Ever since we stopped at Central Market in Shoreline, WA for a quick bite, we’ve been craving something beet-y. The salad we had was a sweet-but-bold mix of beets, herbs, and vinaigrette. We set out to duplicate it, many times over, and we think we did a pretty good job.

Good With: Salad, Chicken dishes, Stand Alone
Prep Time: <5 minutes
Cook Time: 35-45 minutes
Cost: <$1.00 per serving
Growing up in a poor household and raised by two hippies, this dish was a staple of my upbringing. Extremely cheap and easy to make, but packing a flavorful and healthy punch, it’s something I’ve never stopped [...]

Good With: Chips & Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Bean dishes
Prep Time: >10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Cost: About 66¢ per serving
After we had chilaquiles at a Chicago mexican restaurant called El Jardin (The Garden), we knew we wanted to try to make it. It’s a great way to use up extra tortillas, cheese [...]

Good With: Lettuce based salads, Garlic Bread, Pepper Bread
Prep Time: < 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Cost: $1.25 per serving
Original Pirate Material
If it wasn’t apparent before, it definitely is now: we’re really into goat cheese-based pan sauces. It’s such a rich, beautiful taste… Adding in the white wine (for quick and delicious de-glazing*) doesn’t take [...]

The lentil – a tiny nutritional bombshell that’s ready to absorb and compliment whichever flavors you have on hand. This dish incorporates one of my favorite things – caramelized onions – and doesn’t disappoint.

Good With: Asian-flavored meat dishes, alone, soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cost: About 30¢ per serving
Adapted from a recipe at Healthy Delicious

Nothing cures a hangover quite like greasy take out – we all know that. A good, shiny, slightly salty fried rice dish takes the edge off almost as well as [...]

Gnocchi at its best, as an absorbent base for something extremely flavorful. In this case, garlic.

Left overs from other dishes and an urge to experiment with dry sherry were the inspiration for Drunken Goat Pasta.

Beet greens are extremely high in Vitamin K, Fiber, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron and a multitude of other necessities. A little olive oil and a lot of garlic makes them taste delicious too.

We almost called this ‘Cornfetti Salad.’ Guess why.