Vegetarian Recipes
Avocado Margarita
Let’s be honest: avoiding alcohol altogether is a great way to save money, especially if you’re going out to bars and restaurants a lot. While cocktails are delicious, they’re not a necessity and definitely fall under the “treat yourself” category. However, if you’re looking for a unique adult beverage at home that won’t break the bank, give my refreshing Avocado Margarita a try! Avocado in a cocktail might sound weird, but don’t knock it ’til you try it! It was the signature drink at my former restaurant, too, and it’s perfect for Cinco De Mayo, summer cookouts, or your next taco Tuesday!
Easy Recipe for Avocado Margaritas
Get ready to experience a flavor explosion like no other; this avocado margarita cocktail is seriously creamy, tangy, and subtly sweet. I like to use airplane bottles instead of buying a whole bottle of alcohol—it’s a great way to save money if you don’t imbibe often. Depending on the liquor store, you can usually find some pretty good quality tequila in small quantities. This margarita is full of flavor thanks to the citrus zest, ripe avocado, and fresh cilantro, so buying a cheaper tequila won’t be as noticeable, flavor-wise. Or, you can leave the tequila out altogether and still enjoy a super satisfying mocktail version!
Avocado Margarita Recipe
Equipment
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Fixed Blade Blender
Ingredients
- ½ avocado $0.50
- 1 large navel orange (1/3 cup orange juice + 2 tsp orange zest, divided) $0.77
- 1-2 limes (3 Tbsp lime juice + 2 tsp lime zest) $0.50
- 2 airplane bottles of Blanco tequila* $1.98
- 2 Tbsp agave syrup** $0.28
- 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro + extra for garnish $0.03
- 2 cups ice $0.00
- 1 tsp salt $0.01
Instructions
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Pit and remove flesh from 1 ripe avocado, dividing it into quarter segments to freeze. Freeze until solid.
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Zest the orange and lime.
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Once zested, juice both the orange and the lime. If your orange and lime aren’t juicy enough, you may need to pick up an extra of each, just to be safe. You need at least 1/3 cup orange juice and 3 Tbsp lime juice.
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Add avocado, airplane bottles of tequila, orange juice, 1 tsp orange zest, lime juice, agave syrup (or honey), a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, and ice to a blender and blend until very smooth.
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Combine remaining 1 tsp orange zest, lime zest and salt.
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Rim 2 rocks glasses by twirling the top of the glass in any leftover remnants of citrus juice. (If you don’t have any juice left, brushing the rim of the glasses with a little bit of agave syrup or honey with your finger will help the salt and zest stick!)
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Then, twirl the glass rims in the salt and zest mixture.
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Fill each glass with avocado margarita. Garnish with a little extra fresh cilantro and a slice of lime if you have extra on hand.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
**Honey will also work in the same amount.
This recipe works best in a fixed-blade blender. I used a blender with removable blades at the studio, and while it worked, I had to scrape down the sides of the blender often so the blades would catch the mixture.
Nutrition
how to make an Avocado Margarita step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients.
Freeze the avocado: Remove the flesh from ½ an avocado and divide it into quarter segments. Place the avocado quarters into a zip-top bag and freeze until solid. It can take around 1.5-2 hours for the avocado to freeze fully.
I actually had a whole avocado today and decided to freeze it all (I used ½ for making this recipe and saved the rest in the freezer). Freezing keeps the avocado nice and green, and I can use the other half for another batch of these margs or an avocado smoothie in the future!
Zest the citrus: Carefully zest 1 large navel orange and 1-2 limes. I usually get about 1 Tbsp of zest from a large navel orange and 2 tsp of zest from a large lime. You need 2 tsp of orange zest and 2 tsp lime zest total for this recipe (avoid zesting the white pith underneath the peel as this is bitter…it’s just the colorful peel we want!)
Juice the citrus: Once zested, juice your orange and lime(s). You need 1/3 cup of orange juice and 3 Tbsp of lime juice. I like to have a spare orange and lime on hand just in case my citruses aren’t juicy enough.
Blend: Add ½ a frozen avocado, 2 airplane bottles of tequila, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1 tsp orange zest, 3 Tbsp lime juice, 2 Tbsp agave syrup or honey, a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, and 2 cups ice to your blender.
