all things food
If you have always loved eggplant tofu but Panda Express doesn’t serve it near your location anymore or if you always wanted to try it but never had a chance, you should fry up your skillet now and make this tofu, eggplant, and bell pepper dish s…
If you have always loved eggplant tofu but Panda Express doesn’t serve it near your location anymore or if you always wanted to try it but never had a chance, you should fry up your skillet now and make this tofu, eggplant, and bell pepper dish stir-fried in a sweet and spicy sauce. If you...
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These curried chicken & arugula wraps are proof that lunch doesn’t have to be boring: healthy and satisfying with a mix of tantalizing flavors and textures that’ll make your tastebuds happy indeed. Featuring a curried chicken and chickpea salad, sweet tart cranberry sauce, crunchy almonds and a pile of spicy greens and herbs, these fresh […]
The post Curried Chicken, Chickpea & Arugula Wraps first appeared on Love and Olive Oil.
These curried chicken & arugula wraps are proof that lunch doesn’t have to be boring: healthy and satisfying with a mix of tantalizing flavors and textures that’ll make your tastebuds happy indeed.
Featuring a curried chicken and chickpea salad, sweet tart cranberry sauce, crunchy almonds and a pile of spicy greens and herbs, these fresh and flavorful curried chicken wraps are sure to be a new lunch favorite.
Lunch has always been a struggle for us. Working from home, you think it wouldn’t be, but unless we have leftovers from the night before (which we often do, we’re masters at cooking for 4 despite there being only 2 of us) our well of lunch-inspiration is disappointingly shallow.
We went through a long stretch of cheesiness (get it, cheese? stretch?) with grilled cheese, quesadillas, or cobbled together cheese and crackers being the most common of our lunch choices, along with the holy trinity of ‘salad’ sandwiches (chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad).
But in an effort to eat a bit less cheese, we turned to wraps, and quickly realized that basically any kind of sandwich or salad (or salad sandwich), can, in actuality, become a wrap.
Still, as good as a chicken caesar salad or turkey club wrap is, it gets repetitive after the first week or two. And the quickest way to turn us off from something is to overdo it. Needless to say we try to mix up the wrap flavors regularly to keep it fresh, so we’re always looking for inspiration.
Chickpea salads are my favorite salads. A few of my go-to’s include: Easy Chickpea Salad, Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad, Fall Chickpea Salad, and Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad. I also REALLY love this Greek Chickpea Salad because Greek…
Chickpea salads are my favorite salads. A few of my go-to’s include: Easy Chickpea Salad, Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad, Fall Chickpea Salad, and Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad. I also REALLY love this Greek Chickpea Salad because Greek flavors are always SO good. If you like my Greek Quinoa Salad and Greek Tortellini Salad, I… Sheet Pan Portobello Fajitas are an easy and flavorful vegetarian dinner idea that all cooks on one pan for easy cleanup!
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I got that craving for fajitas the other day and just had to have ’em. I decided to switch things up a bit from my usual sheet pan fajitas and use portobello caps in place of the chicken. I also added a little smoky chipotle powder to the spice mix to keep things interesting. These Sheet Pan Portobello Fajitas are a new and welcome twist on the classic. A little squeeze of lime on top and a slice or two of creamy avocado, and you have a really tasty veggie-filled dinner.
Originally posted 6/11/2016, updated 8/8/2022.
Portobello mushrooms aren’t the cheapest item in the produce aisle, so it’s important to use some of our budget byting principles here. First, make sure you compare prices both between available grocery stores and even within the store. If your grocery store sells them both packaged together and loose, be careful to compare the per-pound price because it might be cheaper to buy them loose!
Second, we’re going to combine the portobello mushrooms with other ingredients that are much less expensive, like onions, bell peppers, and tortillas to balance out the total price and keep the price per serving on the low side.
