredients into a baguette (or even better yet, a Vietnamese baguette) and make a real banh mi. I have a picture of that version at the end of the post.

Banh mi can be filled with any sort of meat (cold cuts, char siu, liver pate, chicken, meatballs, whatever), but I decided to use the yummy meatballs that are in my Teriyaki Meatball Bowls. I made a couple small changes to the meatballs to account for the fact that they're not drenched in teriyaki sauce, but you could drench them in teriyaki sauce and still put them on the banh mi!

Also, I didn't have any daikon (radish), so I added some onion to my pickled carrots. I know, I know... not traditional, but "tastes good" trumps "traditional" in my book.

You'll want to add some sort of sauce to the bowls for moisture, but I didn't add that into the price because A) I don't know what kind you want to use and B) I don't know how much you'll want to use. Here are some suggestions: sriracha, soy sauce, sriracha-mayo, or teriyaki sauce. If you are making an actual banh mi sandwich, make sure to slather the bread with mayo and a sprinkle of soy sauce because that's just how it's done.

Okay, let's go already!

Read more »

salsa chicken casserole

I'm still all about these easy, one dish dinners. This one is very similar to the ultra popular Taco Chicken Bowls, but it's made in the oven and takes about an hour, as opposed to eight in a slow cooker. The directions go something like this: dump, stir, cover, cook, eat, be happy.

One little jar of salsa adds so much flavor to this dish that I almost feel like it's cheating and the little bit of cheddar on top really made it rich and satisfying. Next time I might even try a little dollop of sour cream! Either way, this recipe was a no brainer to make and a definite tummy pleaser!

I used a couple Budget Bytes tricks to make it more affordable. As usual, I used reconstituted bouillon for the broth instead of canned chicken broth. I've also been buying big 2lb. bags of shredded cheese and then dividing them into four freezer bags (2 cups each, the same size as normal bags of shredded cheese) and this really saves me a lot. Then there's the chicken. I still only buy my chicken breasts on sale. I can usually get them for $1.99/lb. (sometimes less!) if I really keep an eye out. I know not everyone will be able to find this deal, but it's worth mentioning and looking out for!

Read more »

chunky beef stew

As I was sitting at work last night all hungry and tired, I read an email from Ashlee, a reader who had recently had some out of this world beef stew. She was writing to ask if I had a recipe, which I didn't, but her description of the beef stew that she had tasted made my mouth water, so I knew I had to make some ASAP.

This beef stew knocked my socks off. Okay, so maybe I was really hungry and really in the mood for red meat, but it is still undeniably good. Not to mention, it was seriously easy to make.

I'm a firm believer that any time beef and tomatoes come together, red wine should join the party, but I made this stew sans red wine just to make sure that it would still be delicious for those who didn't want to use wine. I have to say, it was surprisingly good even without the wine, but if you want to use wine, just sub one cup of the beef broth with whatever red wine you have on hand.

My pot made about 8 cups, which could be anywhere from 6-8 servings. In the south we put anything with any sort of gravy over rice, so I suggest stretching this beef stew even further by serving it over some inexpensive rice. You'll get 8 big servings that way.

Read more »

creamy spinach & sausage pasta

I saw this recipe over at Kevin & Amanda the other day and immediately knew that I wanted to make it. Of course, I made some changes to fit the ingredients I had on hand and my personal preferences. The bones of the recipe, though, are perfect. It's a one skillet meal, it cooks in about 30 minutes, and it's got everything I want (pasta, meat, vegetables, and cheese). That's a winner in my book.

I nixed the heavy cream in the original recipe because I figured that between the cheese and sausage, there'd be plenty of fat/creaminess going on, and I was right. The end result was rich, but not so much so that you'll get a belly ache. I also added fresh spinach because I have a HUGE bag in my fridge just waiting to be used up. Plus, I felt that the recipe needed a little green.

Some other vegetable options for this recipe are bell peppers or broccoli. Both go great with smoked sausage. If you want to add bell peppers, cut them into thin strips and saute them with the onions in the beginning. If you want to add broccoli, cut it into very small florets and add it with the pasta so that it can simmer a little bit and soften. There are so many different ways you can take this recipe... I'm excited to hear what you come up with!

Read more »

vegetable pot pie

I've wanted to make this for a LONG time and in this cold, bleak weather it was just calling my name!

