Grilled Shredded Beef Chimichangas

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Chimichangas are one of my favorite Mexican dishes.  One night for dinner, I decided to grill them instead of  deep frying or pan frying them, for a lighter take on this dish.  I grilled them on top of the stove in my grill pan, and my family thought I had invented a new dish for our weekly fiesta!  Lighter but, crispy, golden and delicious, and no extra oil required!

You'll need:
2 1/2-3 cups shredded beef/left over pot roast
8 8 or10 inch flour tortillas
1 10 oz. can of chili seasoned tomatoes [like Rotel chili fixins']
1 medium finely diced onion
1 small diced jalapeno or medium poblano pepper [optional]
3 cups shredded colby-jack/pepper jack cheese divided
seasonings:
1-2 Tbs. taco seasoning [or to your taste... I used McCormick's]
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp. cayenne [optional]
2-3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
salt & black pepper to taste

On the stove top, cook the onion and peppers in a couple of drizzles of olive oil until they begin to brown.  Add the minced garlic, and saute for an additional minute.  Add the chopped beef, tomatoes and seasonings with the exception of the cilantro.  Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes break down, and some of the liquid cooks away, then remove from the heat.  Stir in the chopped cilantro.


Lay the tortillas out on the counter or cutting board and sprinkle each down the middle with one half of the shredded cheese.  Divide the meat evenly between the tortillas and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.


Fold each side of the tortilla to the middle, and begin rolling up from the shortest end. 


Until it looks like this....


Spritz liberally with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray on all sides, then lay seam side down on your preheated grill pan.  Turn to grill until golden on all sides, pressing down gently with a spatula.  Serve hot with lettuce and fresh guacamole.  Yield: 8 grilled Chimi's

joe's special (my way) $9.18 recipe / $1.53 serving

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joe's special (my way)

$9.18 recipe / $1.53 serving

This recipe comes courtesy of my dear friend, Ashley. She was looking for something to cook for dinner one night and decided to type the ingredients she had on hand into google (I think it was google) and Joe's Special popped up.

Joe's Special is a recipe created and made famous by a San Francisco restaurant, which basically consists of ground beef, spinach, and eggs. There have been hundreds of variations since, and this is one of them. What makes this version mine? Well, just that I added what I had in my fridge. Primarily feta cheese, which happens to go right along with the spinach and oregano already in the basic recipe. If you don't have feta, no worries, just use parmesan alone and it will still be delish.

I listed the serving size for this recipe as just one cup. Sure, that's kind of small, but I really see this dish as just one part of a breakfast (or lunch, or dinner). Serve it open face over whole grain toast, stuffed inside a pita, and with a piece of fresh fruit on the side for a well rounded meal.

Joe's Special

Total Recipe cost: $9.18
Servings Per Recipe: 6 (1 cup each)
Cost per serving: $1.53
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 25 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.32
1 small	yellow onion	$0.28
2 cloves	garlic	$0.16
1 lb.	ground beef	$4.93
1.5 tsp	dried oregano	$0.07
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.03
1 Tbsp	worcestershire sauce	$0.06
1/2 lb.	frozen chopped spinach	$0.75
6 large	eggs	$1.50
2 oz.	feta cheese (optional)	$0.87
2 Tbsp	grated parmesan	$0.21
TOTAL		$9.18

STEP 1: Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Cook both in skillet with olive oil over medium heat until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).

STEP 2: Add the ground beef, oregano, salt, and worcestershire sauce. Cook until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it up into pieces as it cooks (7-10 minutes).

STEP 3: Once the beef is fully cooked, add the frozen spinach. Cook and stir until it has thawed and heated through, breaking up clumps as you go.

STEP 4: Briefly whisk 6 eggs in a bowl. Push the beef and spinach mixture to one side of the skillet (or make a well in the center) and pour in the eggs. Gently scramble the eggs until they are cooked through, but still moist. Try not to mix them into the meat as they cook or you'll have beef coated in egg, rather than clumps of cooked egg. Once the egg is cooked, stir it into the beef mixture and turn off the burner.

STEP 5: Crumble or roughly chop the feta cheese and sprinkle it over the skillet. Also sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine, taste, adjust the salt if needed, and then serve.


