Entrees Archives - Economical Chef

Easy Braised Guinness Lamb Chops with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

October 21, 2020October 20, 2020 by Economical Chef

I recently discovered how versatile beer is for cooking. I typically fall back on IPAs, pale ales or anything with hops. Though, with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I decided to break out the Guinness and make these Braised Guinness Lamb Chops with Rosemary Sweet Potatoes. I have been cooking with beer frequently, and have been pleased with the results (check out this Slow Cooker Beer Chicken to see what I mean). This recipe did NOT disappoint either. The sauce was rich and tangy, and the lamb was tender. It was exactly what I was looking for in a St. Patrick’s Day recipe.

The recipe is easy to make too. It’s what I would call an “easy braise” – you will be done in about an hour. Plus, you’re idle for most of that hour so you can enjoy it hanging with friends or watching The Office like I did.

Slow Cooker Beer Chicken

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and this Slow Cooker Beer Chicken is the perfect dish to enjoy while watching the millionaires play their game.

Key and Peele Slow Cooker Chicken — Watch Key and Peele

You can easily impress your guests (and/or yourself) with this Slow Cooker Beer Chicken that takes minimal effort to make. Throw it on a bun with some BBQ sauce, or eat it plain with some rice and veggies. Your call.

All you need to get started are two key ingredients:

Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

Lunches are tough to plan for the week, not to mention actually prep and cook. It can be hard to find the motivation some Sunday’s to spend time in the kitchen making food for the work week instead of enjoying the last few hours of the workday. This past week, I was feeling especially uninspired. Just what you want to hear at the beginning of a recipe post.

I had already made Basil Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing, Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bites, Slow Cooker Avocado Chicke n Salad, and Spicy Soy Sauce Basil Chicken, I was running out of ideas, to be honest. Then hit it me, I remembered a simple classic from my childhood – BBQ chicken with rice. I had BBQ chicken and rice every night throughout middle school and high school. Okay, not every night, but once a week easy. The idea made me excited to whip up my own version.

When revisiting this childhood classic I wanted to keep it easy and simple, and nothing is easier than the slow cooker. You could make BBQ chicken with two ingredients – BBQ sauce and chicken. I was looking for something a bit more flavorful, so I added some onion, garlic and vinegar to the slow cooker to spice up this Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken while still keeping the recipe simple with only 5 ingredients.

How to Make a Healthy Bison Burgers at Home

April 20, 2020March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

When making burgers, I usually try to switch up the flavor combinations every time to keep things fresh, but these Healthy Bison Burgers really stood out because of their simplicity. => Want a full list of Burger recipes? Get here All Recipes from Meredith Corporation.

Bison burgers have quickly risen as one of my favorite foods. Bison is healthy and delicious, but can also be expensive. I did my best to battle the costliness of these Healthy Bison Burgers by “stretching” my ingredients to get the most bang for my buck. I made 1/4 burgers seem slightly bigger by mixing some mushrooms into the ground bison mixture. Mushrooms have a great meaty texture and take on the flavor of the burger, and it worked like a charm in this recipe. The one watch out with mushrooms is that they absorb water, so make sure to soak them in some olive oil to prevent them from making your burgers dry.

Simple Pasta with Garlic and Oil

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

Pasta with Garlic and Oil is a classic Italian dish – also known as spaghetti aglio e olio. The best part about this recipe is not its a.k.a. status, but its simplicity. You only need three ingredients to get started, and you probably already have all three in your pantry.

Pan Seared Salmon with Soy Ginger Glaze

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

This Pan Seared Salmon with Soy Ginger Glaze is the perfect weeknight meal. It’s easy to make, affordable and the glaze takes the flavor to a whole new level. Plus, the entire recipe only has 7 ingredients! It’s a great recipe to make for your family or just for yourself – it heats up surprisingly well for being salmon (just try not to do it at work).

My first blog post ever was actually a salmon recipe. The stock photo is hard to look at, but the recipe itself is very good. It’s a go-to recipe of mine that I cook all the time, and if you like this Pan Seared Salmon with Soy Ginger Glaze recipe then I suggest you check out the original economical salmon recipe too.

