Simple soy sauce chicken

July 30, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

This is a super simple recipe that I’ve used time and time again. It is great on its own, or as the base of a more complex sauce. Feel free to experiment with adding new ingredients as you become more sure of your own tastes and what flavors go well together. Ideas include: slices of lemon or orange, zest from citrus, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, fish sauce, thyme, parsley, oregano, tomato paste, pureed anchovies, olives, crushed nuts…

Chicken is also a great meat for those on a budget. Especially if you buy dark meat like drumsticks or thighs, these are often on sale for 0.99/pound or less. You can also use chicken leg quarters, which includes both drumsticks & thigh meat. My sister, who is in college now, also loves this quick, easy, always-delicious chicken. Pair with a veggie or two & a carb for a filling, frugal meal in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

2-4 pieces of chicken (thighs, drumsticks, or breasts all work)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp diced garlic (or 3-4 cloves, chopped)
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar
Sprinkle of garlic salt or S&P

Step 1: In a frying pan, lay the chicken in a single layer. If using breasts, spray the pan or spread around 1 tbsp oil first. If using drumsticks or thighs, the chicken should release some of its own fat while it cooks so it won’t stick.

Step 2: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic, and lemon juice. Mix well, and pour over the chicken.

Step 3: Bring the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes. Flip, and cook the other side for 5-7 minutes.

Step 4: Poke with a fork or cut a small slice in the thickest part. Once you’re sure there is no pink inside, your chicken is ready!

This chicken is especially good when paired with fried rice, but it works well with any grain (white/brown rice, quinoa, barley, couscous) or potato (mashed, baked, boiled). I love fresh asparagus & boil-in-bag edamame was on sale, which rounded out this meal nicely.

Administrative, Appetizers, Beverage, Comfort food, Informative, Review

Review: Three Sheets

July 28, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Tucked away on Elm Street in New Haven is a tiny unassuming “friendly neighborhood gastropub” called Three Sheets.

It has gone through many changes over the years, under different names and different locations, but today it is a cozy, welcoming dive bar with a creative atmosphere. I had happened upon it during a ‘brunch and board games’ meeting. Always a fan of good food and new friends, I welcomed the opportunity to try some local flavor.

Open Monday to Thursday, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday, 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

With typical dive-bar murkiness, this place was at once sketchy and friendly. Tattooed and pierced bartenders and servers abounded, and there were handfuls of clear regulars grouped around the bar and at tables, despite it being 1pm on a Saturday.

The menu behind the bar immediately intrigued me. With plenty of good old bar-eat standbys like burgers and wings, they also have a ton of creative and unique choices, such as “Stuffies”, fried pickles, “Koolickles”, and a Banh Mi. They also offer oodles of tasty sounding sauces and toppings for anything your heart desires, like smoked catsup, remoulade, yellow BBQ, or kimchi. Plus rotating chef’s and drinks specials.

This is my kind of place.

Their Facebook page has periodic updates about what bands are playing (always NO cover and 21+) and what the daily house specials are. They say: “the following items which are all made IN HOUSE. Smoked clams, chicken pastrami, ham, bacon and pulled pork. Our jalapeno poppers are slow roasted and hand stuffed. We pickle our own vegetables and eggs. Our beef, breads, and clams are locally sourced… Oh, did I mention hand rolled sushi?”

Yes please.

I had to start the night (afternoon?) with a local craft beer. The bartender suggested Two Roads Hefeweizen, made right here in Stratford CT.

The No Limits Hefeweizen was a nice, fruity wheat beer, perfectly refreshing for a hot summer day. I enjoyed the can, and the fact that they gave me a chilled glass to go along with it. I had tasted the Two Roads “Road Jam” previously as well, and it is even more powerfully berry flavored.

However, the “Lil Heaven IPA” is the opposite of my taste preferences, and I ended up tossing out half a six-pack because I just couldn’t drink it. Those who like extremely bitter beers would totally love this type. All the same, this brand is a great New England brewery, and I will keep trying their beers as long as I’m here.

The front area is the bar, right next to a cozy room containing several tables & chairs, and a tiny elevated stage area. I have not attended any free concerts here yet, but it is now on my New Haven to-do list. We played several games with a group of about 20, with multiple games on-going simultaneously.

Through the hallway, you are led to a back room with more seating, a food-order area leading to the kitchen, pool tables, and a large chalkboard wall. There is plenty of chalk provided to indulge your creative side. I believe there is a back door, but we did not investigate if there was a porch area or not.

It has that ‘dirty’ in a ‘gritty dive-bar’ way, but was well-kept. From what I could see through the kitchen window, everything was in fact being freshly prepared in house. Speaking of food…

While there were many tempting items on the menu, the Beet Reuben in particular called to me. Roasted beet slices on whole grain rye bread (which I believe is from another CT local, the tasty bread experts WholeG Bakery), with kimchi, thousand island dressing & Swiss cheese. I’m not a huge fan of swiss or 1000 island, but they are requisite for a proper reuben. And I adore kimchi.

BEET REUBEN $10

roasted beets sliced and served on whole g rye bread with kimchi, thousand island, and swiss.

The bartender took my order and told me ‘ok it will be out in a few minutes’. I don’t know if they are all just that good, or I got lucky & it was a slow day. But I sat down, played some games, and as I was halfway through enjoying my hefeweizen another waitress magically appeared and handed me a steaming plate.

The bread was perfectly crispy, everything was exactly the right temperature. The spicy kimchi mixed with the creamy tang of the thousand island, the sliced beets were soft and sweet like candy, and the whole thing made me look at Ruebens in a whole new light. I don’t think the usual roast beef & coleslaw combo will have quite the same magic anymore.

The fries were also the right amount of salty, and were so good that even though my fiance hadn’t wanted to order any food, after he tried one, he ended up eating almost the whole order! If I’d been more hungry, or not completely enthralled with my sandwich, I would have gotten a second order. As it was, this sandwich was more than enough to satisfy, and I had to stuff down the last bite. It was totally worth it.

All in all, this is a cute little gem that during the day is tame enough to bring the kids, but has it’s rough side too. The food prices vary in affordability, but are reasonable given the taste standard and the portion sizes. With entertainment, public events all the time, great drink specials and killer food, this is a gastropub I’d be happy to re-visit again and again.

Taste: 8.5
Atmosphere: 7
Value: 7

Resources & Further Reading:

New Haven Register Review
Three Sheets Website
Their Facebook Page

Address: 372 Elm St, New Haven, CT 06511

Phone:(475) 202-6909

Comfort food, Healthy, Main Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Roasted Veggie Pizza with White Bean Sauce

July 26, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Pizza is always delicious, and this is a healthier, fresh take on making your own. If you use pre-made dough it is a super cinch, but you could also go all-in and make homemade pizza dough too.

The sauce gets a new makeover by using white bean puree & ranch dressing to make a creamy white sauce that’s packed with vitamins and fiber. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have laying around. I love using oven-roasted veggies for their caramely flavor.

You can of course add meats as well. This sauce goes great with just about anything. To keep it hard-core vegan, make sure your Ranch dressing doesn’t have anchovies in it.

Ingredients:

1 roll pizza dough
1 can white beans or 1 cup cooked beans
4-6 tbsp Ranch dressing
1 cup roasted veggies
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

Step 1: Spray a cookie sheet or pizza tin and roll out your dough. Place on the pan and preheat the oven to 400 F.

Step 2: Blend the beans in a blender or food processor, adding a bit of olive oil or warm water if needed to make a sauce. Mix in the Ranch dressing and spread over the pizza.

Step 3: Sprinkle the veggies around the pizza, then toss on the spinach and the tomatoes. Season as desired.

Step 4: Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, until crust is browned and cooked through in the center.

Pretty much all vegetables work here: broccoli, cauliflower, onions, peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, greens, and more. Get crazy! I just sprinkled on some garlic salt & black pepper, and it was absolutely perfect.

Finances, Informative

Peppermint Almond Body Scrub

July 23, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Do you feel the need for a nice spa treatment? Have you been feeling the summer heat? Dry, itchy skin? Do you not want to spend tons of money that would be better spent on beachware, a weekend getaway, or a few more mojitos before August? Me too!

The beauty is, you can easily make your own spa-worthy scrub at home, and have a spa day for pennies. You probably already have sugar in the cupboard, all you have to do is get some yummy smelling oils. There are many at-home spa treatments you can do on your own to save big time. Make it a girls night and invite friends over to do each other’s hair & makeup, mani/pedis, or just soak it in and enjoy a me-time evening.

This was made as a gift at Christmas, but peppermint is a refreshing smell and feel that would be great anytime. You can also use any oil you like here, such as lemon, lavender, or citrus. I’ve even made coffee body scrub! Smells fabulous, and perks you right up.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup coconut oil
2-4 drops oils (I used peppermint in the pink & almond in the white layers)
Food coloring, if desired
Glass jar, if it is a gift
I added a crushed peppermint stick layer, for decoration but it also smells nice & when crushed is also exfoliating

Step 1: Separate your sugar into two bowls if you are layering colors. You can also just make it white with no coloring too.

Step 2: Mix a few drops of food coloring into the sugar, until it reaches your desired intensity.

Step 3: Mix in 2 drops of essential oils. Add a drop at a time until it is as strong as you want it to be.

Step 4: If layering, add a thin layer of one color. Tamp down, then add another layer of the other color. Continue layering until you used up all your sugar.

Appetizers, Healthy, Main Dishes, Salads, Vegetarian

Chia, Quinoa & Greens Salad

July 21, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

For an awesome, easy lunch/side dish/snack that you can take on the go or whip up without heating the kitchen on a smoldering summer day, try this salad packed with power players. This would easily be layer-able in a mason jar, to take to work or school or anywhere on the go, or throw together right out of the fridge. It also tastes good made in advance if you use hardy greens that are amenable to some marinating.

The base of any good green salad is of course the greens. Leafy greens are the super-veggies of the plant kingdom, and it is REALLY tough to have too much. There are plenty of species whose only food is leafy greens. We should try to emulate that as much as possible.

According to author, dietitian, and nutritional educator Jill Nussinow MS, RD, “Greens are the number 1 food you can eat regularly to help increase your health” (WebMD). Leafy greens are packed with vitamins & minerals, as well as heart- and gut-healthy fiber and plant-based chemicals, many of which we haven’t even discovered yet.

Leafy greens include kale, collards, mustard greens, beet greens, romaine, spinach, arugula or rocket, swiss chard, broccoli, cabbage, and even iceberg. Start with a big heaping handful, at least 1-2 cups.

Next up is the buzz-worthy quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). Quinoa was domesticated 3,000-4,000 years ago in South America. It is a psuedocereal with edible seeds, closely related to amaranth and buckwheat. Quinoa contains essential amino acids (which our body cannot make on its own) like lysine, as well as an exceptionally high protein content, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It is also gluten-free, making it a great “grain-like” choice for those with Celiac’s disease or a gluten intolerance.

The raw seeds have a soapy coating (called saponins) that make them unpalatable to birds. This is handy because the crops need less protection. However, that means most quinoa crops must be processed before sale for humans, so that we are able to eat it without feeling like we just licked a Dawn dish soap dispenser.

And our final power player here is the chia seeds. Chia seeds are a massive nutrition powerhouse, with just one ounce (2 tablespoons) containing 11 g of fiber, 4 g of protein, and about 100 calories while also providing about 1/3 your recommended manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. There are claims that some ancient cultures would survive solely on chia seeds in times of duress.

Chia is easy to incorporate into baking, simply sprinkle a tbsp or two into any batter, from pancakes to muffins to oatmeal. You could also try a refreshing Chia Fresca as a beverage to get some chia in your life. While a little weird at first, it is a great habit to start to get enough water every day.

And finally, we top it off with whatever fresh veggies you are partial to. Just make sure to incorporate a variety, and at least 1/2-1 cup total. A tbsp of other nuts or seeds is also a great addition. Steer clear of too-high-fat toppings like cheese, meats, or even eggs. Add spices to taste.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups mixed greens
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup julienned carrot & cucumber
1 stalk celery, diced
Handful grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp vinaigrette

Step 1: Lay down your greens. Mix in your quinoa. (To cook: mix 1 cup with 2 cups water, bring to a boil. Cover, turn off heat. Let stand 10 minutes, fluff with a fork.)

Step 2: Add in your vegetables, sprinkle chia on top.

Step 3: Whip up a fresh, super-simple vinaigrette by mixing 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp vinegar in a bottle, then shaking. Or drizzle on 1-2 tbsp of bottled dressing.

If you want to make a portable layered salad, add ingredients in the exact opposite order: dressing on the bottom, then hard veggies, soft veggies, quinoa & greens.

Comfort food, Informative, Less than 5, Main Dishes

Country Style BBQ Ribs

July 19, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

What meat-eater doesn’t love ribs? I mean really, isn’t it just so satisfying to take a hunk of meat and bone and gnaw on it? Dripping BBQ sauce all over your hands and face and maybe other table mates, it is such a throwback to our caveman roots.

Summertime and grilling ribs go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, ribs and my bank account staying full are not quite as cozy. A full rack of baby backs can run over $30, even at the grocery store. And if you order it already cooked in a restaurant with two people, the meal total can creep up towards triple digits.

While in the meat section of the grocery store, I came across a marked-down package marked “country style ribs”. Remembering these beauties from childhood, I decided to cook these up the way I remember them. My mom always cooked them this way, and they are fall-off-the-bone amazing. This lead me to question why there is such a disconnect between the different rib types.

Thanks to AmazingRibs.com, I know more about pigs than I ever wanted to, and I even wrote an article about the different cuts of a pig before. The text following is from their website:

“Pigs have 14 rib bones. They are attached to the spine and are usually divided into four popular cuts: Baby back ribs, spareribs, St. Louis cut ribs, and rib tips. Starting at the top are the baby backs, closest to the backbone, nestled beneath the loin muscle. They are curved, round bones, close together, and most of the meat is on top of the bones, cut from the underside of loin muscle.

As you move further from the spine, the bones get larger, flatter, straighter, and wider apart with more meat between them. There is more fat marbling in the meat as you go further from the spine and closer to the belly. The front ribs are connected to the breast bone with a number of small bones and cartilage known as the rib tips. There are a number of other cuts, and they are all described below.”

As it turns out, Country-style ribs are not really ribs at all! They are actually pork chops, more meaty and less fatty than real ribs. They are cut from the front end of the baby backs near the shoulder. They respond well to brining before low and slow cooking. This is good news, because that is similar to how I cooked them.

Now, if you are thinking to yourself, “but I want ribs tonight, like now, I don’t want to have to wait to brine them!”

Have no fear! We skip the long 24-hour-brine and instead boil them in water with some vinegar added. This imitates the long brine in a much shorter time window. Finishing on the grill gives them the nice crispy outside char, and waiting to add sauce until the last minute ensures that the sauce is caramelized but not burnt.

Best of all, this is only 3 ingredients! (If you use store-bought sauce. I still think making your own is better, but that requires another 9-10 ingredients (which you probably have already)).

Ingredients:

5-7 pounds country style ribs
1-2 cups BBQ sauce (I recommend sweet & tangy homemade)
1 gallon water
1/2 cup white vinegar

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the vinegar. Throw in the ribs, and boil about 15 minutes.

Step 2: Drain the ribs, and fire up the grill. Once it’s nice and hot, line with aluminum foil (to prevent sticking, you can also spray the grill with oil before lighting and go right on the grate) and place the ribs on top. Close and cook 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes.

Step 3: Once nicely browned, coat thoroughly in sauce. Cover & cook again for just a few more minutes to caramelize the sugars.

Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Then try to hold yourself back from eating a dozen at a time! Goes great with BBQ Bacon Baked Beans, mashed cauliflower potatoes, and Italian cucumber & tomato salad.

Next time you have a picnic, party, or craving for something finger-lickin good, make up a few dozen of these and everyone is sure to be pleased.

Healthy, Main Dishes, Pasta, Sneaky Healthy

Chicken Piccata with Zoodles

July 16, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Ask any gardener, and they will tell you that by mid-to-late summer zucchini plants are going bananas, and you can’t give the stuff away fast enough! This is an awesome time of year, when zucchini can be had cheaply at the super markets and farmers markets (or maybe your neighbor, just ask nicely).

Be prepared, there may be lots of zucchini recipes in the near future, especially since I planted 8 plants this year! Here’s an article with a dozen recipe ideas, I’m sure at least a few will find their way to my test kitchen in the upcoming months.

This recipe was my first experience with the new food craze of “zoodles”, the cute name for noodles made from zucchini. You can try to hand-julienne them, but a mandoline slicer makes the job far easier. Bascially, the whole zucchini gets shredded into thin noodle-like strands and cooked, then treated like pasta. But way healthier! You’ll get loads of vitamins, plus fiber.

This chicken piccata recipe makes enough for 4. You could easily cut this in half, or double it and freeze some, depending on your mood. I mixed half regular pasta and half zoodles for my first taste, but you can feel free to go all-in, or even use spaghetti squash pasta instead.

Ingredients:

4 half chicken breasts
1 pound pasta
1 huge ripe zucchini
3-4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 tbsp capers
Sea salt to taste

Step 1: In a frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp oil. Dice the garlic into tiny pieces, and cut the ends off the zucchini. Add the garlic and chicken to the oil, and cover the pan. Cook on medium heat for 7-10 minutes, then flip and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink at all.

Step 2: Boil your pasta noodles 8-10 minutes. While pasta is boiling, take out the mandoline and slice the zucchini into thin strands*. Add the zoodles in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking with the pasta.

*See bottom of post for full instructions

Step 3: Drain the pasta and zoodles. Add to the pan with the chicken, and pour in the oil, lemon juice, and capers. Cover, and steam cook 5-7 minutes.

Once everything is heated through, place on plate, season to your liking, and serve! This is a double-portion, because my fiancee eats like a racehorse who just finished the Triple Crown.

The capers and lemon juice give this dish a nice tangy flavor, while the zoodles add a mellow vegetal taste. You could also use shrimp here, or broil or boil the chicken instead of pan-frying. Go forth and get your servings of sneaky veggies!

To make zoodles:

1. Set your mandoline to the thinnest setting. This will make long thin sheets. Add the comb to slice into noodles.

2. Place the zucchini flat on the mandoline top-to-bottom (lengthwise) and push down the mandoline face. This will cut the first layer. Move the zoodles from underneath the mandoline to a plate.

3. Put the zucchini back to the top of the mandoline, now flat side down, and push down again. Continue until you have a very thin layer left. Hand-slice this layer, or be very very careful to not slice off your thumb!

Appetizers, Dips and Sauces, Healthy, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Homemade hummus & Flatbread

July 14, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

If you haven’t jumped on the hummus bandwagon yet, you should definitely consider it! Hummus is super heart-healthy, especially when made at home. And it is so very easy! Just put all the ingredients into a blender and whir for a minute or two, and presto! A tasty, healthy, fiber-full dip or snack.

This recipe is a basic recipe, great for pre-dinner appetizers, a party snack, or really anytime. You can get creative with roasted peppers, beets, green veggies, or really anything you set your mind to. Feel free to experiment with different nut butters if you don’t want to buy tahini. I’ve also made black bean hummus before, so you don’t even have to use chickpeas.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
4-6 tbsp lemon juice
Optional: Dash of paprika

Step 1: Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until well mixed. Taste, and add more of this or that until it’s perfect.

