As much as I love eggs, I never make egg salad. I guess it just always seemed a little too heavy, ooey, and gooey.

This egg salad, on the other hand, is light, fresh, and summery! The combination of lemon juice and fresh herbs provides tang and a light herbal flavor to contrast the rich eggs and mayonnaise based dressing.

I used thyme because I recently planted some fresh herbs and have been eager to use them. You can use fresh or dried and I actually used a combination of both (because mine are still quite young and I didn’t want to use it *all*). If you’re not into thyme, you can also try parsley or dill instead. Both will go well with lemon. I suggest fresh parsley if at all possible, but either dry or fresh dill will do.

For an extra lemony punch, use fresh lemon juice and try grating a little of the zest into the dressing. For extra crunch, try adding some chopped up red onion, green onion, celery, or even cucumber.

Lemon Herb Egg Salad

Total Recipe cost: $2.16
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Cost per serving: $0.54 (about 2/3 cup each)
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 15 min.

STEP 1: Peel the hard boiled eggs and then roughly chop into half inch chunks. For instructions on how to perfectly hard boil eggs (including photos), click here.

STEP 2: In a medium bowl, prepare the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir until mixed. Chop the herbs roughly and then add to the dressing. Begin with about one teaspoon, taste and then add more if desired. The herbal flavor will become more pronounced after refrigeration.

STEP 3: Stir the chopped eggs into the dressing. Either refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately. Serve on a sandwich, over a bed of lettuce, or with your favorite crackers.

Step By Step Photos

Hard boiling eggs without ending up with a green yolk can be tricky. Check out this slide show of step by step instructions on how to perfectly hard boil eggs. This recipe uses 8 eggs, but could easily be scaled up to include a whole dozen. None of the ingredient quantities are set in stone and you could probably eye-ball measure most of them!

The dressing is basically mayo, dijon, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. (That’s the dijon there under all of the pepper). If you have a fresh lemon, I highly recommend using it and some of the zest (I didn’t, but it was still delish). I used light mayo and it was also still great… but I can only vouch for Hellman’s. All other brands of light mayo that I’ve tried are just not worthy of the name “mayonnaise.” 

I used some fresh thyme from the garden, but I didn’t have a lot so I also used some dried. If using all dry herbs, use about 1 tsp. If using fresh, use about 1.5 or 2. Or, just add them to taste. Chop the herbs slightly to allow the flavorful oils to infuse into the dressing.

Stir it all up, give it a taste, and adjust the herbs to your liking. I used thyme, but dill, or parsley would be great alternatives. (I think this picture is before I added the herbs, but it looks pretty much the same after).

Lastly, stir in the chopped eggs. You can refrigerate the egg salad for a while to allow the flavors to blend and intensify, or serve immediately (if you just can’t wait, like me).

Egg salad is great as a sandwich, but you could also scoop it up with some crunchy whole grain crackers, or even just serve it on a bed of spinach. Mmmm, or maybe top an english muffin with it for breakfast? Yes, please!

ref: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/04/lemon-herb-egg-salad-216-recipe-054.html

I made this to go alongside a pork butt Brandon smoked this weekend. I figured why not chop up some standard guac ingredients, toss in some refresher veggies like cukes and voila, I’ve made a chewable guacamole, though that title doesn’t sound quite as appetizing as guacamole salad, to me anyway. When we sat down to eat, I kept hovering over Brandon, eyeballing how many forkfuls of salad he was putting into his mouth. I said, more than once (read: nagged), “Heyyyy babeeeee, make sure to leave some so I can have it for leftovers. *Smile*”  I was kind of obsessed with this.

Ingredients

• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• 4 large-ish tomatillos, diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• handful cilantro, chopped
• 2 limes, juiced
• salt

Method

The only thing I really need to explain (probably) is how to deal with tomatillos, so here goes…

Remove the green husks. You’ll feel that the tomatillo is slightly sticky to the touch. Rinse those suckers under some warm water, then chop ‘em up like the rest of the ingredients.

