Top 5 List about... Budget-Friendly Dishes

7/17/2023

Knowing how to work your budget, without sacrificing flavour or ingredients, is key to success in the kitchen!

Check out this Top 5 list that highlights a few luxurious dishes that will WOW your tastebuds without breaking the bank!

1. Chicky-Chicky Parm-Parm

Okay so hear me out on this one - I know Chicken can be expensive but there are a few reasons I love this dish that, for me, makes it worthy of making this list.

The first, chicken is often on sale, so when you find a deal, grab it and store them frozen until ready to use.

The second, is that because of the breading, sauce & cheese - 1 chicken breast will make 2 chicky-parm fillets that will easily feed 2 people! And, even if chicken is out of reach or potentially not something you enjoy, this can be made with pork, or vegetables such as zucchini (I recommend 1 zucchini per 2 people) or 1 eggplant (1 large eggplant is good for approximately 3 - 4 servings!)

It also relies heavily on things I typically have stocked regardless such as breadcrumbs, seasonings and eggs.

Plus, I love this dish because you still get to get to enjoy the process of cooking and being able to make something from scratch!

Ingredients for the Parm (serves 4)

2 x large fresh or thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts, and/or
1 x eggplant, and/or
2 x zucchini
Salt & pepper

Breading Station:

1 cup of panko bread crumbs
½ cup all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
Salt & pepper

Topping:

1 cup pre-made tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Prepare your breading station:
Bowl 1: 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
+ seasonings
Bowl 2: 3 Large Eggs + salt & pepper
Bowl 3: 1 - ½ cups of breadcrumbs + seasonings
Prepare your chicken or veggies.
For chicken: cut chicken into strips or smaller breasts - remember to stretch your chicken and get a few more meals if you can!
For veggies: cut into about ½ to ½ inch rounds, place on clean tea towel or paper towel and salt lightly. Let rest 5 minutes, pat try and start breading!
Bake at 375°F for approximately 20 - 25 minutes. Until the veggies are starting to get tender, and the chicken is almost cooked through. (Fully cooked chicken will read 165°F on a meat thermometer.
Pull out of oven, and top each piece with tomato sauce and cheese.
Return to oven for 5 - 10 minutes until tomato sauce is hot and the cheese is melted and enjoy immediately!

2. Red Thai Curry Coconut Soup

This soup is CRAVEABLE and it's something that you can make time and time again when you have the ingredients ready to go!

The base flavour of the soup is red thai curry paste and coconut milk. The paste comes in a little jar, that's easily refrigerated and typically good for at least a few months. The coconut milk can be bought and stored in your pantry so it's ready to go! And, you can switch up whether you use noodles or rice - it's truly whatever you're in the mood for that day!

This version is something we do for lunch often, and truly doesn't focus on a protein. I love to make this when I do have leftover chicken, shrimp that I need to use up, or even a boiled egg.

And, the garnishes are totally up to you! Cilantro, lime and green onion is ideal! If you want to grab some fresh sprouts you can - otherwise keeping it simple doesn't mean you're missing out on much with the flavour-packed bowl!

For the Soup:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small white onion, finely diced
1" piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 - 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
2 - 3 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 boxes (about 6 cups) chicken or veggie stock (Look for the No Salt Added if you can!)
And, please know that you could also use water since the majority of the flavour comes from the curry paste and coconut milk!
1 can coconut milk - or cream
Choice of rice or noodles

Garnish Suggestions: Finely chopped Red Onion, Finely Chopped Green Onion, Fresh Cilantro, Fresh Bean Sprouts, Wedge or Lime
Optional: Red Thai Chili or Dried Red Chili Flakes

For the Soup:

In a cold pot, add your diced onions, garlic, and ginger Turn on to medium heat, and once you can hear the sizzle in the pot sweat until warmed and starting to become translucent.
Add in your curry paste and toast for about 2 - 3 minutes.
Add in your fish sauce & stock, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 20-minutes. If you do like it a little extra spicy you can add dried red chili flakes or a whole hot red chili to let it infuse gently.
Add in your coconut cream or milk, noodles and/or precooked rice. Stir and bring up to a gentle bubble again so your soup is nice and hot.
Add in your optional chicken or shrimp and simmer for an additional 2 - 3 minutes to ensure everything is lovely and warm.
Serve up with your garnishes of choice!

OBC TIP: If you can, try to use pre-cooked rice, otherwise the rice soaks up all that broth so you'll either have to account for that when cooking (aka. add extra broth) or plan ahead to ensure your rice is ready to go! I don't find the same things happens with rice noodles but you could also soak those in some hot water before adding into the soup!