It’s best to serve with fresh cut veggies, or toast your own pita chips. To make pita chips, spray a cookie sheet with oil, and place 2-4 tortillas on it. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until crispy but not burnt. Cut into wedges. Enjoy!

Administrative, Informative, Main Dishes, Review

Review: Sushi Palace

July 9, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Seeing as this blog is the “Budget Epicurean” and part of that name entails being curious about new foods, I felt that it was time for a new food place review. If you will recall from my Austin, Texas review series, I rate places based on taste, atmosphere, and overall value. All honest opinions are those of the Budget Epicurean, and no goods, services, or payments were offered for this review.

Taste: 1 (wet toast) – 10 (your taste buds have died and gone to heaven)
Atmosphere: 1 (gas station bathroom) – 10 (best you’ve ever experienced)
Value: 1 (not worth it) – 10 (super duper deal)

There are several places I’ve been in the past few months and simply haven’t written up yet. This one is a definite stand-out, and somewhere I hope to go again soon. Perhaps this article will get me convinced to make reservations! And maybe I’ll see you there.

It’s no secret that I love me some good sushi. All-you-can-eat sushi buffets are one of my favorite places in the world. Sushi snobs may turn up their noses, doubters may worry about the fishy smell or taste, and environmentalists may debate the Earth-friendliness of over-fishing. But there is nothing better than stuffing yourself to discomfort with tray upon tray of rolls and nigiri.

Upon moving away from Denver CO and my precious Sushi Katsu, at which I’ve probably spent several hundreds of dollars over four years (best damn all you can eat deal in the area, fo sho), I needed to find a similar addiction in my newly adopted New England. It is not uncommon for my fiance and I to begin with at minimum 50 individual pieces. This is a tough order, as it also needs to be both delicious, and affordable.

Asking around yielded a place with locations in both North Haven & Hamden called Sushi Palace.

Luckily for me, a friend was visiting from out of town who has a similar addiction to salty fish and rice, so we set off on our eat-till-it-hurts adventure.

We “began” our meal with three people, thus about 60 pieces between us. Several sashimi were ordered, along with a few rolls, the Rainbow roll, Dragon roll, Philadelphia roll & California roll among them.

The individual sashimi slices were uniformly perfectly thick and even, with each fish’ unique flavor and texture shining through. My favorites in order: salmon, tuna, white tuna, yellowtail, red snapper. I’m normally not a huge fan of raw fish alone, I prefer some rice along with it, but this was all in all a great experience.

The only exceptions would be the egg custard (tamago) and red clam (hokkigai). The egg custard was sort of tofu-textured with a hint of eggy and sweet, and the clam was a tough chewy texture, neither of which I totally enjoyed. However, you may have different taste and texture preferences, and find cold shoe leather enjoyable.

Their menu is quite exhaustive, and the prices are reasonable. I wish to goodness I worked closer to either location, so I could waste one day a week’s pay on buying sushi for lunch daily.

This is the dinner rush on a typical Thursday. Luckily we got to the place just around 5:30 and snagged one of 5-6 empty tables. Approximately 6pm, cue huge crowd and an out-the-door line. You have been warned.

Round two of our main course consisted of “sushi”, of which the majority was salmon because that was our unanimous favorite. First big difference I noticed between Colorado and Connecticut: “sushi” in CO meant a roll, here it means “piece of raw fish with room temperature rice”. The CT definition of “sushi” is “nigiri” where I am used to.

No matter, we were ready to mow down a few more rolls and pieces. Of the three of us, we each had about enough room for about 10 more pieces. I can’t recall the name of one of the tempura-fried warm roll, but the hot mayo on top is super delicious! Several of their rolls have this as an option. If you are unsure, you could ask to taste it before ordering a roll drenched in the stuff.

We also got just a taste of the eel, or unagi. Eel is a delicious, flaky fish with a meaty, salty flavor, and is served with this amazing eel sauce that is slightly sweet and warm. This stuff is the bomb dot com yo! Give it a try, you might like it.

