These creamy, tangy, and spicy kimchi spring rolls are the ultimate cold appetizer for any party or potluck!
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When I opened my former restaurant, AVO, in Nashville, I knew this Kimchi Spring Roll appetizer would make it onto the menu. Not only did it make it onto the menu (and it’s still on the menu with a new chef at the helm and under new ownership!) but it was our best-selling item. The flavor balancing act is perfectly executed in the kimchi filling, so if you follow this recipe to a T, you will be the star at the next book club or potluck you attend, I promise!
What Are FRESH KIMCHI SPRING Rolls?
This recipe is the ultimate crowd-pleaser, whether you’re typically a fan of kimchi or not. Who doesn’t love a fresh spring roll?! The spicy, tangy, creamy filling in a soft wrapping is a great bite to share when you have company over and the filling alone makes a great healthy topping on salad in place of the same old tuna salad. The flavors and textures balance so perfectly in this one.
My original recipe uses raw cashews instead of peanuts, but subbing the peanuts totally worked; they are a great budget-friendly substitute. The sauce packs a flavor punch as well but lets the kimchi filling really shine. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. This one’s near and dear to my little veggie-loving heart!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these fresh kimchi spring rolls:
- Dipping Sauce: A sweet, savory, and tangy combination of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, green onion, garlic, and fresh ginger.
- Kimchi: This gut-friendly, probiotic-packed superfood is tangy, spicy, and a little bit sour. Opt for a mild kimchi if you’re not a fan of spice.
- Peanuts: Roasted unsalted peanuts work perfectly in place of my original cashews to create a thick and creamy filling.
- Peanut Butter: Enhances the peanut flavor and helps create a creamy filling.
- Maple Syrup: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the spiciness and richness of the filling.
- Sesame Oil: Toasted sesame oil adds a hint of nuttiness to the filling.
- Veggies: Bell peppers, carrots, and cucumber make up the fresh and crunchy veggie filling of these spring rolls.
- Lettuce: Green leaf lettuce helps create a barrier between the saucy filling and the spring roll wrappers.
- Spring Roll Wrappers: Also called “rice paper wrappers,” these light and translucent wrappers are dry and firm until you soak them. Then, they become pliable and will stay chewy and soft.
What’s the Difference Between A SPRING ROLL, A SUMMER ROLL, and An Egg Roll?
While all these tasty bites are wrapped and rolled, spring rolls may be fresh, baked, or deep fried, where summer rolls are always served cold. An egg roll is a variation on a spring roll that is made with dough that has been enriched with eggs, typically fried. Technically, these fresh kimchi spring rolls could also called a summer roll. They are so refreshing!
Summer Roll Tips
- You don’t need to use all of the spring roll wrappers… just keep rolling until all filling ingredients are gone!
- Don’t overfill your spring rolls. Trying to pack in too much filling will surely make a mess!
- Try to make a bed with the veggies and lettuce for the kimchi filling to lay on top of so your rice paper can firm up.
- They are less likely to tear if the finished spring rolls touch if you sprinkle some sesame seeds on the sides. The rice paper remains sticky for a few minutes after rolling.
- The spring rolls don’t keep particularly well for more than a day, but any extra kimchi filling and veggies will take any salad to the next level!
Fresh Kimchi Spring Rolls
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
These Air Fryer Chicken Tenders are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and perfect for a quick & easy lunch or dinner meal.
The post Air Fryer Chicken Tenders appeared first on Budget Bytes.
I’m on a roll with these air fryer recipes y’all! And since I loved how well my air fryer chicken nuggets turned out, I wanted to try some air fryer chicken tenders next. This time I combined panko and regular breadcrumbs for the perfect texture and I used chicken breast tenderloins to make things super easy. They’re perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and a lot fresher than frozen chicken tenders! So get your favorite dipping sauce ready, because these air fryer chicken tenders are perfect for a quick & easy lunch or dinner meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make these crispy air fryer chicken tenders:
- Chicken Breast Tenders: I like purchasing the chicken that is already cut into tenders or tenderloins. But you can also make your own tenders by cutting a boneless, skinless chicken breast lengthwise into strips.
- All Purpose Flour: A light coating of flour helps the egg coating adhere to the chicken.
- Eggs: Eggs help the breadcrumb mixture adhere to the chicken tenders. You can also use buttermilk instead of eggs like we did for these air fryer chicken nuggets.
- Panko and regular breadcrumbs: I used a combination of panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs. The regular breadcrumbs are finer in texture and provide a more even coating. The panko breadcrumbs give the tenders that crispy crunch that I love. Combined they provide the perfect balance.
- Seasoning: A mix of salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic & onion powder, flavors the chicken and the breadcrumbs.
Homemade Dipping Sauces
Wanna make your own dipping sauce for these chicken tenders? Well here are some of our favorites:
Recipe Tips For Success!
- When adding the breading, roll and press the chicken tenders into the breadcrumb mixture making sure it’s completely coated evenly all the way around.