3. Shakshuka

Shakshuka is a dish that most people will tell you makes a fabulous brunch dish - I also happen to think this is a great way to do "breakfast for dinner" too! This one-pan dish features peppers & zucchini for a little personality and crunch, and it can be finished with some fresh herbs and feta to really take it over the top. It's also perfect served with last-nights baguette as the sauce will bring the crusty bread back to life!

You'll Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion
diced 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp each chili powder garlic powder & onion powder
1 x 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
6 large eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 small bunch fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
OBC TIP: Some like it Hot! Feel free to add in some spice either via a fresh jalapeno, your favourite hot sauce, or cayenne powder!

Preheat your oven to 375°F, and bring 6 eggs out of the fridge and let them start to get to room temperature.
Get your veggies chopped and ready to go.
Chop your garlic and combine minced garlic in a little bowl with all of the spices.
Open your can of tomatoes and get ready to start cooking! Start in a cold oven-safe frying pan with your olive oil, diced onion & peppers.
Turn onto medium heat and saute for 2 - 3 minutes until the pan is warm and the onions are starting to go translucent.
Add in your garlic and spice blend and toast for 1 to 1.5 minutes. If you are looking to spice this up you could add chopped jalapeno, or dried red chili flakes now too!
Add in the Zucchini & tomatoes.
Stir & simmer for about 10-minutes. You might need to adjust the heat here as you want your tomatoes to be gently bubbling and warm, but not boiling or reducing too quickly.
Using a tablespoon, make 6 wells in the tomato sauce. Crack and egg into a separate glass bowl to ensure you don't have any shell, and then gently drop 1 egg into each well.
Place into oven for about 6 -8 minutes. Check to see how the eggs are done, and if you'd like them cooked a little more continue baking for 1 minute at a time until the eggs are cooked just how you like.
Remove from oven, and sprinkle with cheese & desired garnish. Serve immediately (or else your eggs will overcook! LOL!)

4. Half & Half Turkey Mushroom Tacos

Would it even be a Top 5 list if Tacos didn't make the cut?

These turkey tacos are absolutely delicious and, great news - you only need half the meat you typically would use, because you'll be using some lovely mushroom mince as well to pump up both the volume and the flavour!

And, while yes, you could blow the budget with getting a ton of different topping - I reckon these are best served with a chopped white onion, cilantro (or green onion if cilantro tastes like soap to you) and lime juice!

1/2 lb lean ground turkey
2 cups mushrooms, cleaned roughly chopped.
1/2 cup white onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp paprika powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Suggested Garnish: chopped white onion, cilantro or green onion, lime juice!

Have all of your ingredients chopped and ready to go, and all of the spices you need out on the counter.
Add olive oil to your pan, and turn on to medium heat.
Add in the mushrooms & onion and let cook until the onions are translucent - about 4 - 5 minutes.
Add in turkey and all of your seasonings.
Cook, stirring often, until the turkey is fully cooked through, and the mushrooms are just starting to get a crisp on them!
Keep on low heat, or even covered, to stay warm until you're ready to use!

OBC TIP: You can make this vegetarian or vegan even by leaving out the turkey! And, feel free to swap in whatever wraps work best for you flour, corn or even lettuce wraps are amazing with this filling!

5. Summer S'more Cake

There's something about summer that screams - I LOVE ROASTED MARSHMALLOWS!

So, to round out this list I thought we'd do something summery, chocolatey and ooey-gooey-good!

You'll Need:

1 pack chocolate cake mix
1 250 g pack of sour cream (or similar, you could use greek yogurt here too!
1 egg

And, for the toppings:

Marshmallows (Large or Small, that's up to you!)
Crushed Graham Crackers
Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Sauce

OBC TIP:
If you don't have Graham Cracker Crumbs - do not worry - just get creative!
Think about something you might already have on hand such as saltine crackers or pretzel chips for a little sweet & salty action. Or even something like a crushed up chocolate chip cookie, or even crushed ice cream cones!

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F
In a large bowl mix together the chocolate cake mix, the sour cream and the egg
Bake 15 - 17 minutes until it's puffed and baked and a toothpick comes out clean
Then, turn your oven to broil. Layer the top of the cake with marshmallows and put under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes keeping a close eye to make sure you get them exactly as toasty as you'd like
Remove from the oven and add the other ingredients on top. Let them stand for about 5 minutes so they warm up, but the cake and marshmallows cool down and then serve up for a tasty chocolatey treat!

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Cheers! Your Favorite Chef, Gillian

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