Category Archives: Comfort food

Casseroles, Comfort food, Healthy, Main Dishes

Venison pot pie

June 4, 2017 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

You guys want to know a little secret about the Budget Epicurean?

I can’t believe I lived over 2 decades in Ohio, and never tried venison. It’s true.

I’ve had elk, and bison, and goat, and pheasant, and a whole bunch of other more exotic meats. But still no venison.

Until now.

I’m lucky enough to have a friend who knows a guy who hunts regularly. Turns out, excess deer population is a problem shared in North Carolina too. This seems to be a problem just about everywhere, as they now have almost no native predators to worry about. Their only concern is a too-fast passing car.

Deer will eat just about anything when they are hungry, and a rough winter or over-population means more infiltration into neighborhoods. We live between two big patches of forest, and they are well known to stroll through around dusk. They have decimated my pansies more than once, and I’ve already seen evidence of browsing on my brand new ivy and hostas as well.

So really, I’m doing us all, and myself a favor by eating deer meat!

Do us all a favor too, and make this recipe soon. If you or someone in the household doesn’t think they’ll like deer because it is “gamey”, you need to find a new supplier. Deer, when ground and spiced right, is totally delicious and almost indistinguishable from ground beef. If your store doesn’t carry venison, try a specialty meat market, or ask around. You never know who you know that might know a guy…

Ingredients:

1 pound venison (you could use any ground meat though)
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
1/2 cup milk
2-3 tbsp flour
1 container biscuits (you could use mashed potatoes instead)
Garlic salt to taste

Step 1: Microwave the milk for 1 minute, whisk in the flour and let sit. Meanwhile brown the venison in a skillet. Add the frozen vegetables and let cook until just thawed.

Step 2: Spray the bottom of a round pie plate or 8×8 casserole dish. Pour in the meat mixture, and cover with the milk and flour mixture. Pop open the biscuits, and line the top with the dough.

Step 3: Bake at 350 on the bottom rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes, until the biscuits are nice and browned on top. Let cool for a minute, and enjoy.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:71]

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Breakfast, Casseroles, Comfort food, Main Dishes, Vegetarian

Pan fried chillaquiles

May 21, 2017 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

You know how sometimes (always) you have a party, and at the end of the night, there’s like, 10 chips left in the bag? Or you clean out the pantry and realize there’s a who-knows-how-old quarter bag of tostitos still sitting on the top shelf, using up your favorite chip-clip?

Turns out, there’s a way to use up leftover or old tortilla chips to make them into something new and delicious!

Chillaquiles (chee-la-kee-lays) is a home-style Mexican recipe, with tons of flavor and stick to your ribs goodness. It is in no way a healthy recipe, which is a slight deviation from my normal attempts to healthify everything. But we all need a little indulgent comfort food now and then, and I’m always a big fan of not wasting food. Even the 8 chips left in the bottom of the bag.

Makes one enormous pan full! Serves about 8.

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 cup salsa
1 large can tomato sauce
5-6 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Step 1: In a large frying pan, pour the chips, salsa, and tomato sauce. Cook over medium low heat, until the chips have begun to soften.

Step 2: Scramble the eggs in a bowl. If you want extra fluffiness, add a splash of milk. Pour into the frying pan, add the cheddar, and mix well.

Step 3: Cook over medium-high heat, mixing occasionally, until the egg is cooked through. If you like, sprinkle with a little extra cheddar.

Optional add-ins include: diced peppers and onions, sour cream, black or pinto beans, chorizo, sausage, other types of cheese like pepper jack, jalapenos…

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Appetizers, Casseroles, Comfort food, Dips and Sauces, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Side dishes, Slow cooker, Snacks, Vegetarian

Last Minute Apps & Snacks

February 5, 2017 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

So, rumor has it tonight is some big sportsball thing…

Just kidding, of course as an American I’m aware of what is basically a national holiday, the Super Bowl! This year we even get back Roman Numerals (remember those things from history class? dare you to remember what more than 3 letters stand for…)

This is a little ironic for me this year, as I just moved from CT (New England) to NC (the South, like Atlanta). While I could root for either, I think I like the Falcons’ colors better TBH.

