Spring rolls are all about texture. The rice paper wrapper is so unique, almost skin like; a little sticky, quite stretchy and just really cool. Inside the stretchy wrapper you’ve got rice vermicelli, lettuce,...
Globally Inspired Recipes
Many cultures around the globe are experts at cooking on a budget, often relying on whole grains, fresh vegetables, and less meat. These global inspired recipes will add spice to your weekly rotation and give you an easy (and inexpensive) alternative to your favorite take-out dishes! (pictured: Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles)
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I’ll admit, for a long time I didn’t know exactly what chutney was. All I knew is that it looked like little jars of jam when I saw it at the store… but why...
I used to be really intimidated by Indian food. The flavors are deep and complex and the recipes often call for ingredients that are foreign to even a foodie like me. Despite this, I’m...
Ahhh, I’m really excited about this one. This has to be one of the best chicken marinades I’ve ever made. The best part is, you could use this marinade for just about anything, you...
One of the best recipes that I’ve made for Budget Bytes so far is the Italian Meatballs. They were unbelievably flavorful, they froze beautifully and were extremely versatile. I’ve wanted to make them again...
Here is another super easy dinner idea with endless possibilities for variation. I can’t exactly say that Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups are a “quick” recipe because it does have to bake a while but the...
Okay, I don’t really know what this recipe is but I DO know that I started with a recipe for butter chicken (which may not have been all that authentic to begin with) and...
Here’s another quickie (but a goodie) for ya. I know chipotle is a super food trend right now but can you blame it? I mean, it’s smokey and spicy and just GOOD! I came...
After making my first batch of tortillas the other day, I decided to try another recipe. I chose a recipe that uses vegetable oil (and very little of it) instead of lard because, lets...
Tortillas are one of my favorite bread items and I use them for just about everything. Luckily, there is a fairly large Hispanic population in Louisiana so I am able to find tortillas fairly...
I’ve begun to rely more heavily on beans in my diet. They’re fiber-licious, super cheap and make my tummy full and happy. Black bean soup has to be one of the easiest and tastiest...
I was so excited, so drawn in, so salivating when I saw this recipe for falafel from Living The Pie Life a few weeks ago. The only problem was that I didn’t have a food processor....
Oh the fascinating world of flat breads… Although the ingredients for this Homemade Pita Bread are different from my Homemade Naan, the execution is almost exactly the same. The only difference here is that you...
I was really really excited when I saw this post over on Judicial Peach the other day. Homemade chai is something that I’ve been wanting to make for quite some time. Never did I...
Are y’all ready for a Budget Bytes first?! Here it is… a recipe that actually costs MORE than the store bought version! Yes, you read it right. I made these frozen burritos to replace...
Singapore noodles. They didn’t originate in Singapore (theory is they’re Cantonese) and they were popularized by Chinese restaurants in Europe. How is that for a hodgepodge history? Well, I’m going to blame this one...
Things are a little tight this month so I made a resolution to use up all (or a lot) of the food that I have in my pantry and freezer. Sure, I should always...
Wow. Just, WOW. I’m usually not a fan of eating chicken off the bone because of all of the connective tissue and other weird bits but this sticky Asian sauce makes all wrongs RIGHT....
To balance all of the spicy Mexican food I made this week (Fire Roasted Salsa & Chicken and Lime Soup), I needed something sweet. I did a quick google search for “Mexican desserts” and...
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...
Why serve plain white rice with your meal when you can sneak in some veggies and a ton of flavor? I was originally going to make this dish a coconut (not) fried rice but...
Hindsight is 20/20. One of the main ingredients in this mouth-watering teriyaki pulled pork is the teriyaki sauce. The entire ten minutes that I stood in the Asian foods aisle trying to decide which...
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that the first time I ever heard of Pasta Puttanesca was in the movie Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, over 15 years ago. In the movie,...
So, I’m about to pack up all of my things and move to a new apartment in a new city. I thought I’d just cook up something simple and classic this weekend to cut...
I’ve wanted to make these yummy little wontons since the success of my Pork & Ginger Potstickers. I saw a recipe on the inside of the wonton wraper package for cream cheese filled wontons...
I’m calling this one Vegetable NOT Fried Rice because it’s like fried rice but not (in case that wasn’t obvious). I love fried rice but it is usually so insanely oily and I’m just not...
One of my favorite things to order when I go to Mediterranean restaurants is Stuffed Grape Leaves or Dolmas. I’ve always shied away from making them at home because they seemed like they would...
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...
I made this Cilantro Lime Rice as a side dish for the Shrimp Tacos that I made last weekend (my apologies for taking so long to post it). This rice is very simple and...
I saw this recipe for Sriracha Chicken Strips one day while stumbling around on the internet and, being the Sriracha lover that I am, I immediately bookmarked it for later use. Jenny’s Idea for...
A couple of weeks ago I challenged myself to make some corn muffins from scratch that were as good as or better than what I get from the Jiffy Cornbread Mix but unfortunately I...
I wanted to make something to eat along side my sushi bowls this week so I decided to make some Pork and Ginger Pot Stickers. I remember attempting to make pot stickers a long...
By noon today my throat had swollen up so big that I couldn’t swallow and my head was pounding. The sickness was upon me. So, as soon as I got home I started searching...
Whew, what a week… after having out of town visitors for the past four days, I am finally getting back into my routine (school, blog, sleep… school, blog, sleep… school, blog… well, you get...
I’ve been off the steel-cut oats bandwagon for a while because I’ve been addicted to my little breakfast egg quesadillas (I’ll post that soon because they’re too good to keep to myself). But, this...
I’m going to admit right now that I have never made Baba Ganoush before today so if you have any suggestions or recipe variations, please share! If you have never heard of Baba Ganoush,...
I’ve been wanting to cook this coconut chicken for a LONG time and my anticipation was definitely justified by the end result. The shredded coconut mixed with panko bread crumbs gives a light, crunchy...
I’ve been really digging Asian food lately. As I was deciding on my main entree and side dish for this week, I decided to give Thai peanut sauce a shot. I had never made...
As I ate my Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad this week it dawned on me- this salad would make a KILLER enchilada filling! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to make them until...
This recipe was inspired by a dish that I saw at Whole Foods Market. I don’t have their recipe so I made this up based on what I thought theirs was. It turned out...
I had a hankering for some balsamic marinated mushrooms the other day but after searching for recipes, I decided to try a batch of regular marinated mushrooms before trying the balsamic variety. There were...
This was one of the first ever Budget Bytes recipe experiments. After browsing the internet looking for ideas, I saw this Spicy Red Lentil and Tomato Soup by Andrea Meyers and it piqued my...
I was really craving some red meat the other day and the first thing I wanted was meatballs. Of course, I didn’t have any meatballs so all I could do was sit there and...
After being treated to a wonderful Italian dinner at a local restaurant last week, I was inspired to finally try to make my own marinara sauce. I’ll admit, usually I’m too lazy and I’d...
These sweet, salty, and rich Garlic Noodles are an absolutely addictive dish that you’ll want to make again and again. Serve them as the bed for glazed meat, like my Sticky Soy Ginger Glazed...
