Gourmet Food on a Budget - Recipes, Methods, and Meal Planning - Ever Forward, Ever Flavorful
The Friday Food category included both meatless and Pescatarian dishes. We call it Friday Food because that is the day we usually reserve for meatless meals. These are not strictly vegetarian or vegan foods, but some could become that with various ingredients substituted or removed.
These black bean tostadas can make a great appetizer on small tortillas, or make a spread for a whole meal. We like them for a light meal in the heat of summer. You can add meat if you want.
You might have seen my post back from 2011 when I used canned black beans to make this tostada. Well, now that the Instant Pot is available, you can make your own beans in under an hour with the flavorings you want, and none of the stuff you don't want.
I am always so happy when the big, juicy tomatoes come into season. One of my favorite things to do is make tomato salad sandwiches. For our house, Fridays are meatless, so this was a perfect sandwich on a hot day.
When you want something tasty, healthy, and filling on a hot summer night, this might be just the one for you. Black lentils are unique because they do not lose their shape or flavor as easily as red and green lentils do. They have a nutty flavor that we love.
I have always liked crab balls, ever since my mother used to buy Mrs. Paul's Frozen Crab Cakes when I was a little kid. As I grew up, I realized I could make them myself and used Zatarains, which had a lot of salt, so I decided to make my own and do better.
These make a great appetizer or a light lunch with a salad or chips. When I made this, I threw a thinly sliced potato in the fat and made potato chips.
Clam dip is easy to make for your next gathering using a Braun food processor. Forget about sore arms. It's perfect every time!
You will really like this. It's so easy to make, quick and even people who don't like fish will like this. What makes this recipe really pop is having both fresh tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. You can use whatever pasta you prefer.
Spicy Tuna Dip is my take on the famous Carlos and Pepe's tuna dip. You can make it as spicy as you want. Enjoy it with chips and a margarita.
There is nothing like fresh tortillas to make a great cheese casserole. When you are starting out making tortillas by hand, your tortillas might not turn out as nice and thin as those at the store, but that shouldn't stop you. Use them for a casserole. You can use canned enchilada sauce as I did, or you can make your own salsa, which I will show in another post.
Glorious use of leftover mashed potatoes and broccoli come together quickly - Broccoli Cheese Mashed Potato Soup with Pimento Cheese Toasts
When I made the Pizza with Red Sauce and Tomatoes, I had another ball of dough leftover that I wanted to use right away. I had a half a pound of Italian sausage in the freezer, fresh mushrooms, and leftover grated cheese. When I went to the cupboard to get supplies, however, I found that I had a) no tomato sauce to make red sauce and b) no onions because sausage, mushroom, and onion is my favorite combination. It turned out that was a really good thing. I left my comfort zone and tried something new - shallot scented béchamel white sauce and sliced garlic. It was by far the best pizza I have ever had - bar none.