Whether you’re hosting or attending a party, you may not have had time to fully prepare, or you may have realized you have way more guests than you have chicken wings. In that case, you could panic and spend this week’s paycheck at the deli or getting a pizza…

OR you could try any of these super-simple app and snack ideas, each guaranteed to cost <$10 and take minutes to put together! I know which one I’d go with.

*Twice baked potato skins: Rinse and poke holes in a dozen medium potatoes. Bake at 350 for 45 min – 1 hour, until soft. Cut in half, scoop out the insides into a bowl and mash with some cheese or milk. Load back into skins, top however you want, and bake open-faced for another 15- 20 minutes. You could even build a “pick-your-own-toppings” bar, or let them keep warm in the oven until needed.

*White bean dip: Open a can of white beans, drain. Puree in a blender, and add garlic salt and lemon juice to taste, slowly pour in olive oil until you get your desired consistency. Serve with pita chips and fresh veggies.

*Bruschetta: Slice Italian bread thinly, top with diced tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes, sprinkle with basil, parsley, and/or garlic salt.

*Mac-n-cheese bites: Make a box of mac n cheese, then scoop into a greased muffin tin. Sprinkle with bread crumbs or crushed crackers, bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Portion control!

*Bacon-wrapped asparagus: Take slices of bacon and wrap around 2-3 bunched asparagus spears. Lay on a pan and bake in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until bacon is crispy but asparagus is soft.

*Football deviled eggs: Make deviled eggs as normal (hard-boil a dozen, cut in half, take out the yellows. Mash with some mayo and mustard, fill back into the white halves) but then make them cute with football “laces” made from chives, black olives, etc.

*Caprese salad: Super simple, just layer sliced fresh mozzarella and tomato with some basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil. Bonus points if you get baby mozarella and grape tomatoes and put them on a skewer!

*Quesadillas! Who doesn’t love quesadillas, they are a perfect hand-held food. Just take 2 tortillas, fill as you like with beans, avocado, guac, hummus, any kind of cheese, and fry on both sides until golden. Slice into quarters and serve with dips and toppers.

*Crock Pot Meatballs! There are so many options, but the best ones are just toss-it-in-and-wait. Swedish Meatballs are a classic, of course you could do regular tomato sauce and serve with thick hoagie buns, or try sweet and sour for an Asian twist.

*Loaded nacho bar: Open a bag of chips and dump into a big bowl. Line a table with smaller bowls of beans, salsa, guac, sour cream, sliced olives, shredded lettuce, cheese, etc and let your guests customize to their heart’s content.

*Black bean hummus: open and drain a can of black beans. In a blender, combine with a clove or 2 of garlic, 2 tbsp peanut butter (yup you read that right), and olive oil. Whir until smooth!

*Spinach Artichoke Dip: there are so many variations, but I’d go for any crock pot version. This way you can toss all the ingredients in, turn it on high when you arrive, then by halftime that dip is ready to keep the party rockin when all the wings are gone

*Football pepperoni roll pinwheels: roll out a tortilla, cover with a thin layer of pizza sauce, mini pepperoni, and cheese. Roll tightly, press down to make an oval shape. Cut into slices, lay on the side, and draw football laces with mustard, sour cream or sliced pepperoni

*Football shaped fritter: these are the cutest darn things, and actually quite healthy! Don’t let the beer-chugging manic shushing everyone know there’s a serving of veggies in there

*Classic cheese or veggie tray: if you have some carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, or radishes, just serve with some ranch dressing or any dip. And if you’ve a brick or chunks of random cheeses, now is a perfect excuse to lay them all out artfully and clean your fridge at the same time

Whatever you make or eat, make sure you enjoy the company. That’s what any party is really all about!

