Tag: Budget Bytes

No Knead Bread

Introducing my go to homemade bread recipe!! Is it any surprise it’s from Beth at Budget Bytes?

When I started living on my own, I decided I wanted to become someone who made their own bread. It’s quite inexpensive and super tasty, so I embarked on a journey of finding the best bread recipe. After a lot of trial and error, and realizing that being in college doesn’t really afford me much time for kneading and preparing bread, I settled on this No Knead Bread.

If you are intimidated at the idea of making bread at home, this recipe is for you. And if you have absolutely no time, this recipe is also for you. And if you would rather spend your time doing anything else, this recipe is for you. Because this is basically the easiest recipe of all time. Just mix flour, salt, yeast, and water. Let it sit for 12-18 hours (or longer! Sometimes I leave it for a whole day). Preheat your oven. Then bake. And you end up with the best, easiest, crusty loaf of bread. Perfect for toast, dipped in sauce (like the shakshuka I shared this week!), or just ripped right off the loaf.

Shoutout to Beth for consistently bringing easy, inexpensive recipes! And give this bread recipe a try, I promise you won’t regret it.

No Knead Bread

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp instant or bread machine yeast
  • 1/2 tbs salt
  • 1.5 to 1.75 cups water

Instructions

  1. The day before baking, combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl and stir until they’re well combined. Stir in about 1.5 to 1.75 cups room temperature water until a shaggy, sticky ball of dough forms and there is no dry flour on the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic and let it sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.
  2. When you’re ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on top of the fermented dough and scrape it out of the bowl (the dough should be very light, fluffy, and bubbly by this time). With well floured hands, shape the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Let the dough rise for 30-60 minutes,
  3. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the Dutch oven inside the oven as it heats, and make sure it sits in the fully heated oven for at least 15 minutes before baking the bread.
  4. Once the bread has risen and the Dutch oven is fully heated, carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Lift the parchment paper (or just the ball of dough) straight into the Dutch oven and cover with the lid.
  5. Return the Dutch oven to the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the lid and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, lift the bread out by using the parchment paper, and allow it to cool before serving.

Note: if you don’t have a Dutch oven, just use a sheet pan! The bread will just be slightly less crusty (but no less delicious)

White Bean Shakshuka

Back with another Budget Bytes recipe! But truly, what’s new. This White Bean Shakshuka is amazing: smoky tomato sauce, gooey poached eggs, some beans to give some added heft, and of course salty feta cheese on top. And super easy!!

I made this last week along with some no-knead bread for dipping and it was so tasty. And made for great leftovers! A few adjustments I made: I added a diced yellow pepper that we had in the fridge as well as a yellow squash that I didn’t want to go bad. And to compensate, I added a little bit more crushed tomatoes from an open can we had, and used 6 eggs instead of 4 (so each of my 2 roommates and I got 2 servings!). But this recipe as is still knocks it out of the park.

So try out this White Bean Shakshuka for a super easy dinner! And a nice change of pace from Italian style tomato sauce 😉

White Bean Shakshuka

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tbs smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 15 oz can cannelini beans (chickpeas work well too!)
  • 4 large eggs
  • Feta cheese

Instructions

  1. Mince the garlic and finely dice the onion. Cook both in a large deep skillet with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and the smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
  3. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until it has thickened slightly. Add 1/4 tsp salt, then taste and adjust spices to your liking.
  4. Drain the white beans, add them to the skillet, then stir to combine. Allow the skillet to return to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more.
  5. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet, then place a lid on top and let them simmer for 5 minutes or until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.
  6. Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

Who is surprised, back with another Budget Bytes recipe! This one is her Unstuffed Bell Peppers. All the flavors and comfort of stuffed peppers, but made in one pot with chopped up peppers for ease of eating! No more trying to figure out how to saw through your stuffed pepper without losing any of the filling.

I doubled this recipe for my 2 roommates and I just to guarantee plenty of leftovers, but it couldn’t have been easier. Just sauté your veggies and meat, throw in your rice, and then hang out! We also decided to use red bell peppers instead of green like Beth uses because we like the flavor (although green bell peppers do tend to be cheaper) and we used ground turkey instead of beef because we LOVE ground turkey. This would also work great with ground chicken, ground sausage, or no meat at all if vegetarian is more your style! Although if going meatless, I would suggest upping the vegetables or adding something like diced potatoes to bulk it up.

