Globally Inspired Recipes

Side dishes shouldn’t be complicated. They’re the supporting actor for your meal, so keep them fast and simple enough that they don’t outshine your main dish. These Quick Seasoned Black Beans are the perfect...

You guyyyyysssssss. This Thai Coconut Curry Carrot Soup is everything. I seriously wanted to slurp up the entire pot! It’s light, creamy, just a little spicy, and somehow perfectly fitting with this warmer than...

I’ve been eating these Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas 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...

I have really been craving burrito bowls, so I decided to highlight them in the meal prep series this week. If you’re a meal prep pro, you’re probably very familiar with burrito bowls. They’re...

This Tuscan White Bean Pasta is definitely my type of recipe. It’s quick, uses a lot of fresh ingredients, is very filling, and flavorful. This pasta packs protein (white beans and parmesan), veggies (tomatoes...

Don’t you just love how I post a pasta recipe immediately after the blog post where I say I’m trying to break my addiction to pasta? 😂 We’re all human. Anyway, This week I...

I’m the type of person who could just eat marinara sauce with a spoon. I love it just that much. BUT that feels kind of weird so I try to find other vehicles to...

It’s time for another “sweep the kitchen” recipe! You know how I love these recipes. Food is not only expensive, but it’s also the number one contributor to landfills, so I always try to...

While red cabbage is still on sale for $0.50/lb., I’m just going to keep going with it! This super simple Sesame Slaw is fast, fresh, and a nice break from the heavy, cooked down...

Who doesn’t love cute little pasta bundles?? These Pesto Stuffed Shells remind me of little baby lasagnas that have yet to grow into their adult form. They have all the same goodies as a...

Have you guys heard of golden milk or turmeric tea? It was the hottest food trend last year, picking up where chai left off years ago. It’s an earthy, slightly savory spiced milk drink full...

Y’all know how much I love slow cooked meat, right? It’s always so tender and full of flavor, yet nearly effortless. While I usually opt for a southwest blend of spices, a couple of...

Last week fellow Budget Byter Becky sent me a link to this awesome recipe for Enfrijoladas from MexicanPlease.com. I was immediately intrigued by this dish, which seemed to me to be just like enchiladas...

I’ve made pizza sauce before but I wanted one that was even thicker and richer because I had some big plans to dip things in it (and by “things” I mean pizzadillas). Dipping sauces...

Whew, life has been hectic lately, y’all! But it’s a good hectic. In addition to launching the new Budget Bytes app (p.s. the Android app is officially coming!), I’m in the process of selling my...

The last apartment I lived in was on a super cute street in Mid-City New Orleans. I had the best group of neighbors and our entire block would often hold impromptu cookouts on the weekends....

One of my first “viral” recipes back was Coconut Chicken with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce back in 2010. I was about to remake that recipe and give it the beautiful photographs that it deserves (and...

I feel like I’ve stumbled upon gold with this recipe, guys. This Roasted Broccoli Salad with Almonds uses almost all ingredients that I keep on hand, and is so good that I was literally...

Sometimes you just need things ASAP—that is, as SIMPLE as possible. ;) That’s when I pull out recipes like these Simple Mushroom Broccoli Stir Fry Noodles. The sauce is incredible simple, but hits all...

The aroma from this salad is the most deliciously fresh aroma of cucumbers, parsley, and crunchy green peppers, and it’s beyond delightful. The only thing better than the aroma is the flavor. In short,...

Okay, this might be the best thing I’ve ever made in my slow cooker. No joke. The combination of the subtle spices, orange essence, and richness of the slowly cooked pork is absolutely to die for....

OMG you guyyyysssss… Orange chicken has been on my list for-ev-er and I finally got around to making it today and now I’m kicking myself for not making it sooner because this Easy Orange Chicken is...

I had a completely different plan for cooking today, but you know what? In the end I decided I just wanted some comfort food. This Cheesy Rigatoni Skillet is just another version of my favorite easy...

I’ve been making these Cumin Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes since long before Budget Bytes was started. Why? Because sweet potatoes are delicious and inexpensive, and this particular recipe is easy to prepare and has bright, bold...