Casseroles, Comfort food, Crock pot, Healthy, Main Dishes, Slow cooker

Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole

January 15, 2017 BudgetEpicurean 1 Comment

Slow cookers are such a blessing to a busy cook! Whether you don’t like cooking, don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, are feeding just one or an army, slow cookers can make healthy, quick meals a snap. With a small amount of planning, you can have dinner ready and cooking in 10 minutes or less before you run out the door, and come home to a hot, home-cooked meal at the end of the day.

Enchiladas are a favorite in my house, because they are customizable, economical, and delicious! Tortillas are cheap, and can even be made at home, corn or flour, for pennies. You can use chicken, beef, or keep it vegetarian with tofu or beans. And beans are great money savers! Especially if you buy dried, and cook them at home (another thing slow cookers are great at!).

In this recipe, I used burrito-sized flour tortillas, because they happen to be the exact size of my slow cooker. You can use smaller corn tortillas and layer them, or even roll individual enchiladas and pile them up in the sauce. Whatever makes you happy!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes (or diced whole tomatoes)
1 cup frozen corn (or canned)
1 can black and/or pinto beans, drained
3-4 tortillas
1 jar enchilada sauce
Shredded cheese to taste

Step 1: Brown your ground meat in a frying pan, and drain. Add the pepper and onion, saute until softened. You can add any spices you like here, such as cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder…

Step 2: Spray the crock pot with cooking spray, if you like. Line the bottom with a tortilla. Layer on the meat, tomatoes, corn, and beans. Top with sauce, cheese, and another tortilla.

Step 3: Continue layering 2-3 times, until the crock is full. Top with some more cheese, and the enchilada sauce.

Step 4: Set to low for 4-6 hours, or high for 1-2 hours. A programmable crock pot is best to ensure you don’t burn it. Cut yourself a nice slice, and enjoy!

Sidenote: If you don’t have a slow cooker, or just want to try something different, do the same thing but in a pie pan or 8×8 pan. Layer all the ingredients, cover with foil, and then bake at 350 for 1 – 1.5 hours. Still an enchilada casserole! You can also then freeze this for re-heating easily later.

Comfort food, Informative, Review

Restaurant Review: The Saucy Crab

December 4, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

The Budget Epicurean has a new home base, y’all! We have up and moved across the country from the lovely shores of New Haven Connecticut, to the woodsy Research Triangle mecca of middle North Carolina.

Why would you do this crazy, exhausting thing you ask?

Oh so many reasons… cost of living is way lower, taxes are incredibly cheaper, the people are super nice, the traffic is less terrible, the weather is a vast improvement, the Research Triangle is nearby with oodles of tech and scientific career opportunities… need I go on?

So yeah, we did this crazy, expensive, exhausting thing and drove 12 hours the weekend before Thanksgiving to a new house with no furniture, heat, or hot water, and promptly hosted 9 people for the holiday. Because we are crazy people and have a reputation to protect as such!

While North Carolina does have a long stretch of seafront property, one does not normally think of the interior of the state as having good seafood. At least, when I think delicious seafood, I don’t think of Duke University… So when we were out and about exploring our new home, and saw a place called “The Saucy Crab” we just had to stop in and check it out.

Nestled just off of 501 next to the Rooms to Go and across from the South Square shopping center, it sits on a hill looking over the highway almost exactly halfway between Durham and Chapel Hill. Google Maps refers to it as a “quirky hangout with shellfish & beer” and that is indeed what we found.

With a tan stone exterior and a dimly lit, beach themed interior, it seems to have the quirky hangout part nailed. Since we just came from the New England area of the East Coast, it was fun to see their beach theme, complete with upside down beer buckets as lamps over the beachy picnic tables.

There was a large canoe hanging from the ceiling, beer bottle lanterns and chandeliers, and more beach decor scattered throughout. There were oars, and life preservers, and wooden crabs all over the place. The crab is obviously their chosen mascot, and they have repeated the motif throughout.

The tables are covered with butcher paper, and there are buckets of crayons on each table to encourage creativity. We of course took advantage of these as we waited. And if your drawing is good enough or the wait staff takes a liking to it, you might end up on the wall! There are tacked up pictures all over, mostly of various renditions of the crab but also many other talented drawings.