The recipe, as written below, is a little smoky and spicy thanks to the chipotle powder in the fajita spice mix. If you prefer a mild fajita, skip the chipotle powder and make sure to use a chili powder blend that is mild. If you want your fajitas to be smoky but not spicy, replace the chipotle powder with smoked paprika.
The filling for the fajitas works great as a meal prep. Just pack up the roasted mushroom, pepper, and onion mix in a lunch container with a slice of lime and a couple of tortillas. When it’s time for lunch, remove the tortillas and lime, reheat, then fill the tortillas, squeeze your lime, and enjoy!
For the avocado, I suggest slicing a few slices off the whole avocado each day. Only the exposed surface will darken, and it only darkens slightly (it doesn’t turn completely black like mashed avocado). The darkening of the avocado does not mean it is spoiled, it just means that it has been exposed to oxygen (like a brown apple), and is still perfectly safe to eat.
Sweet Corn Salsa or Summer Sweet Corn Salad would be a wonderfully light and fresh contrast to these portobello fajitas. And if you want to dress them up a little bit more you could whip up a quick batch of Guacamole or Pico de Gallo!
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, stir together 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt.
I used 8 oz. portobello caps (2-3 depending on their size), two bell peppers (any color), and two yellow onions for my fajitas.
Slice the vegetables into strips about ¼-inch wide. I also cut the portobello strips in half, so the pieces aren’t quite so large. Place the sliced vegetables on a large sheet pan.
Drizzle 3 Tbsp olive oil over the vegetables, then sprinkle the prepared fajita seasoning over top.
Use your hands to toss the vegetables in the oil and spices until everything is evenly coated, then make sure the vegetables are spread out over the baking sheet in an even layer.
Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until they are slightly wilted and have browned on the edges. Stir the vegetables halfway through the roasting time to make sure everything gets even exposure to the hot air.
After roasting, squeeze lime juice over the vegetables and top with chopped cilantro.
To serve, scoop a small amount of the fajita vegetables into each small tortilla and add a slice of fresh avocado.
Seriously, these Chipotle Portobello Oven Fajitas are probably one of my favorite vegan recipes!
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Sofrito is the aromatic flavor base of many Caribbean dishes. It’s budget-friendly, easy to make, and pure magic in almost any savory recipe.
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Sofrito is the heart and soul of Caribbean cuisine and the knock-out flavor base of many of its dishes. It’s budget-friendly, easy to make, and pure magic in almost any savory recipe. If you want to kick up your cooking prowess a hundred notches with just one technique, THIS IS IT.
Sofrito originated in Spain, and the word refers to a technique where you fry aromatics to release flavor compounds. The sauce took on different forms as the Spanish colonized the Caribbean, and islanders recreated sofrito with available ingredients. In Puerto Rico, where I was born and raised, sofrito is called recaito, after recao, an herb that grows wild throughout the island and gives the puree its distinctive bright green color.
In its most basic form, sofrito is a mix of aromatics like peppers, onions, garlic, and herbs. Think of it like the Latin version of a mirepoix or the holy trinity. Except making it is as simple as busting out your blender or food processor. Of course, if you don’t have these kitchen tools, you’ll have to rely on old-fashioned elbow grease and mince the ingredients. Either way, the results will always be fantastic.
The ingredient list for sofrito changes depending on the region. In Spain, the sauce includes tomatoes; in the Dominican Republic, it contains vinegar; in Puerto Rico, neither of those ingredients made the cut. Traditionally, Boricuas (i.e., Puerto Ricans) make sofrito with a sweet pepper known as ají dulce, garlic, onion, and, as I mentioned earlier, recao. This pungent herb is a distant relative of cilantro and is also known as Chinese parsley or sawtooth coriander. You can usually find ají dulce and recao at an Asian or Latino supermarket. When I can’t find these traditional ingredients, I sub them with green bell pepper and cilantro.