In a large bowl, add all ingredients together. Consume.

ref: http://www.health-bent.com/salads/paleo-guacamole-salad

So here’s what happened:

this stuff was in the fridge + I needed to eat = this recipe

Ingredients

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 greedy handfuls baby spinach, chopped
• 3 oz prosciutto, sliced into strips
• 3 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
• 1 ripe pear, chopped
• goat cheese, optional

For the Dressing

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 2 T olive oil
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme, finely minced
• s&p

Method

Toss the chopped lettuces and hard boiled eggs (+ goat cheese, if you’re using it) in a large bowl.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add the prosciutto slices. Let them crisp up in the pan, about 5-6 minutes total. Toss them with the lettuces.

Place the chopped pear in a bowl that has the lemon juice from the salad dressing ingredients. Coat the pear pieces with juice. Pears tend to brown when they’re exposed to air, so coating them in lemon juice will solve that problem. Toss the pears in with the lettuces.

Add the mustard, olive oil, thyme and some s&p to what’s left of the lemon juice. Whisk or shake to combine.

A note about fresh thyme

If the thyme is young, the stalks will be tender. If it’s old, the stalks will be woody. So, if you happen to have some young stalks, I recommend chopping up the leaves, including the stalks, very finely, as you’ll never know the difference and it’s such a big pain in the butt to take thyme leaves off their stalks anyway. If you’ve got woody stalks, well…sorry.

I bought a raw corned beef brisket from U.S. Wellness Meats. Free overnight shipping? Unheard of! In a pinch, you could just go to your deli counter at the grocery store and pick up a pound or so of pastrami, get it sliced thick and heat it up in the oven. We made a quick sauerkraut, it’s less acidic than traditional sauerkraut and tastes more like braised cabbage…well, because it is.

Ingredients

for Quick ‘Kraut

• 1 small head green cabbage
• 1 1/2 c beef stock
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 t salt

for Thousand Island Dressing

• 8 sweet pickle chips, chopped (dill would work too, just use whatever you’ve got)
• 1 t tomato paste
• 1 T capers, chopped
• 3 heaping T mayo
• S & P

Method

Rinse the brisket off and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a roasting pan and roast in a 300°F oven for about 4 hours. Once it’s cooled, slice thinly.

For the kraut, slice the cabbage as thinly as possible. You could use a mandoline or the slice attachment on your food processor. Throw the cabbage, beef stock, vinegar and salt into a saute pan. Let the cabbage wilt and the stock reduce, about 20 minutes.

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients together. Use some of the pickle and caper juice to thin the sauce out a bit.

ref: http://www.health-bent.com/beef/paleo-reuben-in-a-bowl

Okay, I’m going to start right out by saying these suckers have the same carbohydrate load as a regular corn chip set of nachos. We just had a hankering for a cheat night, but really didn’t want to ingest corn, wheat or other cereal grains. We are so embarrassingly barbaric with these, we lay down oven mitts on our coffee table, place the hot pan on top and sit on the floor and scarf them down with a fork. Let me also say, the salsa recipe is ‘da bomb dot com’, it’s cheaper to make this than to go out and buy a jar.

Ingredients

• 1 package sweet potato chips, we used Terra brand
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 t cumin
• 1 c raw cheddar cheese (optional)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• s&p

 Salsa Ingredients

• 15 oz crushed fire roasted tomatoes with juice, we used Muir Glen brand
• 1 t granulated garlic
• 3 T pickled jalapeno slices (about 12)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 3/4 t allspice
• 2 handfuls cilantro

 Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 t chili garlic sauce
• salt
• 1/2 handful of cilantro

Brown the meat in a saute pan with a bit of fat, and add the chili and cumin. While the meat is browning, empty a bag of sweet potato chips on a baking sheet and spread them out as evenly as you can. Toast at 350°F for about 8 minutes.

To make the salsa and guacamole, just blend all the ingredients (one set at a time, of course) in a food processor.

Assemble by topping the chips with ground meat, cheese, lettuce, green onions,  salsa and guacamole.