- Don’t crowd the basket. Making sure there is enough space around each chicken tender allows the hot air to circulate evenly and helps the tenders get nice and crispy. So cook the chicken tenders in two separate batches if you need to.
- Don’t forget to preheat the air fryer. Similar to preheating your oven, it’s a good idea to preheat your air fryer so the chicken tenders can cook evenly and get crispy on the outside.
- Spray the tops of the chicken tenders with cooking spray and repeat when it’s time to flip the tenders. This also helps the tenders to get crispy on both sides!
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Enjoy these easy chicken tenders with a side of roasted broccoli, air fryer french fries, or a simple Caesar salad. These tenders would also taste great with a side of oven baked steak fries or a simple pasta salad. And of course you can never go wrong with classic homemade mashed potatoes or homemade applesauce.
Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Banana Cake
When life hands you overripe bananas about to meet their doom, make this budget-friendly Banana Cake instead!
The post Banana Cake appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Listen, I am hard on myself when it comes to food waste. It’s up there on my top 10 list of pet peeves, right next to the car being left on empty. My solution? When life hands you overripe bananas about to meet their doom, make this sweet, creamy, budget-friendly Banana Cake instead! This Banana Cake is moist and sweet and is complimented perfectly by the ultra creamy cream cheese frosting.
This creamy, rich Banana Cake is dessert, it’s breakfast, it’s the treat we all need and deserve! The best part? This cake is so easy to make, and I bet you have most- if not all- of the ingredients already on hand!
What is Banana Cake?
Banana cake is really as simple as it sounds… a cake with bananas in it! This cake is perfectly sweet and dense, but a little fluffier than your typical banana bread. The cream cheese frosting compliments the sweet and warm banana flavor perfectly. I highly recommend having banana cake for breakfast after making this!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make banana cake:
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cake its structure.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cake rise.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth to the batter.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the cake.
- Lemon Juice: Provides the necessary acid to activate the baking soda and emphasizes the tangy flavor of the frosting.
- Bananas: You’ll need 3 very ripe bananas for this cake. Unripe or just ripe bananas will not mash well and won’t have as much natural sweetness.
- Sugar: Granulated and light brown sugar sweeten the cake, while powdered sugar sweetens the frosting without making it gritty.
- Eggs: Help bind the cake together.
- Unsalted Butter: Adds moisture and richness to the cake and helps create a smooth and cohesive frosting.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds warmth to the cake and the frosting.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the cake.
- Cream Cheese: Creates a rich and tangy frosting.
- Walnuts: Add a delightful crunch to the top of this cake.
Can Bananas Be Too Ripe?
Yes, but you’d have to wait a good long while. Bananas are safe to eat and cook with well after their skins have turned black. However, if you notice any fuzzy white, gray, or green mold or if the banana smells rotten, fermented, or is leaking any fluids, it’s best to toss it. Additionally, if the fruit itself has turned completely black, it is beyond saving.
Tips and Tricks
- Use very ripe bananas. The sugar content of bananas increases as they ripen, so the more ripe your bananas are the sweeter the cake and the more pronounced the banana flavor will be.
- Grease the baking dish well. This is a VERY moist cake, and it will stick if you don’t grease the baking dish well.
- Use room-temperature eggs and dairy. This will help the batter come together more quickly, and it will help create the smoothest frosting.
- Don’t overmix the batter. A few lumps are okay.
- Let the cake cool completely before frosting it. Frosting a hot cake is a recipe for disaster!
Banana Cake
Air Fryer Tofu
If you’re looking to fire up a Meatless Monday tradition, this Air Fryer Tofu is super easy and tastes great.
The post Air Fryer Tofu appeared first on Budget Bytes.
This budget-friendly protein-packed tofu is begging to be the center of attention at your dinner table. If you’re looking to fire up a Meatless Monday tradition, or you’ve been on the tofu train for a long time, this Air Fryer Tofu is super easy and tastes great. I toss extra firm tofu in a simple soy sauce marinade and then drizzle with honey, sesame seeds, and green onions after it’s crisped up in the air fryer. The texture comes out perfect and the flavor profile is an easy hit with tofu experts and novices alike!
I remember when my relationship with tofu first started about 20 years ago. Tofu could be found in a big bucket of water in the bottom of a cooler at the health food store, and I had to fish it out with tongs. I remember thinking, “What IS this stuff?!” The various options for firm, extra firm, soft, or silken were hard to come by back then, but now tofu is experiencing a much-deserved Renaissance!
You can find tofu everywhere– and the variety! (Swoon.) Already marinated, soft, extra firm, cut into chicken-like shapes, you name it. Even your local Walmart or Aldi probably has it. We don’t have to break the bank at luxury grocery stores to find it any longer and thank goodness that container full of tofu and water is a thing of the past.
What is Air Fryer Tofu?
Delightfully crispy on the outside with a delightfully chewy center, this Air Fryer Tofu is good enough to convert anyone into a tofu lover. The freezing step of the tofu is one you won’t want to skip! It gives it a dense texture that holds up great with all kinds of sauces. I attempted many different recipes for Air Fryer Tofu, trying to keep things as easy and inexpensive as possible. This recipe yielded the best result every time!