I wonder if mine was good enough to make it on the wall? Guess we will have to go back and find out!

We got lucky, and early on a Saturday we had the place to ourselves. The waiter promptly took us over to a booth towards the back, and we knew what we wanted pretty quickly.

I ordered the sturgeon basket lunch special, and my hubby got the “surf and turf” as he put it; a burger with shrimp on top, also known as the “Saucy Burger”. Their lunch specials a great, under $10 for your fried main dish of choice and it comes with slaw, hush puppies, and potato wedges (which is really what their “fries” are, just FYI.)

And guys… they bring you spicy popcorn while you wait! Instead of chips and salsa or bread sticks, this place brings you a lovely bamboo bowl of endless spicy popcorn! Beware, it does have a bit of a kick. But it is addictive for sure, and healthier than most other pre-dinner snacky options. Plus it gives your hands something to do if you aren’t feeling your creative side and don’t want to color. 🙂

The food came out hot and fresh in about ten minutes, super fast. Of course, like I said we were literally the only people in the place. But it was clear that it had all just been cooked to order, not pulled out of a freezer and flash fried again. The slaw was slightly sweet and just the right amount of crunch, though the cup was super itty bitty. I would have like more of it, it was so good.

The hush puppies don’t look like much, but they were delicious! The corn bread was also a little sweet, and fried perfectly. The honey butter was amazing with them too. And the breading on the sturgeon and potatoes was light and crispy, fried just right. Of course, this is not the place to go if you’re trying to eat light and healthy! But once in a while, boy what a treat! And that sweet tea, mmmmm mmmm God Bless the South!

Hubby’s burger was slightly too cooked for my liking, but he said it was awesome. The burger meat plus big juicy shrimp was a strange combination for my brain to handle, but it was tasty. He even left the lettuce on, bless his heart! And the shrimp were cooked to perfection. A big melty slice of cheddar on top brought it all together.

Their special sauce was super tasty too, it was like a thousand island dressing, but with tartar sauce added; thick and creamy and tangy. It was great for dipping the fries in honestly! He didn’t use the mustard at all, though I have a suspicion it was just knockoff regular jarred mustard so I don’t mind.

More shots of the interior decorations, and below is a larger room in the back which seems like it can be rented out for bigger parties. They also had a stage area set up with huge speakers, so it seems like maybe they do live music sometimes? While we were there a mix of country songs was playing, which I loved but hubby wasn’t too pleased. So hopefully you enjoy country music with your seafood! I thought it was a nice blend of ocean and southern feel.

The bathroom was red and black and yellow, which was a little arresting when you first walked in. One sink had the faucet missing too. But it was large and clean, and there was plenty of toilet paper and paper towels, which is the truly important part.

Overall, I’d rate The Saucy Crab:

Taste: 7
Atmosphere: 10
Value: 8

The food was good, but I’m not a huge fan of fried things. The menu is a little limited too, but that’s to be expected from a place that specializes. I’d like to go again and try their crab, since that seems to be their pride and joy. The atmosphere is very chill and fun, this would be a great place for a big family, a group of friends, or just a place to hang out and relax.

It felt very comfortable, I’d definitely bring a big group of people here for a fun night out. And the seafood is fairly priced, with great lunch specials. I think we nailed it by being there right around opening time on a Saturday. I’m not sure how crowded it gets in the evenings, but at least it is large enough to accommodate a pretty decent crowd.

Have you ever been to the Saucy Crab? What did you think?

Casseroles, Comfort food, Main Dishes

Baked Tamale Pie

November 27, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Let me tell you a story. So I love finding new things to cook that save me money, and I’m always willing to try something new. Ethnic cooking of all kind intrigues me (as evidenced by my attempts at Ethiopian lentils, greens, and chicken). So when I find something that is steeply discounted, ethnic cooking, and I’ve never tried, it’s like a moth to a flame.