No matter what the ingredients, sofrito is usually the first thing to hit the pan, where it is lightly fried until your kitchen smells like heaven. (Am I the only one that thinks heaven will smell like something amazing’s cooking?) No matter your religious musings, I’ve seen many islanders get choked up at the first whiff of sofrito. TRUST ME. This sauce is powerful stuff.
A little sofrito goes a long way, so you’ll always have leftovers when you make a batch. Store it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a month. Or do like every abuela (Spanish for grandma) does on the island: freeze any leftovers in an ice cube tray. Then transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe container, where they will stay fresh for up to three months.
Honestly, many savory recipes would benefit from a few tablespoons of sofrito. Of course, it’s imperative that you use it in Caribbean dishes, like my recipe for Arroz con Pollo (Puerto Rican chicken and rice). But you should also try it in your favorite stews, soups, beans, and sauces. For example, a few tablespoons would be spectacular in this easy chili, this hearty vegetable barley soup, or this dreamy Spanish chickpeas and rice.
Prep and quarter the onion and bell pepper. Rinse and chop the cilantro. Add the onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Pulse until the ingredients transform into a smooth, thick puree. If the blades get stuck cutting through the ingredients, add a little olive oil to move things along.
You can use the sofrito immediately, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a month, or portion into an ice cube tray and freeze. Place the cubes into a freezer-safe container and store for up to three months.
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Menemen, or Turkish scrambled eggs, is an easy, healthy, and customizable dish that can be ready in less than 30 minutes! BudgetBytes.com
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Ready to up your breakfast game? Try this traditional Turkish scrambled eggs recipe, also known as Menemen. This one-pan vegetarian egg dish is healthy, filling, easily customizable, and ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
Menemen is a traditional Turkish breakfast recipe made by cooking eggs with onions, peppers, and tomatoes with a subtle hint of spice. It gets its name from a Turkish town called Menemen, located in Izmir.
Menemen is traditionally served in the skillet that it is cooked in while it is still hot and bubbly. It is usually served with crusty bread on the side, which is then dipped into the soft scrambled eggs and vegetables for a satisfying bite.
With that being said, if you want to serve it as Turks do then I would recommend a few must-haves on the side:
The best part of this Turkish soft scramble recipe is that you can easily change it up with whatever you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:
You can follow the recipe as written or take it up a notch with a few additions to it.
Begin by dicing one bell pepper (any color) and one small onion.
Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and bell pepper, along with ½ tsp dried oregano and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper. Sauté until the vegetables have softened.
Add one 15oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juices), 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir to combine.
Continue to sauté for about 2-3 minutes more, or until everything is heated through well.
Lightly beat four large eggs, then pour them into the skillet.
Cook the eggs, stirring frequently, until they are just barely set yet still soft (about 2-3 minutes).
Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the eggs.
Top with crumbled feta and more black pepper, if desired.
Serve with crusty bread for dipping!
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Ground beef in a tangy sauce piled onto a soft bun, homemade Sloppy Joes are an easy, classic American weeknight dinner.
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Sloppy Joes were a mainstay weeknight dinner in our house when I was growing up in the 80s, but we always made it with a canned sauce (Manwich, or the generic equivalent). Once I started cooking for myself, I realized how easy it was to quickly whip up sauces like that from ingredients I already had in my pantry, and I never looked back. These Homemade Sloppy Joes are quick, easy, full of flavor, AND freezer friendly. 🙌 Plus, I’ve got some tips for you below to make them even more budget-friendly, since the price of ground beef isn’t getting lower anytime soon.
Sloppy Joes are a loose meat sandwich made with ground beef, peppers, and onions in a special red sauce, and the sauce is totally what makes a sloppy joe sandwich. It’s a savory, tangy, and slightly sweet tomato-based sauce. While some recipes simply use heavily seasoned ketchup for the sauce, our recipe is a bit more rich in flavor with tomato sauce, tomato paste, Worcestershire, vinegar, sugar, Dijon, and chili powder.