You can add whatever herbs or seasonings you like to this recipe, but the soy sauce and sesame oil are keepers; they add umami and savory notes to otherwise bland tofu. Tofu is so versatile and easy to add flavor to with whatever marinade ingredients you like best.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make crispy air fryer tofu:
- Extra Firm Tofu: This type of tofu holds up best to air frying. It holds its shape well, and it has a chewier texture than firm or regular tofu.
- Soy Sauce: Adds tons of umami flavor to the tofu.
- Sesame Oil: Adds a hint of nuttiness to the tofu and helps it brown in the air fryer.
- Cornstarch: Absorbs excess moisture to create a super crispy coating. My recipe calls for much less than other recipes I have seen and this helps the texture big time!
- Honey: Adds a touch of sweetness!
- Sesame Seeds: Add a great crunch to the tofu.
- Green Onion: Adds a pop of fresh onion flavor.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve this crispy air fryer tofu is over this delicious coconut rice! The slightly sweet and nutty flavor pairs so well with the savory, crispy tofu! For dipping, I love this sweet chili sauce (pictured) or homemade sweet and sour sauce.
Tips and Notes
- Extra firm or super firm tofu works best. Firm tofu will also work, but the texture won’t be quite as dense. I do not recommend regular or silken tofu for this recipe, as neither holds up well.
- Don’t skip freezing the tofu! It creates a denser, spongier texture that has a meatier chew.
- If you like your tofu crunchier (and less chewy), you can press it between clean kitchen towels using a tofu press, a stack of books, or a heavy pan for 30-60 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Air Fryer Tofu
Tuscan Orzo
Tuscan orzo is a one-pot meal made in just 30 minutes with simple ingredients. It’s creamy, cozy comfort food at its best.
The post Tuscan Orzo appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Pasta, veggies, and an addictively creamy sauce? Say no more! I’m all about quick one-pot weeknight meals these days; juggling work, a toddler, and a barnyard full of animals to care for (I see you, busy moms!). This Tuscan Orzo recipe gets the job done! Made in just 30 minutes with simple ingredients, this big-batch pasta dish will feed the whole family. Creamy, tomatoey pasta with wilty spinach is cozy comfort food at its best.
What Is Tuscan Orzo?
Tuscan orzo is a dish that is made in the Tuscan tradition of simple, inexpensive meals that can easily be made in large amounts. Orzo pasta is extra delicious in cooked in a creamy tomatoey broth until it is rich, thick, and super flavorful!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make Tuscan orzo:
- Olive Oil: Helps the onions and garlic cook without burning.
- Butter: Adds richness to the dish.
- Onion: Adds a touch of sweet and earthy flavor.
- Garlic: Enhances the savory and earthy flavors of the dish.
- Italian Seasoning: Adds that classic Italian flavor.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice adds a pop of acidity that balances and brightens this creamy dish.
- Dijon Mustard: Has a spicy, slightly bitter flavor that enhances the savory elements of this dish.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes: You can choose to strain your canned tomatoes and make up for the ½ cup of liquid (give or take) by adding a little more vegetable broth. I love the tomatoey flavor (and extra vitamin C!), so I left the tomato juice in.
- Orzo Pasta: Despite its rice-like shape, this is actually a type of pasta. It gives this dish a texture similar to risotto but in much less time.
- Vegetable Broth: I used vegetable bouillon to keep this budget-friendly.
- Heavy Cream: Makes this dish super rich and creamy.
- Parmesan Cheese: Adds savory umami flavor.
- Baby Spinach: A great way to sneak in some greens and adds a mellow vegetal flavor.
- Parsley: Adds a pop of freshness and color.
- Salt and Pepper: Enhance the overall flavor of the dish.
What Else Can I Add?
This is a pretty hefty dish all by itself and makes a great vegetarian main, but you can add protein to it if you like. Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Breast would make an excellent addition if you have meat-eaters in the fam. Personally, I love adding chopped kalamata olives, balsamic roasted mushrooms, and extra veggies. Substituting the dairy in this recipe is so easy these days, too. So, if you’re vegan, you can easily tweak it to your liking using plant-based milks and cheeses!
Tips and Notes
- Make sure the orzo simmers and doesn’t boil. The liquid will evaporate too quickly if it’s left to boil, leading to undercooked orzo.
- A lot of Tuscan orzo recipes call for more expensive sundried tomatoes, but I substituted with canned petite diced tomatoes and I think it came out even better. Sometimes, I find sundried tomatoes to be extra salty, so this version really highlights all of the ingredients without being overly salty.
- Bring the cream to room temperature before using to ensure it doesn’t curdle from the temperature shock when you add it to the hot orzo.
- Half-and-half would work in place of the cream, but I do not recommend using milk, as the orzo won’t be as rich or creamy. You can make this recipe vegan by substituting plant-based cream and vegan cheese… it’s so easy to find easy substitutions these days.
- If the orzo seems watery at the end of cooking, you can simmer it for a bit longer. It will continue to absorb the liquid and thicken.