Back to the current salmon recipe…

Easy Blackened Chicken Pita with Mint Yogurt Sauce

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

Blackened Chicken Pita with Mint Yogurt Sauce go great together, like MJ and Pippen, Brady and Belichick, Chandler and Joey, Shrek and Fiona. You get the picture. The heat of the chicken is matched perfectly by the cool tang of the mint yogurt sauce. Each only having a handful of ingredients makes this flavorful pita recipe super easy to make.

I first made blackened seasoning last summer over the Fourth of July. I was grilling at my then Fiance’s (now Wife’s) parent’s house and drinking my favorite beer (manly) and covered the entire chicken breast in black pepper before tossing it onto the grill. Plain and simple, yes, but the result was pretty dang good.

This time around, I upped the seasoning game slightly and added some other spice and flavor to the mix, including red pepper and paprika. The combination was quite tasty, and hot. If you like spicy food then this recipe is for you! It’s not quite grilling weather yet, so I baked this in the stove, but cooking it on the grill would work great too. You also do not need a cat measuring cup to make this recipe, but if you’re into it the Amazon link is below.

Grass Fed Beef and Quinoa Meatballs

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

I have a bad habit of buying groceries I don’t need each week at the grocery store. Not that I buy a bunch of cereal and candy bars and chips, but I’ll oftentimes buy bread when we already have a loaf at home or I’ll get pasta without knowing we have a couple boxes in the pantry. In this case, and for the past couple weeks, I have been buying grass-fed beef that is on sale even though we already have 2-3 lbs in the freezer. It’s an annoying habit that I need to break, but the extra food always gets used in the form of countless sandwiches, pasta bakes, and in this case, Grass Fed Beef and Quinoa Meatballs.

If you’re wondering why there is quinoa in these meatballs, the main answer is “money.” Meat is expensive, and quinoa is slightly more affordable and packs a good amount of protein. Rather than use breadcrumbs in this recipe, I decided to switch it up and use quinoa. It worked great and kept a couple extra bucks in my pocket.

Spicy Honey Balsamic Chicken

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, chicken is a healthy protein choice, but can also be extremely bland and boring. I’m always looking for ways to spice up this healthy protein. In the past, I made Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Spicy Soy Sauce Basil Chicken, but this time I created a new chicken recipe utilizing balsamic vinegar and honey, both of which I had handy in my pantry. The result – Spicy Honey Balsamic Chicken. It didn’t disappoint.

This recipe is perfect when made and eaten fresh (obviously), but also works great as a meal prep recipe. I made 1 pound of chicken on Sunday night and enjoyed it all week long with some rice and cooked vegetables. The tangy and spicy chicken would also work great in a simple stir fry recipe!

Spicy Soy Sauce Basil Chicken

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

Chicken is healthy, but can also be bland and boring. This cold winter night I decided to go with something spicy for dinner, and this Spicy Soy Sauce Basil Chicken is anything but bland. It will give your weeknight dinner routine the shake up it needs. Earlier, I shared a recipe on how to make chicken in a slow cooker, this time I am going to marinate chicken and “grill” it on the stovetop. If you don’t have a grill pan, a regular frying pan will work just fine.

Rosemary Dijon Pork Loin

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

My wife hates the smell of bacon. It’s kind of weird. She also hates the smell of coffee in the morning, so not really sure we can trust her. Needless to say, she was not a fan of when I made this delicious rosemary Dijon pork loin last Sunday afternoon. Its tasty, herby aroma filled the apartment. Or in her words, “it smelt like death.”

After opening up all the windows and airing the place out, I was able to slice this pork and chow down. It was the perfect Sunday late lunch, but it also heated up well all week for lunches and dinners.

Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bites

March 16, 2020 by Economical Chef

As you read in my Slow Cooker Avocado Chicken article, I recently gave up eating deli meat sandwiches for lunch. It just became too much to handle – eating a cold sandwich every day. Don’t get me wrong, I loved them for 2+ years and will probably eat them again, but in the meantime, I need to switch it up. I’m opting for hot lunches for the first time since elementary school. Except this time hot lunch doesn’t mean pizza and corn dogs, this time it means Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bites. They’re spicy, savory, easy to make and heat up beautifully so you can bring them to work every day for lunch. They go great in a wrap, with some brown rice and vegetables or on top of a salad. The best part is that a complete lunch featuring these Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bites will run you less than $3.

That’s fast food cheap.

Making this recipe is extremely easy too, and takes less than 30 minutes. I had some help along the way from some useful kitchen tools; my Le Creuset and wooden turner: