I made these for my Eurovision party on account of Eurovision was in Portugal this year and after spending a week there last year I fell in love with salted cod, locally known as bacalhau. While I had to make my own salted cod it doesn’t involve more than just a little time and a lot of salt. You can skip that part if you really want to save time and just make sure to thoroughly salt your mashed potato mixture instead.
Category: budget
Recipe: Chicken Tamale Pie
This was delicious and it was just about the ugliest thing I have made in ages. In the future I would probably add some jalapenos and pickled red onions on top but this was a big hit as is.
Chicken Tamale Pie
Adapted from Or Whatever You DoRecipe: Goat Cheese, Pesto, Tomato Tart
This is a pretty simple recipe though it takes more time to come together then I thought it should. The result is absolutely spectacular though and worth the effort. I’d suggest using really good goat cheese and the freshest tomatoes you can find because there’s no hiding behind bad ingredients here.
Goat Cheese, Pesto, Tomato Tart
Recipe: Vegetable and Biscuit Bake
This is a delicious and homey dish. A little bit like a mix between vegetable pot pie and a casserole, it’s perfect for when you’ve got the cold weather blues. You can use canned biscuits to speed it up too. I’d also suggest doubling the casserole part without the biscuits if you’re going to freeze it.
Vegetable and Biscuit Bake
Adapted from Pumpkin and Peanut ButterRecipe: Creamy Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
I absolutely love the texture of this creamy orzo with roasted vegetables. It’s got just enough cheese to produce that perfect soft, gooey mouthfeel of mac and cheese but it has enough vegetables to keep the flavor smokey and not just slip you in to a full on carb coma after eating it. It comes together in just a few minutes and there’s no second pan of sauce to wash so it makes a good weeknight meal.
Creamy Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
Recipe: Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
This soup has a wonderful simplicity to it. Sometimes coconut in soup can be really cloyingly sweet of overwhelming but in this soup its nicely balanced with the soft flavor of rice and the heartiness of mushroom. Since this takes only a few minutes to come together it’s perfect for when you don’t feel well or on a cold night where you just want a warm dinner right away.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Adapted from Florida Coastal CookingRecipe: No Fry Sweet and Sour Chicken
I really love this recipe because frying is just a bridge too far for me most days. I understand most people don’t fry because of health but for me it’s mostly just laziness so if you want the delicious taste of sweet and sour chicken but less work – this is the recipe for you.
No Fry Sweet and Sour Chicken
Adapted from Le Creme de la CrumbRecipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Holes
When people want a quick dessert they reach for cookies but these doughnut holes can be made in just about 20 minutes and they’re sure to impress because who makes doughnuts these days?
Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Holes
Adapted from Cook PadRecipe: Mushroom Ragu
This is one of those recipes that doesn’t seem like much but it takes mushrooms from a bland, boring food to the perfect topping for almost anything. I used this ragu smothered over the tops of popovers but it’d be great on polenta, over rice, and even as a pasta sauce.
Mushroom Ragu
Recipe: Vegetarian Scotch Eggs
When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. While the recipe is technically quite close to a scotch egg what it actually resembles much more closely is falafel stuffed with a boiled egg. The scotch eggs do not really end up tasting anything like your meaty scotch eggs but it is a great twist on falafel. Make sure you spice your chickpea mixture well as the flavor seems to get a little lost after frying.