Sriracha - because that's how I roll. What did you expect?

Step By Step Photos

Start here, as usual. Minced garlic, diced onion, olive oil. Cook over medium heat until soft and transparent.


Next add the ground beef, oregano, and salt. If you're feeling sassy, add some crushed red pepper flakes.


Also add the worcestershire sauce, which gives the dish some extra savory-oomph and just a touch of sweetness. Cook until the beef is fully browned.


I tend to like the frozen spinach in a bag rather than the block because I think it has a better texture, but you could certainly use the block kind if you need. Just make sure that it's CHOPPED spinach, so that you don't have long stringy pieces. I used a half pound (8 ounces), but if you want to use a whole 10 ounce block, that would work just fine.


Once the beef is fully cooked, add the spinach. Keep cooking until the spinach thaws and then fully heats through.


While the spinach is cooking, lightly whisk the eggs. I don't like to whisk until completely smooth because I like some separation of white and yolk, but that's just me. Push the beef mixture to the side and pour in the eggs. Cook the eggs without mixing it in with the beef. Only combine the two sides once the eggs have cooked, otherwise you'll just coat the beef in eggs and you won't have any egg clumps. If your pan has a thin bottom or doesn't heat evenly, you can do this in the center of the pan (right over the heat) instead of on the side. Just push the beef out to the edges.


Once the egg is cooked, stir it into the beef and turn off the burner. If you want even BIGGER clumps of egg, scramble them in a separate skillet then stir them in.


Roughly chop the feta or crumble it with your hands. If you're using just parmesan, increase the amount to 1/4 cup instead of just 2 tablespoons.


Add the cheeses to the skillet.


Stir it all together, taste, and adjust the salt if needed. The amount and type of cheese that you use will dictate how much salt is needed.


You don't have to wait for breakfast to have this super filling dish...


Stuff it inside of a pita or serve over a slice of hearty toast. I have to admit, a tomato would be AWESOME with this!

let's keep in touch...

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let's keep in touch...

I love Facebook - it's still my favorite social media outlet. I like the design and the ways in which it allows users to interact.

BUT...

(there's always a but, isn't there?)

Unfortunately, since they've had to start answering to share holders, Facebook has made some changes that make it difficult for me to stay in touch with all of you. If you've noticed that my posts aren't showing up in your feed, even after adding me to your "favorites" list, you're not alone.

Apparently there is so much fluff and bluff flying around Facebook that they try to filter it all and only show you the important stuff. For instance, you may have 500+ friends, but you may only see posts from about 50 of them. So, "liking" my page isn't enough to make sure you get updates. Watch this video to see how to make sure you get all of my posts.

So, what else can you do?

To make sure you're getting all of my updates and new recipes, I highly suggest subscribing by email. It's free and you'll ONLY receive an email when I make a new post to the blog. In fact, the blog post will be delivered right to your mailbox in it's entirety.

Subscribe to Budget Bytes by Email

Once you subscribe, make sure to follow the link in the subscription confirmation email to begin receiving updates.

Or, there's Twitter... I'm still learning the ropes there, but all new recipes are posted on Twitter ASAP.

@budget_bytes

Another great option is Pinterest. There you can browse my recipe collection visually (FUN!) and all new recipes are posted right away. Follow all of my boards to make sure to get all of the recipes, or just follow your favorite category.

Pinterest.com/budgetbyes

If you use an RSS reader, you can also subscribe to the RSS feed.  All new posts will show up, free of charge.

Subscribe to Budget Bytes RSS Feed

And lastly, I still love to see you all on Facebook. I still post interesting links, recipes, and thoughts, so stop by any time to say hello, ask a question, or join in a discussion. The only difference is that you might have to take the initiative to go there and see what's up instead of it automatically showing up in your feed. :P

So, let's keep in touch!

Update: There may be a way to fix the Facebook problem (although I haven't tested it yet). Check out this video to see how to select specific pages to show in your news feed... and let me know if it works!

Thanks, thistostay, for the info!!

Update #2: Thank you, Christoph, for sending the link to this article, that debunks the myth that Facebook has purposely reduced the number of people that it displays posts to.