One day, I was at the grocery store, enjoying my trip through the discount sections. If you don’t know what that is, find out immediately! Most grocery stores have sections in the back where they deeply discount things that are out of season, almost ready to spoil, or dented or scratched. As long as you don’t care about aesthetics (you’re not gonna eat the can, you’re gonna eat the tomatoes inside) and are prepared to use it pretty soon, this is a gold mine of cheap groceries.

So I’m looking through the discounted canned goods, and a bag catches my eye. It’s green and yellow, and says “Maseca”. My small experience with Mexican cuisine tells me it has something to do with tamales, so since it was like a dollar, and the bag said it could make something like 150 corn tacos from one bag, I had to try it! Turns out, it is like a dried masa, which is corn flour used to make corn tortillas. I know homemade corn tortillas will happen someday soon now!

To my delight, in the frozen section, chorizo was also on sale this week! I picked up a package, and knew I also had some black beans at home in my pantry. (Always buy canned goods on sale that you use often, and keep them on hand for when inspiration strikes!).

When I read up on how to make tamales, it sounded a bit too intimidating to buy corn husks and try this on my own. So instead I decided to make some kind of Mexican chili type thing. I didn’t want corn tortillas at the moment, so how to use the maseca?

Ah ha! As a crust and topping! Like a Mexican pie. Then I can have all the flavors of tamales, but without all the work. Brilliant.

Ingredients:

1/2 – 1 pound chorizo sausage
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cups masa (1 cup maseca, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp crisco)
1/2 cup diced veg: tomato, onion, bell peppers, hot peppers if that’s your thing
Shredded cheddar cheese

Step 1: If you already have masa, you can skip this step. But to make masa from maseca, just mix together 1 cup maseca, 1 cup water, and 1-2 tbsp Crisco or lard to make a thick batter. This is also the dough used to make corn tortillas if you want to do that.

Step 2: In a large pan, fry your chorizo until browned. Drain if there is a lot of fat in yours. Add the beans and any veggies you’re using, and heat until the peppers are soft and tomatoes release their juices.

Step 3: Line a 8×8 or 9×9 oven-safe pan with the maseca dough, pressing it into the sides and corners. Pour the cooked meat and beans into the lining and spread it evenly. Heat your oven to 325.

Step 4: If using, sprinkle on a layer of shredded cheddar.

Step 5: Cover the pie with another layer of the dough.

Take a little ball of dough, flatten it with your hands, and smush it together on top. This is also the way you make the tortillas, by flattening it and moving the dough between your hands.

Smush it all in there, pressing with your fingers to make sure the top layer of dough is smooth.

Step 6: Bake in the oven at 325 for 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the dough is cooked throughout.

Cut it into squares. Mmmm look at all that flavorful deliciousness!

Top with whatever you like, I used sour cream, tomatillo salsa, and more bell peppers. You can also use hot sauce, more cheese, whatever makes your taste buds say “Ole!”. Enjoy!

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Casseroles, Comfort food, Crock pot, Finances, Healthy, Informative, Main Dishes, Side dishes, Slow cooker

One Week of Meals from One Pork Roast

November 20, 2016 BudgetEpicurean 1 Comment

Do you ever wish you had more time? Do you feel like you spend too much time at the grocery store, or in the kitchen, or waiting for delivery? Does you bank account look emptier because of all the ordering out you do? Do you want an easy way to make a week’s worth of homemade meals, for less than $100, with minimal prep and cook time from one grocery trip?

I thought so. Here is your answer!

This post is created to show you how to get a week’s worth of dinners (with some leftovers for lunches too) from a single 4 pound pork roast. All recipes easily feed 2 adults, with many recipes making much more food for leftovers and re-make meals.

By planning ahead to use one main dish all throughout the week, you can get creative and ensure that none of your food dollars get wasted by literally throwing them away. You will save time throughout the week by not having to go to the grocery store to pick up “just one or two things” and not having to worry what to make for dinner, it’s already planned out. And you can eat healthy, whole food, home cooked meals all week long!

Here is the list of recipes you will be making if you follow this plan:

As far as cooking equipment, you will need at least a frying pan, and preferably a slow cooker. You can slow cook the pork in the oven, and make the casserole in the oven as well, but that requires slightly more hands-on time from you. The full grocery list can be found at the bottom of the post, and you can go to individual recipes by clicking on the links throughout.

