Staple: Smashed chickpea and avocado sandwich

This is such a winner!!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/smashed-chickpea-avocado-salad-sandwich/

I didn't have a lime, so I used a lemon. The lime would be better, but this is still way delicious. I also added sriracha as a topping because I couldn't resist.

I'll let you know how well it survives the school transport/fridge/freezing, because this could be one of my new go-tos.


Update
So, freezing was okay, but it took a long time to thaw out--longer than the PB&J for sure. And unsurprisingly, lettuce does not freeze well. Only kept it in one night, so not sure how it would do on the freezer burn front.

The raw stuff kept in the fridge fine, so totally good to make ahead of time and then make the sandwich daily for sure.

Also, tried it with pinto beans instead of chickpeas this week because that's what I had and it was a little watery, which I kind of suspect was just because I was lazy about draining, but it was delicious as well. So, very adaptable.

Staple: Lemon Kale and Quinoa Salad

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/01/lemony-kale-quinoa-salad/

This is delicious and so so so easy. I make this all of the time and it only gets easier.

So, I have made some modifications that up the price a little bit, but are so worth it. (And my quinoa from costco probably makes up theh difference really)
-- use precut kale. so. easy.
--use prechopped garlic, it's not quite as good, but oh well.
--double it, I'm going to eat it. Save myself the trouble

So directions are now

1. Put some olive oil (1 tbsp or so) in a big pot and put the garlic in there too and turn up to like 6.
2. Add a bunch of kale... haven't figured out how much is ideal yet, but dump a bunch in. Keep them in there for a couple of minutes or until they start to get glossy.
3. Add two cups of quinoa and three bouilion cubes and three cups of water. Put a lid on it and turn up the heat to a 7 or an 8
3. Start zesting the lemon
4. When the pot is boiling, turn it down to a 2 or so and let it simmer for 15 minutes. (Do longer if necesary to get the liquid out)
5. Put the lemon zest on it, squeeze either half a lemon or the whole lemon into it, add feta and walnuts. Done.

So. EASY.

Keeper: I made NAAN

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/naan/


http://www.fullforkahead.com/2013/09/25/homemade-naan/

Some interesting instructions here

Naan notes
--takes an hour + to rise (may use tips in second article next time)
-- if don't have rolling pin, make do with any cylindrical object-- I used a water bottle
--the thinness of it seemed to be a crucial variable-- thin, but not toooo thin
--the minced garlic added to the butter after (from the tin), was meh on the flavor. may be better added to the dough--see second article

Keeper: Chana Aloo Masala

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/02/chana-aloo-masala-chickpea-and-potato-masala/

So, if you come into this with the expectations that this is going to taste just like the Indian food from your favorite restaurant, you're going to be disappointed. Your favorite restaurant probably uses a pile of ghee, don't get their garam masala on sale from Kroger, and probably use a more complex spice combo. However, oh my gosh was it good. Especially once I added sour cream/plain greek yogurt and sriracha? Super addictive.

It was also super easy to make, although I did also have a romcom moment. I was trying to drain the potatoes when I heard all of these popping sounds-- the lovely tomato sauce was trying to splatter all over my walls. So, I tried to hop over there (carrying the pot with me), which caused my poor little foot to cramp. So then I somehow ended up with one shoe off, half crouched by the stove, with one hand massaging my foot and the other hand swatting at the sauce trying to stir it to stop the little explosions. It was fun.

Cost: Cheap? It's from budget bytes. That's all I know.
Convenience: This is quite easy to make. If I could chop potatoes evenly and quickly it could be quite fast! The sauce does need some monitoring if you take too long though.
Delicious: This is way better the second day and with the creaminess and a little more spice added. Sooooooooooooo delicious.
Freeze: Apparently yes. Budget bytes Beth says the potato might get grainy, but she thinks it'd be great.
Uses: Fast dinner with Indianish twist?
Notes: I added twice the garam masala as suggested because I think mine was pretty weak, I also ended up adding some sour cream and sriracha. Next time maybe add green peas? More veggies in this would make me really happy. I know that's even less Indian, but I'm going to try it anyway.