Also, just to add insult to injury, we decided to partake in this….

ref: http://www.health-bent.com/proteins/nachos

I used a Pyrex glass dish to bake the meatballs in and well, I guess Pyrex dishes aren’t as indestructible as I thought they were. When I went to pour the tomato sauce on the meatballs….Smack, Crackle, Pop! I watched in horror and disbelief as my pan cracked into shards of glass. I managed to salvage the meatballs, but thought scraping the sauce out of the bottom of an oven that never gets cleaned would be taking things a little too far.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground meat (we used beef)
• 1/4 c almond flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 T chipotle adobo sauce 
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1 t onion powder
• 1 t garlic powder
• salt

• 1 c chicken stock
• 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1-2 finely diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce or you could use just sauce
• 2 t dried oregano
• 2 t onion powder
• 1 t garlic powder
• salt

For the Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1 lemon or lime, juiced
• 1 t chili garlic sauce
• salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond flour, and herbs/spices. Add the ground meat and mix with your hands until combined. Form the mixture into balls and place in an oven safe dish. Bake until browned, about 15 minutes.

For the sauce

While the meatballs are browning, add the tomato sauce ingredients to a sauce pot. Let is simmer until the meatballs are done.

For the guacamole

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and smash with a fork until a chunky/creamy consistency has developed

ref: http://www.health-bent.com/poultry/paleo-chipotle-meatballs-with-guacamole

Charred, salty, cheap and quick cooking. Oh the beauty of the skirt steak! Surely not everyone has an outdoor grill, so I’d imagine an indoor griddle/grill pan or even a panini maker, would suffice well enough for this recipe. That being said, one substitution you cannot make…I just won’t allow it, is the fresh ginger. Do yourself a flavor and don’t use powdered.

Ingredients

• 1 – 1½ lbs skirt steak
• 3 T coconut aminos (wheat-free soy will do, if you can’t find aminos)
• 1 t honey
• ¼ t cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely, finely chopped
• 1 t freshly grated ginger
• salt
• few tablespoons of melted F.O.C. (fat of choice), we used clarified butter
• 1 bunch of green onions

Method

In a zip-top bag, add all ingredients, including some F.O.C., but excluding the onions. Massage the beef with lots of emotion. Let marinate for as little as 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

When the beef is good to go, heat your grill up to super high heat. The skirt steak is so thin that we want to make sure we develop a char on the outside of the steak before it overcooks. The steak shouldn’t need more than 3-ish minutes on each side. Remove the steak from the grill once it’s reached your desired level of doneness. While the steak is resting, brush the green onions with a bit of your F.O.C. and some s&p. Toss ‘em on the grill and let them get nice and charred.

Slice the steak and serve with the onions.

 ref: http://www.health-bent.com/beef/asian-grilled-skirt-steak-2

Imagine eating a chili dog with slaw, onions and yellow mustard. Now imagine taking off the bun and eating it in a bowl with a fork and you’ve got the idea behind this recipe. Another way to look at it, we’ve taken off the sour cream, avocado and cheese from chili and added hot dog toppings.

Chili Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground meat* (I used ground chicken, but anything would work)
• 1 package hot dogs, chopped (I used sugar-free beef franks from U.S. Wellness Meats)
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, juice drained, chopped small
• 1 c tomato sauce
• 2 chipolte peppers in adobe sauce, chopped finely
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t cumin powder

Slaw Ingredients

• 1 red cabbage, sliced thinly (The cabbage should quite small–weighing about 1 lb., you won’t need more than that)
• 1/2 c mayo
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 3 T pickled jalapenos, finely chopped**
• 5 T pickled jalapeno juice**
• 1 T yellow mustard

In a medium sauce pan, cook the ground meat all the way through and then add the cut up hot dogs. Throw the rest of the ingredients in the pot and let it simmer while you make the slaw.

For the slaw, get out a large bowl and add all the ingredients, except the cabbage, and whisk to combine. Add the cabbage to the slaw base and mix to combine.

To serve, place the chili on the bottom of the bowl, then add some slaw and top with whatever hot dog fixings you like. Yellow mustard is an absolute must!

*If you’re pinching pennies, you can definitely leave out the ground meat and just use hot dogs. Chop the hot dogs rather small so they go further.

**Don’t be afraid of the pickled jalapenos or the juice. It’s not nearly as spicy as fresh jalapeno…but as always, add a little at a time and taste as you go–because you can’t take it away after you’ve added it.

ref: http://www.health-bent.com/proteins/hog-dog-chili

Total Recipe cost: $8.23
Servings Per Recipe: 6-8
Cost per serving: $1.37
Prep time: 20 min min. Cook time: 15-20 min. (while prepping) Total: 30 min.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a pizza cutter to slice the tortillas into thin strips. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat it with non-stick spray. Spread the tortilla strips out in a single layer and spritz lightly with more non-stick spray. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

STEP 2: Bake the tortilla strips for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Stir the tortilla strips half way through cooking.

