It's we're on a bit of a quinoa roll these days! I have a number of recipes on One Dish Dinners using quinoa (with another coming next week!), Lisa shared her Cilantro-Lime Quinoa last week and we've made a number of different quinoa recipes here on $5 Dinners! If you haven't heard of quinoa (keen-wa), it's a gluten free grain from Peru that is gaining popularity quickly … [Read more...]
Cilantro-Lime Quinoa
This recipe is quickly becoming one of our favorites for outdoor cookouts, potluck gatherings, and overnight camping trips. It can easily be made in advance, tastes great leftover, and is sure to please any crowd. A little over a year ago we would have been adding a bag of chips or pasta salad (made from white flour) to our cookouts, but now that we're on the real food … [Read more...]
Chilled Summer Squash and Orzo Salad
Hello garden goodies! It's that time of year when the zukes, squash, and tomatoes and abundant in gardens across the land. And I've got the p.e.r.f.e.c.t recipe that will use them all up in one shot! There's just something about a chilled orzo salad during the summertime it just makes my tongue, my tummy and my heart happy! Orzo is the perfect size, texture and does … [Read more...]
Mushroom and “Roasted” Garlic Pita Pizzas
My husband and son love pizza: the greasier the better. That kind of pizza really does not agree with my system. Before we started becoming more frugal, we had delivery pizza of this description about once a week. It was bad for our wallets and bad for our bodies. Over several months, I have gotten my family accustomed to enjoying less greasy pizzas -- usually home made … [Read more...]
Grilled Ratatouille
Ratatouille is one of the most frugal dishes in my repertoire. When my garden is in full swing the only ingredient I have to buy to make this dish is olive oil. As much as I like ratatouille, I must confess it has a couple of downsides. First, if I turn on the oven on a hot July day and only have vegetables to show for it, I will have a mutiny on my hands. Which brings me to … [Read more...]
Sharon’s Biscuit Pizza
Here is my biscuit pizza crust can be whipped up quickly...and is very filling for hungry teenagers. We normally have this when only a couple of the children are at home. It serves 4, but could easily be doubled to serve 8. Any leftovers can be saved in the fridge and reheated the next day. Homemade Biscuit Pizza Yield - 4 8" pizzas Preparation Time - 15 … [Read more...]
Corn Salad
Are you hot yet? In these dog days of summer, I have been experimenting with fresh recipes for hot summer nights. I have been loving vegetable salad recipes that feature summer produce in a new way. This is one of my favorite summer side dishes. It is a change from the classic corn on the cob and is a great make ahead dish to bring on a … [Read more...]
Vegetable Lasagna with Spinach “Noodles”
Summer finally arrived and all of my cool weather crops reacted to the heat by bolting. One nice thing about spinach when it bolts is that the leaves along the flower stalk are flat making them a great substitute for noodles in lasagna: I overlap the spinach leaves to create a layer. If you only have curled spinach leaves you can flatten them out a bit by making small … [Read more...]
Pasta with Kale, Lemon and Parmesan
The last couple Fridays, I've shared some grilling ideas and grilled pizza recipes. But this Friday, it's all about the light. the tasty. the refreshing. And simple too. It's a "boil the kale, boil the pasta, then toss with some lemon and Parmesan" kind of simple. Serve like this...or with some fresh fruit...or with a side of grilled chicken slices. Whatever … [Read more...]
Baked Zucchini Sticks
I do believe I have a new favorite snack. And I do believe that the boys have a new favorite snack! And what perfect timing...it's about to be high season for zucchinis...when the farmers will practically be giving them away at the markets. Next time I pick up one of the monster zucchinis for $1, I'll be sure to grab two...so I can make a couple batches of these … [Read more...]