I deviated slightly from a traditional pot pie recipe in that I topped the pie with a big biscuit rather than using a pie crust. I liked the idea of having a fluffy biscuit to soak up the flavorful filling. It didn't disappoint.

The ingredient list is long for this recipe because I used mostly fresh vegetables. If you want to cut down on prep time, you can certainly use a bag of mixed frozen vegetables. I won't look down on you. Frozen vegetables are my best friend. I probably would have used them too, but I knew I was going to need carrots and celery for some other recipes this week, so I went ahead and bought them.

If you wanted to make this into a chicken pot pie, it would be super simple. Just get a rotisserie chicken, pick the meat off, and mix it in. Or cut up a chicken breast into small pieces, saute it up really quick in a skillet, and then add it in. Very easy.

Once you get through the chopping, this recipe is a breeze!

Read more »

sausage & kale cassoulet

I know I've done the whole sausage-bean-kale thing numerous times, but that's because it's so good.

This might not be a traditional cassoulet, but that's the closest word I could find to describe what's going on here. It's beans slowly cooked with meat so that the rendered fat has time to soak in and give everything the most amazing flavor. I added kale, which isn't traditional in cassoulet, just so I could get some greens in there and have everything I needed in one bowl. If you're not into kale, you can add a half bunch of parsley, which is much more traditional for cassoulet.

This dish surprised me with it's deep, rich flavor. It's just a few simple ingredients, but tastes like a million bucks. I guess that's why cassoulet has been one of those classic poor mans' meals that has survived for centuries. It just works.

Serve this with some fantastic french bread to sop up the wonderful liquid in the bottom of your bowl and you'll be one happy camper.

Read more »

chipotle chicken chili or "C3"

I know, I know, I just made a chicken soup-type dish. Well, sometimes you've gotta work with what you've got. I have a ton of chicken in the freezer, I had some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce left over from another test recipe, and it's getting all fall-like outside. What does that add up to? Chili, of course.

I went pretty light on the chicken in this recipe to keep costs down (even though I got a crazy-good deal on the chicken) and beefed it up with a couple different types of beans and corn. Most of the flavor in this dish comes courtesy of the sweet-spicy-smokey chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. They definitely have a kick, so start with just two peppers and a couple spoonfuls of sauce, and add more to taste.

The V8 juice was my biggest cost and I could have done better. V8 offers a depth of flavor that plain tomato juice can't, so I wouldn't suggest skipping this secret ingredient. Check the bottom shelves of the juice aisle for the large metal cans because they cost less than the resealable plastic jugs. If you have some left over, into the freezer it goes! (makes a great base for soups and cocktails!)

If you can't get a good deal on chicken like I did, you can easily make this into a vegetarian stew. Just add some diced sweet potato for bulk and you're good. Although it's so far from chili at this point that I don't know if it can go by that name anymore, but who cares, it tastes good.

Read more »

vegetable tamale pie

Do you want evidence that this recipe is good? How about the fact that I've been eating it for lunch AND dinner for the past three days straight, and I still wanted a piece for breakfast this morning. Seriously.

There are a million and two ways to make tamale pie, some being more like actual tamales than others. This one is not so much like a real tamale, but it's amazing all the same. I decided to go with a cornbread crust instead of polenta because A) I'm in love with corn bread and B) I wanted something that could soak up yumminess from the bottom of the pan. It definitely worked.

I originally intended to make this a beef tamale pie, but I bullied myself into doing a vegetarian mix because I felt like I needed more beans and vegetables in my life. If you did want to do beef (or chicken or pork), simply switch it out for the sweet potatoes, beans, and peppers... or add them all in there together! It's very flexible.

P.S. I know the ingredients list looks long, but it's really quite simple to make. Promise!

Read more »

chili lime shrimp bowls

Betcha didn't think you could eat shrimp on a budget, did you? Well, if you use the basic Budget Byting principle of combining an expensive ingredient (like shrimp) with less expensive ingredients (like rice and beans), it suddenly becomes more affordable.

I do realize that I live in Louisiana and quality shrimp is relatively inexpensive here. If shrimp is not affordable in your area, try this marinade with chicken instead! In fact, after I had eaten all of the shrimp out of my bowl, the remaining rice, beans, and pineapple salsa was so good that this would probable also make a fantastic vegetarian meal!

