High Protein, Cheap, Healthy Entree Recipes Request

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Zodikosis
Zodikosis Posts: 149 Member
in Recipes
Hey there, I'm stuck in a bit of a cooking rut, and surfing through All Recipes for a few hours hasn't turned up much of interest, so I figured I'd ask you guys if you're aware of any recipes that could fit into my meal plan.

What I'm looking for:
  • Cheap overall, or cheap for the quantity you get. I've been trying to cut down on my monthly grocery bill, so I'd prefer if the ingredients were generally pretty cheap to get in your average US grocery store. Things like oats, beans, sweet potatoes, eggs, etc. I have a huge selection of spices and basic pantry staples (various oils, flour, rice, sugar, soy sauce, various vinegars, etc) already, so this helps a bit.
  • Veggie-heavy. I'm trying to eat a wider variety of produce than my usual broccoli/brussels sprouts/asparagus trifecta. Vegetarian and vegan recipes are welcome. Bonus points for using somewhat less common vegetables or fruits (okay if they make the recipe not necessarily cheap), such as pumpkin, beets, garlic scapes, prickly pear, gooseberries, etc.
  • Must not contain: tomatoes (very little tomato or tomato product is okay, as long as it is not perceptible), cilantro, or large quantities of cooked onion (boyfriend won't eat it otherwise), bananas or celery (I won't eat it otherwise).
  • Main dish (breakfast, lunch, or dinner acceptable)
  • High protein/high fiber/medium-to-low carb. I would prefer to steer away from dishes that consist mostly of rice, pasta, or couscous, but I'd still consider them.
  • Doesn't necessarily have to be low calorie, but preferably not high calorie (>500 cal/serving)
  • Complexity doesn't matter, I love cooking and don't mind spending hours cooking something.
  • I'm fine with pretty much any type of cuisine from anywhere in the world, but I've been having a hard time finding dishes that meet these criteria and are not East Asian or South East Asian, so would prefer recipes from other types of cuisines.

All right, hope these restrictions aren't impossible to meet... Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,606 Member
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    Not going to try to address all requirements except cheap. There is a good series in the UK called "Eat Well for Less"
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFwV3b_jNSk

    The basic themes are: Avoid big brands and try to find supermarkt own brands you like (ie breakfast cereal, yoghurt, condiments, jam), cook from scratch and avoid convenience foods and takeaway meals, avoid any products where some of the work has already been done (ie grated cheese, pre-washed bags of salad), drink tapwater.

    Two veg and protein heavy dishes without tomatoes and cilantro I like are Cambodian Beef Lok Lak and Soupe au Pistou. Both do contain garlic, though.

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