So try Beth’s Unstuffed Bell Peppers for a super easy weeknight meal! With the best leftovers (perhaps even better than the first day…)

Not the prettiest picture but I swear it was SO good

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

Serves: 6

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 pound ground beef (or other meat)
  • 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1.5 cups beef (or chicken or vegetable) broth
  • 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Mince the garlic and dice the onion and bell pepper
  2. Add the olive oil and meat to a deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until it is fully browned
  3. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, minced garlic, basil, oregano, and pepper to the skillet. Continue to cook and stir until the onions are soft
  4. Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), uncooked rice, and broth. Give everything a brief stir to combine
  5. Place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come to a full boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let it continue to simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest with the lid on for another 5 minutes
  6. Once the rice has rested, remove the lid and fluff it with a fork, gently folding all the ingredients together (the vegetables may rice to the top during the cooking process)
  7. Pour the tomato sauce over the top, sprinkle with the cheese, and place the lid back on to allow the residual heat to melt the cheese
  8. Remove lid and enjoy! Season with salt if necessary

Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad

Back with another lunch prep recipe! Another one from Budget Bytes (can you tell she’s my favorite?). So Beth classifies this recipe as an “autumn” salad, but I thought it sounded delicious so I pretended it was October. And it was so good! So many different textures and flavors (which is really what makes salad worth eating).

The only true “prep” for this recipe is roasting the sweet potatoes. I actually added a can of (drained and rinsed) chickpeas as well as a diced onion to bulk it up a little (and because I had them hanging around) and the mix of the chickpeas and sweet potatoes was actually so good. Plus the spices: I very rarely use cinnamon in savory settings but I promise it makes a huge difference.

After roasting your veg, you could pre-assemble the salads in containers (with or without the dressing), but I just kept all the ingredients separate since I eat lunch at home. It was a nice little routine to build my salad every afternoon! I also decided to just dress it with balsamic vinegar and olive oil (and salt and pepper) because I didn’t feel like making Beth’s dressing, but you could totally use almost any store bought dressing. Balsamic, Italian, or Honey Mustard would all be good in my opinion.

So if you need some easy, tasty lunch prep for work or school, try this sweet potato and kale salad!

A VERY full bowl of goodness

Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Salad

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs sweet potatoes
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large onion
  • 1-2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 cups chopped kale
  • 1-2 medium/large apples (I used gala)
  • 1/4 cup pepitas
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (I left these out)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, and dice the onion.
  2. Place the sweet potato, onion, and chickpeas on a baking sheet, coat with cooking oil, and toss with spices.
  3. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and tender, stirring once halfway through.
  4. Chop the apples, and assemble your salad by splitting the kale, apples, and roasted vegetables evenly, and add about 1 tbsp each of pepitas, pecans, and cranberries (you can also store all components separately and assemble each day if you prefer!)
  5. Serve with dressing of choice

Easy White Bean Soup

Now that school is starting back up and everything is still virtual (and thus I’m still at home a lot), having easy lunches has become super important. This soup is so easy, so delicious, and makes excellent meal prep!

I found this recipe on Budget Bytes a few years ago, and it’s definitely one of my favorites. Beth starts by blending up one of the cans of beans which makes the soup thick and creamy (without any dairy!). The recipe itself is super simple, but it’s super easy to add whatever else you may have in your fridge to bulk it up. The first time I added zucchini and spinach, and this time around I just added the zucchini. You could also add other greens like kale, or other veg like broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, The possibilities are endless! If you are adding more veg, just add it to the oil with the garlic to cook down before you add the beans. If you’re adding greens, add them towards the end since they’re easier to cook down and wilt.

I loved having this on the menu for lunch last week, and it was super filling with a half a sandwich or cheese quesadilla on the side. And it couldn’t be easier! So try this White Bean soup for you lunch meal prep next week!

Easy White Bean Soup

From Budget Bytes

Serves: 4

Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 small zucchinis, chopped (or other vegetable)
  • 3 (15 oz) cans cannelini beans
  • 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper
  • black pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Pour one of the cans of cannelini beans with the liquid in a food processor (or blender) and blend until smooth. Drain the other two cans of beans.
  2. Mince the garlic and add it to a soup pot with the olive oil and zucchini. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and zucchini is beginning to soften.
  3. Add the pureed beans, the other two cans of beans, the broth, and the spices. Stir to combine.
  4. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium low, remove the lid, and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Smash the beans slightly to thicken the soup even more. Taste and add salt as needed (depends on the broth you use). Serve hot with crusty bread and shredded parm!

Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken

I love cilantro lime, so when I saw this recipe on Budget Bytes I knew I had to try it. Since I was home for Christmas, I told my mom I would handle dinner one night and ended up making this delicious chicken along with black beans, corn, and some homemade Mexican rice (which I’ll share the recipe for soon!).

The whole spread!

This chicken couldn’t be easier. Just toss it in a ziploc bag with the marinade, leave for anywhere between 30 minutes and 8 hours (I went for the latter), and then bake!

The recipe is for chicken thighs, but you could definitely use breasts, or a mix of drumsticks and wings. Cook times will vary though, so just make sure it’s totally cooked before serving. Plus, this chicken makes for great leftovers: on its own, shredded in a quesadilla, chopped up in a Chipotle style bowl. The possibilities are endless!

So try out this super easy baked chicken for a hands off weeknight meal!