The first thing you’re going to need to do is assess your pantry and freezer situation. If you have plenty of Italian dressing, some frozen mixed veggies, noodles, and plenty of spices, you’re already halfway there on this week’s grocery list. Then make your list of what you still need to make the recipes, and head to the store.

You will need to pick up a nice pork loin roast, or other pork roast. I recommend 3-5 pounds for 2 adults for one week’s worth of meals. You can adjust to larger or smaller sizes if feeding a larger crowd, or just one, or if you wish to double recipes or omit certain recipes this week.

Once you have your pork roast, use a sharp knife to cut 2-4 pork chops off the end. You can also ask your butcher to do so if you go to a regular grocery store. These pork chops can be frozen for later depending on when you want to make the Italian Pork Chops.

Once you have your chops cut, take about 1 pound off the remaining roast. This will be diced up into cubes. You can also freeze these chunks for later, depending on when you want to make the Pork Lo Mein Stir Fry.

As for the remainder of the roast, put that guy into your crock pot. This is gonna become one delicious, fall-apart pot of BBQ Pulled Pork. If you’re game, add a sliced onion and a can of beer, then cook on low for 8-10 hours or high at least 4 hours.

Shred the pork roast with two forks. I recommend removing half of the meat to a container in the refrigerator, and adding 1 cup BBQ sauce to the rest and cooking another hour on low.

Now you have about a pound each of plain pulled pork and BBQ pulled pork! Plus 2-4 chops, and a pound of diced pork in the freezer. And that’s after less than an hour total of hands-on prep time.

Now you can use the shredded plain or BBQ pork for:

Pulled Pork Burritoes (above) or Quesadillas:

And slow cooker pork and rice and broccoli casserole:

And the diced pork chunks for a delicious homemade lo mein:

And the best part is, you can choose when to make these recipes and in what order, because the pork chops, diced pork, and shredded cooked pork all freeze very well. You can turn these into breakfast and lunch too, pulled pork omelettes are great, as are BBQ pulled pork sandwiches on nice thick buns. Enjoy!

Full Grocery List

1 4-5 pound pork roast
1 cup Italian dressing
1 can diced tomatoes
Frozen or fresh vegetables of your choice
1 cup BBQ sauce (or more, to taste)
1 package tortillas
~1 cup white or brown rice
1 can beans (black or pinto)
1 package lo mein noodles
Soy sauce
Shredded cheese
Fresh or frozen broccoli
1 cup milk (optional)
Burrito toppings – sour cream, guac, salsa, etc.

And seriously, that’s it! I guarantee you can buy all of these items for under $100 (at least everywhere I’ve lived from Colorado to Connecticut).

Also, if you’ve read this far and you’re curious, I also have a post explaining all the cuts of a pig. So next time you go to the store, you can know the difference between a rump roast, shoulder roast, and a loin. 🙂

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Comfort food, Crock pot, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Slow cooker

Pulled Pork Burritoes

November 13, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Burritos are a staple in my house, I’d say we have them at least once a week if not more often. They are just so simple to put together, yet always delicious and hit the spot. You can use basically any meat you have, just add rice and beans to bulk it up, and whatever toppings you prefer.

These burritos use pulled pork, with or without BBQ sauce, of which you should have plenty if you’re doing One Week of Meals from One Pork Roast. I would recommend the BBQ, but it is not required. And of course, always customize to your preferences.

Ingredients:

1 large tortilla
1/2-1/4 cup pulled pork
1/4 can pinto beans
1/2 an avocado
1/4 cup cooked rice
Sprinkle of shredded cheddar

Step 1: Put the pork loin in a slow cooker with about 1/2 cup of liquid. You can use beer, cola, or stock. Cook on low for about 8 hours, it won’t hurt to go a little shorter or longer. Shred the meat with 2 forks. If you want BBQ pulled pork, add 1-2 cups sauce and cook another hour.