Sloppy Joes are traditionally served on a hamburger bun, sometimes with cheese, sometimes without. But you can totally get creative. Pile it into a tortilla and turn it into a sloppy joe taco, spoon it over a baked potato, eat it as a bowl meal over rice, or go for the ultimate budget option and just eat it on white bread (if you know, you know).
And don’t forget some chips or steak fries to serve on the side! …Or maybe some roasted broccoli. ;)
Ground beef is pretty expensive these days, so there are a few things you can do to make your sloppy joes a little lighter on the wallet. Here are some ideas:
Chop the vegetables first, so they’re ready to go. Finely dice one yellow onion and one green bell pepper, and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 lb. ground beef to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the ground beef has browned. If you’re using a higher fat content ground beef, you’ll want to drain off the excess fat after it has browned.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet and continue to sauté until the vegetables have softened.
Finally, add the ingredients for the sauce: one 15oz. can tomato sauce, 3 Tbsp tomato paste, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and ¾ tsp salt.
Stir everything to combine and heat through. Let the meat and sauce simmer over medium-low for 5-10 minutes, or until it has thickened to your liking.
Toast your buns in a skillet or in the oven, then pile the saucy meat mixture on top.
Enjoy your sloppy joes with some chips and plenty of napkins because they’re as messy as they are delicious!
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Cowboy Caviar is a deliciously fresh bean salad with a colorful mix of beans and vegetables, plus a zesty lime dressing.
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This super fresh and colorful Cowboy Caviar combines two types of beans, delicious summer vegetables, and a sweet and tangy lime dressing to make a bold and versatile dish that you’ll find yourself making over and over. From a party dip to a salad topper, Cowboy Caviar has become a go-to healthy meal prep item in my kitchen. It’s the O.G. refrigerator salad. 😄 Read on for more ideas on how to use this amazing cross between bean salad and salsa!
Originally posted 7-19-2016, updated 6-1-2022.
Cowboy Caviar, sometimes called Mexican Caviar, is like a cross between a bean salad and a fresh salsa. It combines two types of beans (black beans and black eyed peas) with a colorful medley of fresh vegetables and a tangy balsamic-lime vinaigrette.
If you can’t find black eyed peas in the canned bean aisle, check with the canned vegetables. Because they’re a “pea” they’re sometimes found with the canned vegetables rather than the beans. And if you can’t find black eyed peas, you can substitute pinto beans or navy beans.
Well, if you don’t eat it all in one sitting (it can happen!), Cowboy Caviar holds up extremely well in the refrigerator and will be just as tasty after about 4-5 days of refrigeration. While the vegetables will let off a little water, most of the ingredients are very sturdy. Just be sure to stir the salad before serving to redistribute the dressing. This salad will probably not freeze well, due to the fresh herbs and vegetables.
There are SO many ways to eat Cowboy Caviar that you’ll probably find yourself adding it to everything you eat. But here are a few ideas anyway:
…and so much more. If you have a favorite way to eat your Cowboy Caviar, feel free to share it with the rest of us in the comments below!
One of the best things about Cowboy Caviar is that it is extremely versatile. You can customize this recipe to give it your own personal touch. Here are a couple of substitutions and add-ins that will make it your own:
I don’t suggest freezing this dish because it has multiple delicate fresh vegetables that will become limp and soggy upon freezing and reheating. You want those veggies to be fresh, juicy, and crunchy to give the salad its amazing texture! :)
Make the dressing first so the flavors have a few minutes to blend. Whisk together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp lime juice, ½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt.
Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of black beans and one 15oz. can of black eyed peas in a colander.
Gather one bell pepper (any color), two Roma tomatoes, one jalapeño, 1/4 of a red onion, and 1/4 bunch of cilantro. While any color bell pepper can be used, I like the colorful pop of a yellow or orange bell pepper.
Finely dice the bell pepper, tomatoes, jalapeño, and red onion. The idea is to get the pieces close in size to the beans so that you have a “caviar” type appearance in the end. Roughly chop the cilantro leaves. Place the chopped vegetables in the bowl with the rinsed beans.