I actually tripled the recipe with breasts and thighs to feed my whole fam, just adjust the amount of marinade accordingly!

Baked Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • freshly cracked pepper
  • 2 limes, divided
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 6 chicken thighs (1.5-1.75 lbs total)

Instructions

  1. Combine the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10 cranks of a pepper mill) in a small bowl
  2. Zest one of the limes and then squeeze the juice. You’ll need 2-3 tbs juice, so if needed juice half of the second lime. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to garnish the chicken once cooked. Roughly chop the cilantro.
  3. Add 1 tsp of the lime zest, 2-3 tbs of the lime juice, and half the chopped cilantro to the marinade. Stir to combine. (The remaining cilantro will be added fresh after cooking the chicken.)
  4. Place the chicken thighs in a shallow dish or a large zip top bag. Add the marinade and toss the chicken to coat. Allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours (refrigerated), turning it once or twice as it marinates.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F and transfer the chicken to a casserole dish. Pour the marinade over the top. Add a pinch more salt and pepper.
  6. Bake the chicken for 40-50 minutes, basting once or twice throughout. Cooking time may vary based on size of meat; cook to an internal temperature of 160°F.
  7. For a crispy skin, broil for a few minutes once the meat is cooked through.
  8. Garnish the chicken with fresh slices of lime and more chopped cilantro leaves.

Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

Beth from Budget Bytes shared this recipe on Instagram a few weeks ago and I immediately sent it to my roommates. We love turkey, we love meatballs, and it seemed like the perfect thing to make for our little roommates-giving before the end of the semester.

We made these meatballs on Sunday night along with mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce and it was the best evening (gravy would’ve made a great addition too). We even watched the Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special while we ate to feel extra festive 🙂

We doubled the recipe so we’d have leftovers and we have a TON, but it was still an incredibly easy dish. And honestly perfect for a smaller scale Thanksgiving this year since COVID-19 is raging. I also imagine these would freeze pretty well if you had leftovers and wanted to save them for a rainy day!

Definitely recommend making these turkey and stuffing meatballs to get in the Thanksgiving spirit without buying an entire turkey! And as always, check out Budget Bytes for all my favorite low cost, easy recipes.

Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs

Makes: about 25 meatballs

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 6 oz box of stuffing (we used cornbread and it was amazing)
  • 1 cup hot water (although if your stuffing box says to use chicken broth, use that instead)
  • 19 oz ground turkey (93% lean)
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the dry stuffing mix in a large bowl, add the hot water, and stir until no more water pools in the bottom of the bowl. Let the stuffing sit for another 5 minutes to soften (less water is added to the stuffing than the box calls for to account for the moisture from the turkey and egg).
  2. Add the ground turkey and beaten egg to the partially hydrated stuffing mix. Combine by hand until evenly mixed. Form the mixture into meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray and place the meatballs on the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half the meatballs and allow them to cook until browned on most sides (about 5 minutes). Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish and repeat with the other half of the butter/meatballs.
  5. Serve warm with your favorite Thanksgiving sides!

Sesame Chicken

A recipe that isn’t pasta? Who would’ve thought??

This is another Budget Bytes recipe that I’ve been making a TON. My roommate loves sesame chicken. A lot. So in an effort to help her eat at home more, especially when she’s craving Chinese take out, I looked up a sesame chicken recipe. I liked this one the most because it didn’t involve deep frying the chicken, so it was a little healthier. And it couldn’t be easier!

We eat this with white rice and my sautéed green beans and it’s amazing. I will be honest though, I couldn’t find sesame oil for a price that didn’t make me cringe, so I’ve just been using vegetable oil instead and upping the amount of sesame seeds. Although one of my friends just found a cheap Asian grocery store, so maybe that’ll change… regardless it still tastes great so don’t be stressed out if you can’t find sesame oil.

So another shoutout to Beth from Budget Bytes, coming in clutch with easy, delicious, and cheap recipes! Find the original recipe here

Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

Serves: 4

Cook time: 25 minutes

Chicken:

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 pinch each of salt and pepper
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (I’ve just been using vegetable oil)
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or dried, powdered ginger!)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (double if you aren’t using sesame oil)
  • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

For serving:

  • Cooked white rice

Instructions

  1. First, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together soy sauce, water, oil, sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and cornstarch. Let sit while you prepare everything else.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Trim the fat off the chicken and cut into 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture.
  3. Add the cooking oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Once the skillet is very hot, add the batter coated chicken and spread it out into a single layer.
  4. Allow the chicken to cook without touching it!! Until it’s golden brown on the bottom. Then carefully flip the pieces, breaking up the large clumps as you flip (and be careful not to knock off the coating). Continue to cook the chicken on the other side until golden brown, stirring as little as possible.
  5. Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown on all sides, add the sauce. Toss the chicken in the sauce and bring to a simmer so the sauce can begin to thicken.
  6. Serve chicken over rice!
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