Keeper: Asparagus

So, this was super simple, but soooo good. It's also mostly from budget bytes.

Take the trimmed asparagus and put it in a skillet with some water (so it's like half covered). Put heat on high and leave it on there until the asparagus is soft and a happy bright green. Then drain off water and add a tiny pat of butter, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh

Keeper: Freezer Food: Black Bean Quesadillas

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas/

These are a great freezer option. I want a healthier version though. Things to contemplate.

Cost: My most expensive ingredient was the whole wheat tortillas. Regular flour would have been cheaper (and honestly possibly more delicious to my tastes), but much less healthy.
Convenience: Super easy. Chopping onion and garlic was the hardest part.
Delicious: Mmmh quesadilla.
Freeze: Works well, but can take a while to warm up so the cheese will melt, need it on low.
Uses:  Quick healthy dinner, warming and filling, easy
Notes: -can I add more veggies? --or more cheese? Intriuging

Keeper Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash

So, I started with this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-acorn-squash-with-brown-sugar-and-butter-recipe.html

But that wasn't going to do it for me and my desire to not get diabetes. So, I did a dash of salt, dash of pepper, maybe 1/3 tbsp of butter, and 1/2  tbsp of brown sugar and no maple syrup.  Next time, I'd give more butter and brown sugar for a much richer flavor, but it doesn't really matter.

Recipe:
- slice it open (and slice a little bit of the bottom if it won't stay upright)
-scoop out insides and throw in trash (unless you have creative powers and can use it)
- put some stuff on it, preferably brown sugar and butter-- add a bit of salt and pepper too
-put it in the oven at 400F for 1 hour and stab it with a fork to be sure it's good to go

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
delicious

Cost: Whatever the cost of acorn squash is, currently it's real cheap.
Convenience: Could hardly be easier to make, but it does take time to cook. 
Delicious: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh
Freeze: Dunno. Doesn't sound like a great idea.
Uses: Side dish, quick healthy dinner, warming and filling, eat your veggies
Notes: -could be interesting to try some other toppings on it--lots of variety possible
-life is much better if you put it on aluminum foil so you can destroy the environment but not have to wash dishes.

Keeper: Quesadilla

I wanted something warm and satifying and comforting for snack and I was wandering around indecisively until I remembered that I had tortillas.

So, less than 5 minutes later, warm quesadilla in hand (pepperjack and brie!), I am so happy with life. 

I just did it dry, works fine and barely have to wash the pan, but I've also used just enough melted butter to coat the bottom before (internet tells me this is about 1/2 tsp. Could also use pam, or just read someone saying that they think it works better to put the butter on the tortilla with their fingers instead of hte pan)

Quesadilla ideas

 Peanut butter and banana (really delicious desert one)

cheese + tobasco

cheese + beans + hot sauce

grated sweet potatoes sauteed with onion and cilantro and layered with Jack cheese

caramelized onions and brie. 

Why am I even listing these? Just make delicious things.

Keeper Recipe: Weeknight Black Bean Chili

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/02/weeknight-black-bean-chili/

I continue my quest to rule budget bytes apparently and also my trend of making everything a keeper recipe. I suspect as the year goes on, I'll take recipes out as keepers, but at this point.

Cost: Canned stuff can be pricier, but it's still cheap. 
Convenience: So easy to make. Hardest part is prepping the onion and garlic, everything else is just dumping in cans and measuring spoons of stuff and stirring it rarely.
Delicious: Waiting to see what it tastes like after a couple of days, but even one night later it's awesome.
Freeze: Dunno.
Uses: Super convenient hearty filling meal. Also could be great for having guests over when don't have time to cook or are doing it when they're there and not wanting to have to think about it. 
Notes: I made my veggie by only using 2 cans of black bean, 1 can light kidney, and 1 can pinto bean. This did make it soupier (added one can), so may consider draining one of them next time, but the soupy tastes good. This would be really good with the adds on she mentioned--green onion, sour cream,tortilla chips and such. Oh, and the diced tomato, I used the jalapeno ones instead of the green chile ones. Aaaand I didn't have oregano, so I used the italian seasonings because the first ingredient is oregano. 

