Cooking on a Budget: 3 Herb and Spice Recipes to Cook This Weekend

Cooking on a Budget: 3 Herb and Spice Recipes to Cook This Weekend

You don't have to spend a fortune preparing a party. In fact, all a truly good dish needs is flavor and there is nothing better to give a dish just that than natural herbs and spices.

Here are 3 delicious herb and spice recipes you can cook for your dinner party this weekend without breaking your budget:

1. Tropical Grilled Chicken with Basil

What you need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2 tbsp. corn oil

• 2 tsp. minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon. freshly grated lemon peel

• 1/4 tsp. Salt-

Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and place in a resealable plastic bag. Set aside. Place basil leaves, lemon juice, corn oil, lemon zest, and salt in a blender and pulse until well combined, about 20-30 seconds. Pour the mixture over the chicken and seal. Shake the bag to coat the chicken breasts, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. When finished, remove the chicken from the bag and discard any excess marinade. Cook in a preheated grill over medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through. If desired, serve warm with an additional garnish of basil leaves.

2. Classic herbed salmon

What you need:

• 1kg. Salmon

• 5 leaves dried sage

• 1 tbsp. dried thyme

• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper

• 1 pinch of ground paprika

Spray one side of a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. The foil should be large enough to fold the entire fish. Place the salmon in the oiled side of the foil and sprinkle with thyme, cayenne pepper, paprika and shredded sage leaves. Fold the foil over the salmon to make a packet. Bake the fish in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 20-30 minutes or until cooked through. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving with salted potato wedges or any side dish.

3. Easy 3-Herb Pasta

What you need:

• 1 cup rotini pasta

• 1 tbsp. dried coriander

• 1 tbsp. dried parsley

• 1 tbsp. dried sage

• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Boil about 3 cups lightly salted water in a medium saucepan. Cook the pasta in boiling water as directed on the package, usually about 8-10 minutes. Set aside about 1/3 cup of water before draining the pasta. Place the cooked pasta and reserved water in a large bowl before tossing in the cilantro, parsley, sage, lemon juice, and lime juice. Stir well until all ingredients are evenly mixed. Serve hot with garlic bread if desired.

Cook these 3 easy-to-follow and budget-friendly dishes with common herbs and spices for your friends and the rest of your loved ones for your dinner party and you will surely get the well-deserved weekend you need!