Step 2: Layer all your ingredients in the tortilla. Make sure there’s a good distribution so that once you roll it up, you get a little of everything in each bite!

Step 3: The best way to roll is to flip 2 opposing sides in just about 2 inches. Fold the corners over on both sides. Then take one open end and roll it towards the other, scooping the fillings under. Roll it tight, and enjoy!

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Comfort food, Healthy, Main Dishes, Pasta

Pork Lo Mein Stir Fry

November 6, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

If there’s one food I’m pretty sure I could eat every single day forever, it would be Chinese food. There is so much variety; you can have pork, chicken, steak, shrimp, tofu. Almost every vegetable tastes better fried in a wok with soy sauce on it. And seriously, rice is amazing. Put anything on top of it and it’s better than it was alone. Or you can have noodles instead. Or both!

Speaking of noodles, Chinese lo mein is always so delicious, do you ever wonder why? (Besides the week’s worth of salt and addictive MSG) I think it’s the slurping you get to do, one noodle at a time or swirl a big batch around a fork and shove it all in. But it is so easy to make at home! You don’t have to buy special noodles either, plain spaghetti will do in a pinch.

This recipe uses diced pork, and is very flexible. You can use ground meat instead, or use a different type. You can also sub in tofu for the vegetarian crowd. And for the vegetables, I used zucchini, onion, and green bell pepper, but you can add whatever you happen to like and have at home. Try edamame, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, or more exotic things like baby corn, sprouts, or bamboo.

Ingredients:

1 cup diced pork meat
1 1/2 cup chopped veggies of choice
1 pound noodles
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tbsp fish sauce (if you have it)
2-3 tbsp lemon or lime juice, or rice vinegar
1 tbsp flour or cornstarch if you want a thicker sauce
Optional to serve: hot pepper, sriracha, lime wedges, diced fresh herbs, crushed peanuts or cashews

Step 1: In a hot frying pan, melt the butter or olive oil and cook the pork until browned on all sides. In a separate pan, boil the noodles per directions on package, and drain.

Step 2: Remove the pork to a plate and add the vegetables. Stir fry on medium high heat until cooked throughout and beginning to brown, about 3-5 minutes.

Step 3: Add the soy sauce, fish sauce if using, lemon or lime, and any other spices you want (Sriracha lovers?). Mix well to coat the veggies, add the pork back to the pan. Add the cornstarch and mix well if you want a thicker sauce.

Step 4: Serve over the noodles with your desired toppings!

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Comfort food, Main Dishes, Slow cooker

BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadillas

October 30, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

It’s no secret that I love my slow cooker. We’ve been through a lot together, at least 4 houses, half a decade, and many many delicious home cooked meals. And hopefully many more to come! One of my favorite meals for totally hands-off cooking that tastes magical is slow cooker pulled pork. A roast, an onion, some beer or broth and a little bit of time, and you have a delicious pot of meat that falls apart and tastes like you spent hours perfecting it.

As if barbeque pulled pork couldn’t get any better, here is another way to use that meaty, juicy goodness. I love a classic BBQ pulled pork sandwich on a thick bun with heaps of shredded cheese, but you can only have so many in one week. So after you’ve made a big tasty roast, save some for later, for this in particular! Makes one huge quesadilla, enough for 2.

Ingredients:

2 flour tortillas
1/2 cup pulled pork
4 tbsp cooked rice
2 slices tomato (or 2 tbsp salsa)
1/2 avocado
4 tbsp pinto or black beans
Cooking spray
Shredded mixed cheese
Optional: sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Step 1: Grease a large frying pan and heat it to medium high. Lay out one tortilla, and layer on the pork, rice, beans, tomato, avocado, and some cheese. Cover with the other tortilla.

Step 2: Depending on the size of your pan, either transfer the whole tortilla, or cut into halves or quarters. Cook in the pan about 3-4 minutes, until brown and crispy. Carefully flip, and cook on the other side.

Step 3: Transfer to a plate, serve with sour cream or greek yogurt, more cheese and salsa.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:63]

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