Eggs that are easy, whimsical and delicious – what better way to show love at breakfast?
Eggs are delicious paired with sauteed spinach – I like this approach better than folding spinach into an omlet – you get more spinach and less egg with the same fantastic flavor combination! Yummmmm . . . low-carb festive goodness!
Eggs are a low-cost high-quality protein bonanza – 5 grams of protein for only about 60 calories that have been found to be healthy for your heart, brain and eyes! And fresh flavorful eggs are available to all of us 365 days a year in any grocery store. A high-protein breakfast has been associated with weight loss – So eggs are a fab frugal choice!
If you don’t have a large heart-shaped cookie cutter to make this festive Valentine breakfast, no worries – just use folded aluminum foil like I did! I used the non-stick Reynolds foil for this.
Ever since discovering the Asian Lettuce Cups made with ground turkey on Kalyn’s Kitchen for my Phase One Bonanza, this has become one of my favorite recipes. Seriously, I’ve probably had this 6 times in the last month, and will probably continue to do so forever, at least once a week or so. It’s that good.
But I do try to avoid meat as much as I can (and have been contemplating returning to being a full-time vegetarian). I had to eliminate soy from my diet due to some sensitivities in my breastfeeding daughter (along with gluten, eggs and peanuts), so my protein substitute choices were limited. We recently got re-tested and found that she is fine with soy now! So I’ve been making up for lost time, and thought this was one recipe that might also be equally tasty in vegan form. I tried it out last night – success! And perfect for Meatless Monday. Continue reading ‘Meatless Monday: Asian Tofu Lettuce Wraps’
Are you with me on this? There is just something weird about eating warm bacon grease spooned onto a salad. I have always loved the taste and texture of barely wilted spinach in a salad, but most restaurants and recipes use hot bacon grease in the wilting liquid. It is a truly American dish, traditionally served with a warm bacon dressing, according to Supreme Food Geek Alton Brown. But, seriously, the time has come for an upgrade! Spinach is one of the healthiest things you can put into your mouth, so I say Hoo-rah for Spinach!
You just can’t have a frugal cooking blog without at some point featuring spice rub recipes. (( I’m pretty sure there is a law somewhere requiring frugal foodies to use spice rubs!)) The Mother of all Spice Rubs is Spike Seasoning, which boasts 39 ingredients – no, I am NOT making that up! – and has been around since my mom was a kid.
Spice rubs are so very handy, healthy and frugal, whether you just use them as a shortcut to spice up a dish or as a rub. I use three rubs pretty frequently and try to keep them mixed up and on hand. Even in the dead of winter (hello – right now!) these rubs will make you feel like you are having a backyard barbecue. So here, beloved frugal readers, are Donna’s Top Three Spice Rubs of all time – with a bonus: Donna’s Techniques for cooking Spice Rubbed Fish Fillets!
Fish is on many “I Should Eat More of” Lists. White fish fillets are perfect as a canvas for spice rubs! Here’s an easy, budget-friendly fish recipe to do just that – and only takes just 20 minutes total time. Using small fish that are lower on the food chain is an environmentally friendly thing to do – they are sustainable fish, AND – more good news: they’re less expensive than larger varieties. For this technique, you could use tilapia, snapper, trout, cod or any other firm white fish fillets. (Pictured above is tilapia.) This technique is one that can be used with most any spice rub – try one of our three different spice rubs with different flavor profiles – Indian Tandoori Spice Rub, Southwest Chile Cumin Spice Rub and Jamaican Jerk Spice Rubs. All three are delicious – but feel free to use your own creation or purchased spice rub. Just make sure to watch the salt content so your fish isn’t too salty.
SPICE RUBBED FISH FILLETS
Serves 4
Prep and cook time – 20 minutes
3 tablespoons Spice Rub
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 white fish fillets, 5 to 6 ounces each
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Mix spice rub with cornstarch and then coat one side of each fish fillet with 2 teaspoons of spice mixture, pressing down with fingers to adhere spices to fish. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet. Place 2 fillets in pan, spiced side down. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn fillets over, so that uncooked side is down. Cover and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until fillets are cooked through. Repeat this process to cook remaining 2 fillets. Serve warm with spiced side up on rice or pasta.
I promise this jack-o-lantern cheese ball recipe will make you the hit of any Halloween celebration!
I was looking for something savory and orange to roll the cheese ball in and finally the light bulb went on: crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos! They are the perfect color for a jack-o-lantern and add a little zip, too. I know they’re not the healthiest thing you can put in your mouth, but really the color is perfect and you’re only using a little bit of crumbs.
Can you believe it’s time to dig out the Halloween recipes?!
It’s not too often that you see low-carb Halloween treats – and such cute ones at that! This recipe for jazzed-up deviled eggs is one of the most fun of any holiday treats I have ever made. I make them every year!
“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”
– Lewis Grizzard
Each summer I can hardly wait until I start seeing red globes peeking out from between the green leaves of our tomato plants.
There is a fabulous blog celebrating home-grown goodness – Andrea Meyers at Andreas Recipes – she hosts a twice-monthly “Grow Your Own” feature where she highlights recipes from food blogs that feature cooks using ingredients they have grown (or foraged or were gifted) themselves. This salsa post was featured on her blog – check it out to see this and other “GYO” goodness!
There are a million salsa recipes out there, and I have tried my share of them over the last 30 years. Trust me on this – I grew up a few miles from the Mexican border and I have eaten hundreds of salsas. If I am a connoisseur of any one thing, it has to be salsa! This Roasted Tomato Salsa recipe is my absolute all-time favorite! Roasting about half of the tomatoes quickly at a very high heat give a wonderful roasted smoky flavor, but keeping half of the tomatoes raw gives it the perfect freshness and texture. And, the chipotle chile powder and smoked paprika are delicious in combination with tomatoes.
Don’t skip the EVOO. Olive oil used with tomatoes improves BOTH their flavor and health benefits exponentially.
I love to make gallons (literally) of our family’s favorite salsa and then cruise around the neighborhood like “The Salsa Fairy” handing out pints to friends or leaving them on doorsteps as a surprise treat. Everyone raves about salsa that has roasted tomatoes in the recipe!