STEP 3: While the tortilla strips are baking, cut the head of lettuce into small pieces. Rinse the lettuce and drain well (or use a salad spinner). Also chop the tomato and slice the green onions. Rinse the black beans in a colander to remove the starchy canning liquid. Remove the corn from the freezer and allow it to thaw.

STEP 4: Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing (yogurt, buttermilk, mayonnaise, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumine, and cayenne). Makes about 1.5 cups or 6 servings of 1/4 cup each.

STEP 5: Once the tortilla strips are finished cooking, the dressing is made, and all of the salad ingredients are prepped, build the salad! You can either build one big salad and then serve or build individual portions. Layer the lettuce first, then black beans, corn, tomato, shredded cheese, green onion, and a few tortilla strips on top.

Step By Step Photos

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tortillas into thin strips. I found that a pizza cutter made this a quick and easy task.

Spread the tortilla strips out onto a baking sheet covered with foil and coated with non-stick spray. Spray the strips lightly with non-stick spray and then sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Stir the strips about 10 minutes in.

While the tortilla strips are baking, chop, rinse, and drain the lettuce. I cut my lettuce into small squares. Make sure to drain the lettuce really well so that your salad is not watery.

Also prepare the other toppings. Rinse the black beans to remove the starchy canning liquid. Take the corn out of the freezer and allow it to thaw. Dice the tomato and slice the green onions.

Lastly, whip together the taco ranch dressing. It’s really easy, just whisk together all of the ingredients. All of the spices are in 1/4 tsp increments so you only need to use one measuring spoon! (You’ll have to fill it half way for the cayenne, but it doesn’t have to be exact.)

I’m not gonna lie, I was really, really hungry when making this and I couldn’t stop dipping the tortilla crisps in the dressing!

You can also make this dressing as light or “heavy” as you want. I used non-fat yogurt, low fat mayo, and regular buttermilk (same fat content as 2% milk). It still tasted rich and delicious!

You can build the salad in any order you want, but I found this order to be most visually appealing: lettuce, black beans, corn, tomato, cheese, green onion, and tortilla crisps on top. You can either build one big salad and then serve single portions, or just build single serving portions to begin with.

ref: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/04/southwest-salad-with-taco-ranch.htm

Honey + Balsamic Vinegar + Butter = Heaven.

I’m not sure if I really need to say anything more… oh wait, it’s easy too.

I might have to start putting this honey balsamic glaze on everything.

Total Recipe cost: $2.39
Servings Per Recipe: 4 (approx. 1/2 cup each)
Cost per serving: $0.60
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 40 min. Total: 50 min.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Clean and peel the carrots. Cut the carrots into one-inch sections (cut on a diagonal for more visual appeal).

STEP 2: Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the carrots on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the carrots to coat. Place in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, stirring once half way through.

STEP 3: During the last ten minutes of cooking, prepare the balsamic glaze. Combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small pot. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until thickened. Once thickened, turn off the heat and stir in the butter until melted.

STEP 4: When the carrots come out of the oven, drizzle with the honey balsamic glaze and toss to coat. Serve warm!

Step By Step Photos

Wash and peel the carrots. I used a two pound bag but you will have enough balsamic glaze for up to three pounds.

Cut the carrots (on a diagonal) into one-inch sections. Place the carrots on a baking sheet covered with foil, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes and stir half way through. You can cook them at a higher temperature if needed, but keep an eye on them because they’ll cook faster.

While the carrots are still in the oven, prepare the balsamic glaze. Combine the vinegar and honey in a small pot and simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Once the balsamic and honey mixture has reduced and thickened, turn the burner off and add the butter. Stir until it is melted in.

When the carrots come out of the oven, drizzle the glaze over them.

Toss the carrots to coat in the honey balsamic glaze. You can do this in a bowl so that you don’t lose any of the delicious glaze.

Serve warm! I garnished with some parsley that I had in the fridge, but it was just for visual appeal.

ref: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/02/honey-balsamic-carrots-239-recipe-060.html