Staple: Kale Chickpea Curry Soup

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/05/kale-chickpea-soup/

Cost: Cheap!
Convenience: This is super easy to make. It's fast, it's simple, the ingredients are all easy.
Delicious: This is a more delicate flavor than some of my others, but it's really delicious. The chickpeas aren't always exactly the right texture, but I suspect that would just be fixed by not buying the cheapest possible chickpeas.
Freeze: Dunno.
Uses: Delicious soup that's healthy, light, and easy.
Notes: I added twice the curry, but I also think my curry is weak because its' old, so I don't know what the overall effect is. Also, next time, don't be in such a hurry--and actually take the time to make sure the kale is in bite sized pieces.

Take two: --work on getting the textures and spices better. The kale pieces can be still smaller, the potato bits should be better cooked (turn it up to a high temperature much sooner, it will take FOREVER otherwise), those chickpeas still aren't the best--consider making own and freezing? Need to get the pressure cooker up and running and see if can freeze. Spices muddle it up-- use straight up oregano-- get it at store soon. 

Take four?: It really does matter that you put the kale in and let it cook enough to wilt before you put all the other stuff in. I did this recipe from memory and forgot the order. It's a soup, so it's still perfectly delicious, but the kale is better when you do it that way.

Take who knows? I ended up using crushed tomatoes instead. Still worked delicious, but changed the taste.

Keeper Recipe: Microwave-Steamed Zucchini

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh this is such a keeper. It could not be easier, healthier, or more delicious. I was just looking for a way to use up a zucchini that was going to go bad, but I will be doing this over and over.



http://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-steamed-zucchini-323310
"

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice zucchini lenth-wise, not cutting all the way to the bottom.
2. Open slightly and spray interior with butter.
3. Sprinkle interior with salt and pepper (and parmesan)
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in microwave. Microwave for 5 minutes on high power.
5. Let stand for two minutes, remove, and cut in wedges.
6. Voila."
7. 
   

Keeper Cheesy Vegetarian Chili Mac

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2016/01/cheesy-vegetarian-chili-mac/

Super easy, not that fast and can't really be left alone because it needs stirring regularly, but good and really filling.

Cost: Cheese is the most expensive part. Could be cheaper with homemade beans, but there'd need to be a lot of them, not sure it'd be worth it.
Convenience: This is super easy to make... but not fast and not unattended. It needs to be stirred a lot, but it's mostly just dumping in ingredients.
Delicious: Good! 
Freeze: Supposedly a yes.
Uses: Hearty, warm, good food. A good complement for times when I've got light soups and I just need something filling.
Notes:  I need to buy a wooden spoon so i can do a better job of scraping the bottom. Too much of the flour ended up on the side of the pot. Also, the kroger brand kidney beans were a little dry or something. Used 1.5 cups of shredded cheese.

Keeper: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

So, I don't even have a recipe here, but it's definitely one of my keeper things. I wanted something warm and filling and delicious, but was too lazy to do much. So, I made a grilled cheese with pepperjack cheese and it was great. I'm sure I might want to do an actual write up later and include exciting variations, but in the meantime-- I will record that this is an option.

Keeper Recipe 3: Moroccan Lentil Veggie Soup

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/11/moroccan-lentil-vegetable-stew/

Damnit! So, I messed this up a little, I put too much cinnamon in and I used two different kinds of lentils ecause it was what I had. So, it's good, but not amazing. But I'm calling it a keeper anyway because its' one of my favorite things to pull out of the freezer previous times I've made it. Can't stop me. 

Cost: haven't calculated it, but budget bytes claims it's like a dollar a serving. 
Convenience: Very easy to make!
Delicious: Quite good!
Freeze: This is so good frozen and reheated. 10/10
Uses: It's a soup and it's different and it freezes amazingly well and is generally warm and happy.
Notes: Don't mess it up next time

Keeper Recipe: Spicy Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmh
So I used the full fat coconut milk, which I'm sure makes this way less healthy, but it is fantastic. It's so easy, so delicious, and quite different

Note for next time taken from the comments section:
"We made this soup last night but didn’t feel like eating soup again tonight, so we threw it on top of some jasmine rice and added chickpeas, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower for an instant curry. It was delicious!"