I used 40/50 shrimp which means there are between 40 to 50 shrimp per pound (raw). So, I was able to put 7 or 8 shrimp in each bowl that I made. ...Of course that means you can't sneak and eat any while you're cooking ;) I sauteed my shrimp in a skillet, but you could also skewer and then grill them for a more smokey flavor.

I'm beginning to really like these "meal in a bowl" recipes. (see taco chicken bowls, teriyaki meatball bowls)

Read more »

turkey & stuffing casserole

Alright, I'm going to tell you a secret... I hate, HATE, cooking whole birds. I'm not sure what part I hate the most, but I just don't enjoy it... which kinda puts a damper on the Thanksgiving dinner thing!

That is until one of my awesome readers, Meredy, sent me this awesome tip! According to this article by Denise Vivaldo, you can cut up a turkey into pieces (or buy pre-cut pieces) and bake them on top of a dish full of stuffing. The herb infused steam from the stuffing bakes into the meat and the drippings from the turkey flavor and moisten the stuffing... and it all takes a fraction of the time that it takes to cook a whole turkey! Perfect!

I can't say enough about how easy and delicious this was. The stuffing was a cinch and was packed with flavor. The turkey turned out moist with a nice crispy skin. I'll probably never roast a whole bird again.

The most difficult part of this recipe will be either finding turkey pieces or cutting the turkey yourself. I found pre-cut turkey pieces at Whole Foods and, of course, I paid an arm and a leg for them. A whole turkey will usually cost less than $1 per pound and I paid $2.49 per pound for my pieces. To me, it was worth it. If it's not worth it for you, you can follow these step by step photo instructions on how to cut your own turkey into pieces. I just wasn't that ambitious this weekend! Plus, turkeys can take a couple days to thaw and I threw this together last minute.

Oh, also, if you're looking to make this more healthy, you can definitely skip the bacon (saute veggies in a touch of olive oil). Enough fat drips into the dressing from the turkey that the bacon fat wasn't all that necessary in the end... but it sure did taste good!

Read more »

artichoke pasta bake

After a long hard week of work at the hospital, I was seriously craving some comfort food. I wanted PASTA! Cheesy, tomato-y, flavor packed pasta!

This dish contains a lot of ingredients that can be on the pricey side, but, in true Budget Bytes fashion, if you bulk it up with inexpensive ingredients like pasta and homemade pasta sauce, the price per serving stays fairly low. Another trick is to use the expensive ingredients in small amounts because they tend to be pretty potent flavor contributors anyway. I'll admit, I went a little crazy with the feta, but you could probably add half of what I did, cut the cost considerably, and still get a major flavor punch!

I made this dish vegetarian, but if you want something meatier, try sauteing up some Italian sausage and stirring it into the mix. Or, you could go the puttanesca route and saute up some anchovy, onion, and garlic and stir that in. Mushrooms would also be fantastic here. Lots of possibilities!

Oh! And if you're short on time, you can skip the baking step all together and just have a fantastic bowl of pasta. Super easy and super quick!

Read more »

creamy chicken & rice soup

Believe it or not, in the 2.5 year history of this blog, I have never made a basic chicken noodle soup. Well, I almost made it this weekend until I went perusing through my pantry to see what left over ingredients I had that needed to be used. I found a half bag of wild rice mix that I had left over from this holiday rice dressing last year. It's a really delicious mix of all sorts of wild rices and since I had kept it tightly sealed, I thought it was definitely worth using.

You don't have to use wild rice for this recipe, although it gives a really nice texture. White or brown will certainly work in a pinch. See the step by step photos for cooking adjustments for white or brown rice.

If you don't like creamy soups (this one isn't super creamy), you can skip the milk mixture at the end of the recipe and use chicken broth instead. Then you'll have yourself a delicious, clear broth chicken and rice soup. You've got options!

I also used the carrots and celery that I had left over from this recipe a couple of weeks ago. I just cleaned and sliced the entire bunch then froze half to use later. I was happy not to have to peel and chop today!

Read more »

Sausage & Kale Soup

It's once again the season of warm, hearty soups and you can't get much heartier than this one! With Italian sweet sausage, tons of veggies, beans, and hearty kale, this soup has a little bit of everything. It's sure to make you belly warm, full, and happy.