Thanks again, Christoph!

spicy hoppin' john salad $7.42 recipe / $1.06 serving

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spicy hoppin' john salad

$7.42 recipe / $1.06 serving

I lost track of who sent me the link to this Hoppin' John Salad from Whole Foods Market, but whoever it was, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU.

The moment I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. It has all of my favorites: beans, crunchy veggies, and SRIRACHA! This is a super easy, super healthy way to use up the rest of that Thanksgiving ham. If you don't have any holiday ham, you can just go to the deli (like I did) and ask for a single thick slice of ham (black forest, smoked, honey, whatever type). Be sure to tell them you'll be cutting it into cubes for a salad so they'll know about how thick you'll need it.

This recipe was already so perfect that I *barely* adjusted it. I tweaked the ratio of the dressing a smidge and used rice vinegar because I didn't have any white wine vinegar. I also decided to add some golden raisins to complete the sweet-salty-spicy flavor trifecta. I really wanted to use chopped up dried apricots, but I couldn't find any at the store. Luckily, I had some golden raisins in the back of my pantry and they made a suitable substitute :D Green onions would probably also be super good in this!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Spicy Hoppin' John Salad

Adapted from Hoppin' John Salad with Sriracha Vinaigrette from Whole Foods Market.


Total Recipe cost: $7.42
Servings Per Recipe: about 7 (1 cup each)
Cost per serving: $1.06
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
16 oz.	frozen black-eyed peas	$1.63
3 stalks	celery	$0.26
2 medium	carrots	$0.27
1 medium	green bell pepper	$0.89
1/2 pound	thick cut ham	$3.20
1/4 bunch	parsley	$0.19
1/3 cup	golden raisins or dried apricots (optional)	$0.19
3 Tbsp	rice or white wine vinegar	$0.37
3 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.24
2 Tbsp	sriracha hot sauce	$0.16
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
TOTAL		$7.42

STEP 1: Cook the frozen peas according to the package directions (boil for about 10 minutes) and then drain in a colander. Allow the peas to cool as you prepare the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: While the peas are cooking, chop the celery, bell pepper, and ham into small pieces. Peel and grate the carrots (use a large hole cheese grater). Pull the parsley leaves from their stems and chop them roughly. If you're using raisins or apricots, let them soak for about 10 minutes in hot water to plump (cut apricots into raisin sized pieces).

STEP 3: Prepare the dressing by stirring together the olive oil, vinegar, sriracha, and salt.

STEP 4: Add the cooked, drained, and slightly cooled peas to the chopped goods, Drizzle the dressing over top, and stir to coat. If using raisins or apricots, drain off the soaking water and stir them into the salad.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat. Stir each time just before serving to redistribute the dressing.

Step By Step Photos

You can find black eyed peas in the freezer section. If you can't find them, look for "field peas". These peas/beans are raw, not dried, and still need to be boiled before eating.


Cook the peas according to the package directions - basically add water, bring to a boil, and let boil for about 10 minutes until tender (but not mushy). Afterwards, drain in a colander and let cool while you finish preparing the rest of the salad.


While the peas are cooking, cut the celery, bell pepper, and ham into a small dice (about the size of the peas, maybe slightly larger). Peel then grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater. Pull the parsley leaves from the stems and then just chop them roughly.


If you're using raisins or apricots, let them soak for about ten minutes in some hot water to plump them up and make them softer. If you're using apricots, chop them into small pieces first.


Combine the oil, vinegar, sriracha, and salt in a bowl...


Stir them together.


Add the drained and cooled peas to the bowl with the chopped goods, then drizzle the dressing over top.


Stir everything together to coat in the dressing. If you're using the raisins or apricots, simply drain off the water and stir them in.


YUMMMMMM

Need a little help with the chopping?

To cut the celery into small pieces, first cut the stalks into workable lengths of about 6 inches. Cut each piece lengthwise into thin strips, then cut crosswise into small pieces.


Bell peppers can be cut in the same manner, but first cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and white parts with you hands. Then, just cut the remaining flesh into strips. The curved edges will be slightly tricky, but it doesn't have to be perfect, so just chop those areas as best as possible.