Pour the prepared dressing over the salad.
Stir the salad until everything is coated in the dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. This is one of those salads that tastes even better after it has time to chill in the fridge, so it’s great to eat over the course of a few days!
Cowboy Caviar makes a great snack with tortilla chips, a topper for tacos, bowl meals, or salads, or spoon some onto baked or grilled fish for a nice light meal!
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Fragrant and savory this Thai Basil Chicken recipe is simple, fast and flavorful! Perfect for weeknight dinners or an easy delicious lunch ready to serve in under 30 minutes. Re-examine all that you have been told… dismiss that which insults you…
Vegetable Fried Rice is a fast, easy, delicious, and budget-friendly meal that you can whip up with ingredients on hand at any time!
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Fried rice is a take-out classic because it’s fast, easy, filling, delicious, and inexpensive, which is everything I want from a meal made at home, too! I love making vegetable fried rice at home because it’s an easy way to use up odds and ends in my fridge, it’s always satisfying, and it’s FAST. Plus, I can always add some meat or seafood if I’m feeling it!
Originally posted 6/2/2010, updated 3/30/2022.
Fried rice is a Chinese dish made with cooked rice that is then stir-fried in a wok with other ingredients, like meat, seafood, vegetables, and eggs, and then seasoned with a savory sauce. It’s extremely flexible and budget-friendly, which is why we love this dish! The recipe below is an American adaptation, using a skillet instead of a wok and ingredients that are easily sourced in most American grocery stores. If you’d like to try an authentic Chinese Fried Rice recipe, be sure to check out Chinese Fried Rice from Rasa Malaysia, Egg Fried Rice from Red House Spice, or Classic Chicken Fried Rice from The Woks of Life.
To avoid clumpy or gummy fried rice, use rice that has been previously cooked and completely cooled, preferably overnight. The slightly drier, less starchy rice is perfect for stir-frying because it can absorb moisture from the sauce and vegetables without becoming overly sticky. If you don’t have leftover rice from the day before, simply cook some rice, spread it out thin on a baking sheet or wide baking dish for faster cooling, then refrigerate until completely cool before using in the stir fry.
Woks are wonderful for stir fry because the large surface area makes it possible to add a lot of ingredients without overcrowding. While using a frying pan doesn’t work quite as well, we can make up for the crowding issue by cooking the ingredients separately, then combining them at the very end.
Here’s my favorite part. A simple Vegetable Stiry is a blank slate for all sorts of add ins, whether it’s more vegetables, a meat or seafood, a different sauce, or even a crunchy topping! Here are some other fun add-ins for your stir fry:
Prep the vegetables before you begin cooking because once you start, it will go fast! Mince two cloves of garlic and mince or grate about 1 tsp fresh ginger. Peel and dice one large carrot and one red bell pepper. Slice four green onions, separating the tender green top half from the firm lower half, and measure out one cup of frozen peas.
Lightly whisk two large eggs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the eggs to the skillet and gently scramble until cooked through. Remove the scrambled eggs to a clean bowl or plate.
There should be quite a bit of oil left in the skillet after removing the eggs. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrot to the skillet and stir fry for about two minutes. Next, add the bell pepper and the firm white ends of the sliced green onion. Stir fry for about a minute more. Lastly, add the frozen peas and stir fry just until heated through. Remove the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
Add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the surface again. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and three cups of cooked and cooled rice to the hot skillet. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Don’t worry if the rice sticks a bit to the bottom. It will loosen after the sauce is added.
Add 3 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil to the rice. Fold the rice and sauce together until the rice is evenly coated in the sauce.
Add the vegetables and eggs back to the skillet. Turn the heat off and stir to combine, allowing the residual heat to reheat everything through.
Top with the sliced green ends of the green onions and you’re done! Give it a taste and add extra soy sauce or sesame oil to fit your taste buds.
What do you like to put in your fried rice?
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