You can also make this vegetarian by adding a second (or maybe even a third?) can of beans instead of the sausage, and swapping the chicken base for a vegetable base. Also, you'll probably want to double up on the herbs and spices since the Italian sausage is well seasoned and added a LOT of flavor.

This soup comes together easily and is perfect for freezing. So, stock your freezer now for those chilly winter days ahead when you don't feel like going to the grocery!

Read more »

taco chicken bowls

This recipe is definitely "slow-cooker 101". It's probably one of the first recipes that most people learn to make in their slow-cooker. In fact, some version of it is probably included in that little mini recipe book that comes with the slow-cooker when you buy it. BUT, I had to post it because I know there are probably a lot of you who haven't made it yet and I can't bear the thought of you missing out.

This recipe is great for bachelors, students, or the chronically busy because it's a "dump and heat" recipe. All you do is dump all of the ingredients together in a pot, and let it cook. Of course you'll need to make the rice separate but even if you're one of those people who can never get rice right, there is hope. Just stuff the chicken mixture inside of a tortilla with cheese for a quick burrito or fold it over in a tortilla and crisp it up in a skillet like a quesadilla. Presto. Easy, delicious, cheap food.

I'm a black bean lover so next time I'm going to use two cans (or two can's worth of homemade) beans and extend the recipe even further.

Oh, also, this freezes well. Cheese and all. Then just nuke and stir for a couple minutes until hot. Instant freezer meal!

Okay, one more thing. If you for some strange reason need this recipe to be even easier or you don't have a well stocked spice cabinet, just substitute a packet of taco seasoning for all of the spices and herbs that I used below.


Read more »

kung pao chicken

I'm really not sure how authentic this recipe is but I'm calling it kung pao chicken because it's spicy and it has peanuts. That's good enough for me. Ha!

Okay, aside from that, it's really super delicious... and easy. Well, easy if you're not trying to figure out how to use your new mandoline like I was. I spent a good half hour just trying to assemble the correct blades, another 15 minutes or so trying to use it and then another 30 minutes trying to disassemble, clean, and then fold up the mandoline for storage. I got some beautifully thin carrot strips but it wasn't worth an hour of my day and almost slicing my thumb wide open. Nope. Next time I'm just going to stick to a knife. *sigh* Lesson learned.

Because I get this question every time: Buy your chicken in large family sized packs to get a super low price. When you get it home, divide it up into 1-2 lb. portions and freeze for later use. I just pop two breasts into quart size ziplock bags, label them, and toss them in the freezer. It's really nice to have the meat on hand the next time you're ready to cook and it's at least a dollar less per pound when purchased in bulk (usually a 5 lb. package). Sometimes, when they are approaching their "sell by" date, they'll be even more deeply discounted and as long as you freeze them that day, they're completely safe. Even Whole Foods sells "Family Packs" of chicken for a lower price per pound.


Read more »

ham & bean soup

Have you ever seen those bags of 16 bean soup mix in the dry bean aisle at the grocery store? Well, they're kinda like the ramen of the bean world. They come with their own packet of "flavoring" that you're supposed to boil with the beans to yield a delicious hearty soup. Well, beans, salt and MSG doesn't sound too appetizing so I made my *own* seasoning.

Something special happens when you boil meat, bones and all of the connective tissue into a broth. It might seem frightening at first and it certainly doesn't look very appetizing but I promise you that every soup you've eaten that has that certain "je ne sais quois" has this magic broth. From homemade chicken noodle soup to Vietnamese pho, they've all got the boiled bones and slow-cooked gelatinized tissues. So, please over look the unsightly ham hocks and believe me when I tell you they *make* this soup. You can use smoked turkey wings instead if you'd like. They'll still give you great flavor and they have less fat but they're also more expensive.

Also, if you don't have a slow cooker, you cane make this on the stove top in a pot. Just let it simmer with a lid in place until the beans are soft (2-4 hours).


Read more »

skillet lasagna

Those of you who follow Budget Bytes on Facebook may recall a few weeks back when I tried to make Alton Brown's slow cooker lasagna and it turned out... less than fabulous.