FAILED ATTEMPT ONE BELOW

I more or less made this soup:
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/07/spicy-coconut-pumpkin-soup/

It's kind of a less because I made some desperate changes:

1. I used zesty chicken spice instead of bouillon. Turns out better than bouillion needs to be refrigerated. It smelled and looked fine, but I saw the label on the top after I'd left it out for three weeks. And given the weather has been freakishly warm and they literally sometimes use broth to grow bacteria in labs... it hurt me, but I tossed it. And I refuse to go to the grocery store twice in one week. Can't. make me.

2. Grocery store was out of fresh ginger when I went (see note: can't make me go to the grocery store again), and I know the powdered doesn't taste the same at all.

3. I was trying frozen garlic, but it didn't smell very strong.

4. I was in the middle of doing laundry, so I didn't toast the cumin and red pepper flakes, I just dumped it all in.

5. Didn't have anything else to put the cilantro in, so used the whole bunch. Cause at that point, why not?

I list this all, so that when I say, it didn't turn out quite how I wanted, it's clear that it may not be the recipe's fault. The flavor wasn't right and I think I was expecting more texture (it's totally smooth excpet for the onion)--I'll see what I think of it tomorrow.

That said, this recipe is fast and SO easy and different, so I'd rather give it another go and see if I can fix it rather than just ditching it.


Cost: Cilantro, Coconut milk, and pumpkin are the big expenses. Not bad at all.

Convenience: SOOO easy, fast, and convenient

Delicious: This isn't great yet-- but I'm going to start modifying and/or actually do the recipe correctly. 
Although note, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes will NOT make this spicy.

Freeze: Dunno, not finding out this time

Uses: SO FAST AND EASY. It's literally chop onions, garlic, ginger and toast those, then dump the rest in the pot and warm it up. If this could be delicious, it would be an incredibly easy recipe.

Notes: Ideas for modification: Follow the recipe!, Plain yogurt, sriracha, pumpkin or yam chunks, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk with more fat, fish sauce/lime/lemongrass/brown sugar? (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/146035/the-best-thai-coconut-soup/ )


Update: This recipe is definitely a keeper. I need to remake it how it's supposed to be made and then see what modifications, but I just made it worth having. I added sriracha, toasted sesame seeds, and tomatoes and it was quite good! Doing this right and with a few extra tweaks, this has real potential. I will continue to update with the modifications and when I redo this recipe properly with any regular modifications, I will redo this whole thing into a keeper recipe.

Modifications Tried
1. Sesame seeds, sriracha, and fresh tomato: mmmmh good, the flavor combo isn't right enough to be delightful, but good.

2. Didn't have any more tomatoes... but I did have some leftover sockarooni tomato sauce from the gnocchi. It was great!! It thickened it up just enough with only like a tablespoon in a bowlful. It did weaken the flavor some,but well worth it for fixing the texture. I'm hoping the bouillon would be able to do this too! I still might want to see about adding more veggies. Maybe one of the stirfry veggie bags in the freezer?

Staple: African Peanut Stew

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/08/african-peanut-stew-vegan/

This was my biggest absolute winner of 2015. I made it like four times. It's really delicious and really filling. It's been popular with a range of people and I love the taste.

Cost: Pretty cheap overall.
Convenience: Really easy. The longest part at this point is chopping up the stuff... if get faster than that... it's gonna be an absolute breeze
Delicious: It's so good. Mmmmmh.
Can you pressure or slow cook it?? I have no idea. Not tried yet
Freeze: Yup. It's not perfect, but it works quite well.
Uses: Make for other people, Eat all week, It's a favorite, use it for anything.
Notes: I actually prefer the non-natural peanut butter with it, extra crunchy versions. I've tried it with kale, but like it better with the collard greens. If you use the whole bunch of collard greens instead of half, it makes the flavor quite a bit less sharp, buuuut you get way more healthy greens so it's a tough call. I trade off like every time I make it. . The ginger is super important to it, if it's not fresh, it's just not as good. The best Tom suggested putting it on toast and it was super good -- bet it would also be amazing on naan or jasmine rice.