The other day I got a message on Facebook from Tiffany exclaiming how much she liked my Easy Oven Fajitas and Oven Roasted Greek Stuffed Pitas and she asked if I could create a similar...

I was craving a stir fry with those delicate little rice noodles and a salty, spicy, curry based sauce this week, so I revisited my original recipe for Singapore Noodles, increased the curry powder (because...

I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing when I make a recipe that is so good that I want to keep eating past the point of full. On one hand, if...

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my stories about adventuring through the new Trader Joes in New Orleans. I’m so excited to finally have a Trader Joes near by because...

I’m trying to stock my fridge with some healthy options for the week ahead because I didn’t do so well last week. So, this morning I threw together some of my favorite flavors (garlic,...

This week I played around with the concept for my classic Taco Chicken Bowls and made a “green” salsa version, or Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Bowls. Salsa is kind of a secret weapon when...

After a week of vacation I’m so ready to get back to business, back to a good routine, and back to healthy eating. I made some awesome “bowl meals” yesterday to eat for the...

If you’re one that struggles to work vegetables into your diet (isn’t that pretty much all of us?) you’re going to love this Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry. It’s full of vegetables and absolutely addictive. And...

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 your refried beans out of a can, I’m...

Did you know that the Dragon Noodle sauce also makes a great stir fry sauce? Truth. So when I saw that I still had a half pound of shrimp left over from my last...

Okay, this love post dedicated to chimichurri sauce is way overdue. This vibrant green sauce is pure magic because requires only a few ingredients, but will transform anything you drizzle it on… and you...

My favorite thing to do with a recipe is to pare it down as far as possible while maintaining big flavor. I’ve made a lot of Asian inspired marinades and glazes over the years, but...

Confession time: I’ve been spending way too much on sushi lately. So, I decided to revisit one of my very first Budget Bytes recipes from way back in 2010, Sushi Bowls. For most people, making sushi at...

You know that movie You Don’t Mess with the Zohan where the guy uses hummus for pretty much everything? Well, my obsession with hummus is pretty much at that level (minus using it for non-food purposes)....

…And a fried egg. The fried egg is really an important part of this Sesame Noodles with Wilted Greens dish, but it just seemed like including it in the title would make it excessively...

I look at the photo of these Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats and I’m all like, “Oooh, that looks delicious. …but are probably complicated and a million ingredients.” But no, my friends, no. It’s...

I guess we’ve hit that time of the year where just I want to eat cold salads every day (Hi, summer!). So I decided to take one of my favorite pasta salads, Lemony Cucumber...

Sometimes recipes just speak to you. Yesterday I came across this recipe for Stuffed Jalapeños from The New York Times and was just like, “I need that in my life.” So, I ran out...

Let me start by saying, this is not authentic phở. This is “I need something that tastes good, is fast, has noodles, and kind of tastes like phở.” AKA Quickie Faux Phở. It does the...

If there was ever a recipe worthy of “breakfast for dinner” it would be shakshuka. This rich, saucy dish is full of smoky spices, hearty beans, and rich eggs. Make sure to buy or...

Congee (or jook, depending on the language) is a rice porridge that I’ve wanted to make for quite some time. It’s a warm, comforting porridge made with rice, chicken, ginger, and sometimes other fun...

After finally figuring out how to cook tofu and actually have it taste good (see my Sesame Tofu with Broccoli), I couldn’t wait to make more. I used the same easy pan fry method,...

This quick skillet dish is kind of like the faster, vegetarian version of the Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala that I made a few weeks back. It’s a rich tomato sauce spiked with aromatic garam...

I prefer one-dish meals over the traditional “main and two sides” structure these days because I like to save time and effort. BUT sometimes you just really need a side dish, and when I...

I’m experimenting with a new grain this week, farro, and the first thing I wanted to make was a salad. Farro is a delightful chewy grain with a neutral flavor that will make any...

I know, it seems kind of weird that I’m posting this 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe the day after the super bowl. But, the reason I made this nacho cheese sauce has nothing to do...