June, Delish's senior food producer and resident budget eats expert, set out to cook a whole week's worth of meals for herself using only what she already had on hand. Watch to see how she fared—and catch the rest of her series, Budget Eats, on YouTube!
I'm a professional procrastinator. April and May came and went and my once-grandiose plans to finally sort through all my random cooking ingredients and clean out my kitchen sublimated themselves out of existence. Just because I had missed the deadline for a "spring cleaning" didn't mean I was off the hook though: I'd promised our video director Julia that my next episode of Budget Eats would involve a $0 budget in which I could only use what I already had stocked in my pantry, fridge, and freezer. It would now just have to be, technically, "summer cleaning."
Let this be a lesson to us all (but especially to me) that procrastination simply delays and multiplies the pain of your fears as they manifest. Cooking in the middle of summer is a cruel act. Baking in the middle of summer is unthinkable. I did both. Several times. All week long.
Using a lot of leftovers that carried over from endless weeks of testing dumplings, honey mustard dressing, peanut sauce, romesco, and so many other things for our quarterly magazine, plus random odds and ends (hello, pinole!) that I found within the four corners of my 90-square foot kitchen, I somehow managed to cook 20 concoctions ranging from breakfast to lunch to dinner and even to dessert. Let's take a look at the highlights.
Sticky Black Rice Tofu Bowls
Using forbidden rice that our senior food editor Lena gifted me too many Christmases ago, I improved a bowl of leftovers that included a creamy leek sauce, defrosted frozen tofu soaked in spicy peanut sauce, slivered roasted red bell peppers, and pickled shallots, toasted almonds, and fresh mint. I surprised myself with how beautiful it turned out, both visually and taste-wise.
Rating: 10/10.
Veggie Fajitas
In an attempt to finally use up that bag of pinole flour I bought close to three years ago, I made some two-ingredient tortillas that were hearty and wholesome. I then melted onto them a lonesome last slice of American cheese stranded from my weird food combo experiments. To meaty up the meal, I threw together a fast and basic stir-fry that combined leftover sautéed leeks with onions and a shriveling bell pepper, then added some fried eggs, pickled shallots, fresh cilantro, and more spicy peanut sauce.
It's not anywhere near a classic or traditional fajita offering, but it was satisfying enough that I would definitely cook it again.
Rating: 10/10.
Banana Caramel Teff Cakes
My, oh my, were these good. They tasted like they came from a fancy French-inspired patisserie, super buttery, super tender, nicely moist, and ultimately flavorful. These were a one-bowl mash-up: bruise-heavy overripe bananas combined with random caramel sauces and defrosted frozen ricotta that had "expired" over a year ago, folded together with teff flour and the very last bit of semolina I had on hand from eating like my partner for a week.
Topped with some super toasty crushed almonds and flaky Maldon salt, drizzled with even more caramel, these mini cake-muffins were a true dessert highlight of the week.
Rating: 10/10.
Giant Pan-Fried Dumplings
Using my dumpling testing leftovers, I made giant potstickers filled with romesco sauce and vegan bolognese and paired it all with a minty white cheese buttermilk sauce. Super crispy on the outside, filling to the max on the inside: a savory explosion.
Rating: 10/10.
Fried Polenta
They were crispy but too soft and mushy, which also meant they were extremely creamy and luscious. Dipped into a white cheese sauce and some romesco, I found these extremely snackable and filling, albeit a little wonky looking.
Rating: 10/10.
No-Bake Lime Froyo "Cheesecake"
A failed no-bake cheesecake experiment turned into one of my favorite treats of the week. Made with a packet of long-ignored agar agar, strained yogurt, condensed milk, and a smidge of whipped cream, this limey froyo cup was a success of a fail. Each bite chilled me down during 95° days and was just sweet enough without feeling cloying.
Rating: 9.5/10.