Peel the carrots and then grate them on a cheese cutter. Just be very, very careful with your finger tips and knuckles. Cheese graters will grate flesh just as easily (or easier) than a carrot!


This is what my thick cut slice of ham looks like. Cut it into pieces about the size of the peas. My pieces were just slightly bigger, but that's okay. You want them about the same size so that everything stirs together easily and so that you'll get a little bit of ham in every bite.


The parsley can just be cut roughly (meaning no particular way). You just want pieces that are smaller than a whole leaf. Pull the leaves off of the stems before you start. If some stems get in there, it's okay because parsley stems are fairly tender and do provide flavor.

And that's that! Enjoy!

candied almonds $6.61 recipe

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candied almonds

$6.61 recipe

Okay, new rule: These are NOT allowed in my house. I'm bringing them with me to work tomorrow. Hopefully I can survive the night without eating them all.

These are some dangerous little almonds... very dangerous. But say you need a gift to bring to a holiday party and wine isn't up your alley. These would be perfect! Or, you like to give homemade gifts for Christmas - everyone will love you. I mean really, really love you.

This recipe makes about 3 times what you would get in one of those little cones from the mall kiosk and for about the same price. Now that you've unlocked their secret, the smell of sugar coated roasting nuts wafting from their kiosk will no longer hold any power over you. You are free.

Candied Almonds

Total Recipe cost: $6.61
Servings Per Recipe: That's up to you ;D
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 lb.	shelled almonds	$5.99
1/3 cup	brown sugar	$0.11
1/3 cup	white sugar	$0.05
1 tsp	cinnamon	$0.05
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
1 large	egg	$0.25
1/2 tsp	vanilla extract	$0.14
TOTAL		$6.61

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well mixed.

STEP 2: Separate the egg white from the yolk. Place the white in a large glass or metal bowl and whisk until light and frothy, but it is not yet forming peaks (no clear liquid should remain in the bottom of the bowl). Add the vanilla extract and whisk again until incorporated.

STEP 3: Add the almonds to the egg whites and stir to coat. Add the cinnamon and sugar and stir to coat again.

STEP 4: Spread the sugar coated almonds out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through. After baking, allow the almonds to cool, during which time coating will solidify into a crunchy candy shell.

Step By Step Photos

First, stir together the sugar (brown and white), cinnamon, and salt.


Until it's all evenly mixed.


Separate the egg and whisk the whites until they are light and fluffy, but not yet forming peaks. Make sure there is no clear, liquidy white left on the bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla and whisk again (that's why it's kind of brown in the pic).


Add the almonds to the egg whites and stir to coat.


Add the cinnamon sugar mixture and stir again until coated.


Spread the coated almonds out on a baking sheet covered with either parchment paper or foil coated with non-stick spray. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.


After baking allow the almonds to cool so that the candy coating can harden and get nice and crunchy.


And now you've got a seriously addictive candy coated almond treat. Oh boy.

My Mom's No Bake Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Pie

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This is my Mom's recipe and just as the title suggests, it can be used interchangeably between pumpkin or sweet potatoes.  She prepares one of each for the Holidays, and she prefers to use Splenda in place of the sugar, but, the recipe is flexible so, you can use it each way, with or without granulated sugar, successfully.  The only baking you'll need to do,  is to bake the crust, then the custard filling is prepared on the stove top, and poured into the shell to cool.  Top it with a meringue or a dollop of whipped topping to serve.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups whole milk plus 2 Tbs. flour
1 cup of sugar substitute [like Splenda] or sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup of pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1 baked deep dish pie shell

Bake the pie shell at 400 degrees for 11-12 minutes, until golden OR per the package directions and cool.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the milk and flour until the flour dissolves.  Add 3 eggs and continue to beat until combined.  Mix together the sugar and seasonings, then add to the wet ingredients, beating until smooth. 

Pour the mixture into a stove top pot and cook over medium heat.  Add the butter and pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes.  Whisk constantly until thickened to the consistency of a thick pudding [about 4-5 minutes] 

Pour into the baked shell and cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator.  These pies may be topped with a meringue or served as is with a dollop of thawed whipped topping.  Yield: 1 pie