Well, everyone seemed so excited about making lasagna in a slow cooker that I've been researching the idea ever since. After looking at about a million recipes, I have come to the conclusion that there isn't much of an advantage to making lasagna in the slow cooker. The recipes all looked like just as much work and required either a) cooking ingredients prior to putting them in the slow cooker, b) laborious layering just like regular lasagna, or c) an awkward cooking time (4 hours? Can't do that while you're at work or while asleep so what's the point? Just make regular lasagna in half the time...).

Anyway, I've decided that the easiest way to achieve lasagna goodness is to make it in a skillet. Yes, like hamburger helper... but a hundred times better. It isn't pretty and layered like regular lasagna but in exchange you don't have to spend time building it and you don't have to subsequently bake the thing for 45 minutes. AND IT'S EVERY BIT AS DELICIOUS!

So, here is how it's done:


Read more »

peanut soba stir fry

I'm SO EXCITED about this one... this is one of those recipes that turned out so good that I couldn't keep out of it while I was shooting photos. I kept stuffing in mouthfuls in between shots!

I wanted to make a stir fry this week because they're just so quick, easy and packed with goodness. This is one of those cases where it was actually less expensive to buy the frozen, pre-chopped mix of vegetables than to buy each vegetable fresh. Red peppers alone were $2.50 each and I got a whole bag of vegetables for $1.94. Plus, this way I won't have tons of left overs. Frozen vegetables are a wonderful asset to those eating on a budget. They don't go bad quickly in the refrigerator, there are a ton of varieties and most don't contain any added salt or preservatives (check the label to be sure). Sure, the frozen weren't as crunchy as fresh would have been but the dish was so good over all that I didn't care.

I added soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) to the stir fry for bulk and fiber. I paid $3.94 for 8 oz. of soba noodles and I'm quite sure they can be purchased for far less else where, probably even at Whole Foods. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to drive across town that day. Check ethnic markets for an even lower price. Oh, AND my hoisin sauce was organic so I'm sure you could get that for less too. Moral of the story: you can probably make this recipe for a few dollars less than I did.


Read more »

cuban chorizo stew

I came across this post on the Parsley Thief a couple of weeks ago and was very inspired by the combination of coconut milk and black beans (two of my favorite ingredients!). So, I had to give it a try. I had some extra chorizo in my freezer from when I made the chorizo and sweet potato enchiladas so I decided to use that along with a couple other things to turn the recipe into a stew. It turned out FANTASTIC! I also cooked some jasmine rice to serve along with it. Basmati would also be great.

The flavor combination of the stew is perfect. Hot spices mellowed out by the creamy coconut milk and a little acidity from the tomatoes to cut through the coconut cream. A little fresh cilantro to liven it up and everything is in perfect balance!

If you're a vegetarian or are not crazy about all of the fat in chorizo, this stew would still be stunningly delicious without the chorizo. Or, you can try some vegetarian chorizo (sold with other refrigerated meat substitutes, usually in the produce section) which is much lower in fat and calories.

The night before I made this recipe, I whipped up a batch of black beans in my slow cooker. If you haven't tried this method for cooking beans yet, YOU MUST. It's so easy and saves so much money. All you have to do is put in the dry beans and water, turn it on high and let it do it's thing for four hours. Then, I ladle the beans and liquid into three containers (2 cups each, roughly equal to one can each) and refrigerate or freeze them until use. It only takes ten minutes of total effort. Seriously, try it. Here is my post with more detailed directions.


Read more »

hearty meatball soup

Today's recipe is brought to you by the word mirepoix.

Via wikipedia: Mirepoix (cuisine), a traditional French culinary combination of onions, carrots and celery aromatics.

I felt it important to share this piece of culinary terminology with you since I start just about every soup with this wonderfully perfect mix. Once you have your carrot, celery, onion and garlic sweating away in a pot, you can add just about anything to it and make a delicious soup. So that's what I did with my meatballs.

You can actually go three different ways with the broth for this soup.
1) Make an ultra thick, tomatoey, almost sauce-like base (as I've done below).
2) Keep the tomatoes but have a more soup like broth by skipping the tomato sauce and using only diced tomatoes.
3) You can make a clear beef broth by skipping the canned tomatoes all together and just using beef broth (or bouillon and water).
It's up to you.

Next time, I think I'll skip the tomato sauce so that I can have a tomato and beef broth... and maybe add some kale. Mmmmm, yes.


Read more »