And finally to round out the meal, we each finished off with a small bowl of ice cream. The flavors? Green tea and red bean. Oh yes. Too weird to not try. And it turned out that the bean ice cream has actual chunks of red beans in it, and the green tea is sweeter than I imagined it would be. I did not hate either taste experience, and might actually order a pint of the green tea on purpose.

In summary, an experience and spread well worth $30 for dinner. They have a huge regular menu, and a completely separate menu for the all you can eat option which is equally expansive. With options such as udon noodles, fried rice, beef teriyaki, and edamame, everyone is sure to find something they like. Overall rating:

Taste: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Value: 7.5

http://www.sushipalace.us/menu/menu.htm

Appetizers, Healthy, Less than 5, Salads, Side dishes

Italian Cucumbers & Tomatoes

July 7, 2015 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

In the summer heat, with the garden beginning to produce bumper crops, there is nothing better than a refreshing side dish you can pick from your own yard (or farmers market or grocery store) and have ready in under ten minutes. This can be served room temperature or refrigerated, and is easy to make ahead for a party later or the next day, but fast enough to be ready like, now.

Cucumber has cooling properties, and tomatoes have tons of trace minerals and compounds. Put the two together, and you’ll always get something delicious with a side of healthy. Feel free to mix it up with whatever herbs you have handy. I had chives, but dill, parsley, mint, or basil would also go nicely here. You could also add in feta or goat cheese if the spirit moved you.

Oh, and if you don’t have or don’t like bottled Italian dressing, feel free to quickly whip up your own vinaigrette. Combine one from each of the following: 1/4 cup (white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice) + 2-3 tbsp (olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, palm oil). Optional additions: mashed or diced garlic cloves, fresh/dried herbs, salt and/or pepper, and infused oils or vinegars.

Ingredients:

1 cup cherry tomatoes (or 2 large, diced)
1/2 large cucumber, diced
2-3 tbsp chopped herbs
1/2 cup Italian dressing (affiliate link)

Step 1: If using cherry tomatoes, cut in half. If using large round tomatoes, dice into quarters or eighths. Rinse the cucumber well, and cut half into small cubes.

Step 2: Dice your herbs, feel free to combine more than one kind too. Mix it all together in a bowl and drizzle on the dressing. Toss to coat.

This awesome side dish has graced many a backyard barbecue over the years, and will continue to do so for a very long time. It can be left in the refrigerator overnight, and up to 3 days. The longer you leave it, the more water will come out of the veggies though, so by the third day it gets a little soggy. I bet you’ll finish it all in one sitting anyhow. 😉

Below is the total nutrition information for this dish. It makes about 4 servings at 1/2 cup each.

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
1 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories		281.4

Total Fat		18.2 g

	Saturated Fat	1.6 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.1 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g

Cholesterol		0.0 mg

Sodium		903.2 mg

Potassium		261.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate		25.4 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.4 g

	Sugars	12.1 g

Protein		1.2 g


Vitamin A	27.7 %

Vitamin B-12	0.0 %

Vitamin B-6	3.6 %

Vitamin C	99.1 %

Vitamin D	0.0 %

Vitamin E	0.7 %

Calcium	2.7 %

Copper	3.0 %

Folate	6.5 %

Iron	6.7 %

Magnesium	4.8 %

Manganese	6.8 %

Niacin	1.9 %

Pantothenic Acid	2.9 %

Phosphorus	4.6 %

Riboflavin	2.4 %

Selenium	0.1 %

Thiamin	2.7 %

Zinc	2.2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Budget Epicurean

Monthly Archives: July 2015

Simple soy sauce chicken

Review: Three Sheets

Roasted Veggie Pizza with White Bean Sauce

Peppermint Almond Body Scrub

Chia, Quinoa & Greens Salad

Country Style BBQ Ribs

Chicken Piccata with Zoodles

Homemade hummus & Flatbread

Review: Sushi Palace

Italian Cucumbers & Tomatoes

The fusion of food, fun, frugality, and curiosity.