Blend until the mixture is smooth and has no large lumps of avocado or ice.
Make the rim: Mix together the remaining 1 tsp orange zest, 2 tsp lime zest, and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl.
Now, press 2 rocks glasses into any leftover citrus juice. If you don’t have any juice left, use your finger to brush the rims with a little agave or honey.
Twirl the glass rims into the zest and salt mix. The juice/agave on the rim will help it stick and make a delicious zesty-salty garnish!
Serve: Pour your homemade avocado margaritas into each glass. I had some leftover cilantro and lime slices, so I used them to garnish my glasses. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips & Variations!
- During my recipe testing, I found 1 large orange typically yields around 1 Tbsp zest and 1 large lime yields about 2 tsp zest. Zest carefully! You just want the fragrant, colorful part of the lime and orange peel, not the white pith underneath, which can be overly bitter.
- Room-temperature citruses release their juices much easier than cold ones! Let your orange and limes sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before juicing. You can also microwave them for about 20 seconds to warm them up if they’re cold from the fridge.
- This avocado margarita recipe can be made without tequila; just substitute the tequila for additional orange juice. If you’re one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, you could use mint instead.
- Be sure to wash your orange, limes, and cilantro before using them, especially since you’ll be zesting and blending.
- And most importantly, make sure your avocado is ripe! A ripe avocado should give slightly when you gently press the skin.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy avocado margarita is made to pair with a fun, flavor-packed spread! I love starting things off with my air fryer tortilla chips—they’re super crispy and perfect for scooping up my hearty black bean dip, which is creamy and protein-packed. If you’re feeling cheesy, our queso fundido is melty, bubbly, and totally irresistible when paired with the homemade tortilla chips. For something more filling, I think you’ll love our budget-friendly ground beef fajitas, which are loaded with peppers and onions, or our saucy chicken enchiladas.
More Refreshing Drink Recipes
The post Avocado Margarita appeared first on Budget Bytes.
Vegetarian Recipes
Homemade Kimchi
Once upon a time, I auditioned for one of those reality food shows, and my kimchi spring rolls got me to the next level of auditions (If you haven’t tried them yet, I posted a budget-friendly version here on the blog!) Why would a recipe like that get me flown to Los Angeles, you ask? Well, the judge asked me how I made my kimchi, and apparently, I aced his test; it’s not simply pickled; it’s fermented! I’ve always loved fermented foods, and this Homemade Kimchi is easy, vegan, budget-friendly perfection—the longer it sits, the better it gets! However, the process is super important, so let’s dive in!
Easy Recipe for Homemade Kimchi
Kimchi is a spicy, tangy, and veggie-packed Korean side dish made by fermenting fresh vegetables (think of it like pickles with a probiotic boost!). Instead of vinegar, the magic happens through lacto-fermentation, where good bacteria (the kind that’s great for your gut) naturally preserve the veggies and build the signature sour-savory flavor. I love serving it on rice bowls, tucked into wraps, or eaten straight from the jar as a quick snack. 😋
When I was in my 20s, I took a holistic nutrition course with a Naturopath Doctor in Indonesia. On my sojourn, I had a very long layover in South Korea, where I swear I ate 100 different kinds of kimchi. It helped me pinpoint the veggies I love most in my homemade recipe, but you can use just about any hardy vegetable you have on hand; I like to do a seasonal version as well, using raw pumpkin or butternut squash in the fall. Veggies like cucumbers and zucchini can be used, but because of their super high water content, they turn too mushy for my liking. Cabbage truly helps the texture no matter what else you add, so be sure to pick out a nice fresh head of cabbage!
Homemade Kimchi Recipe
Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.
Equipment
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3 12 oz Canning Jars
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Food Processor
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Large Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp agave $0.14*
- 1 jalapeno seeded, $0.41
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and divided, $1.48
- ½ red onion divided, $0.54
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger peeled, $0.24
- 2 large cloves garlic $0.06
- ½ green cabbage mine was about 1 ¾ lbs, $1.66
- ¼ red cabbage mine was about ¾ lb, $0.86
- 4 green onions $0.48
- 2 ribs celery $0.30
- 2 carrots $0.16
- 1 Tbsp sea salt $0.08
Instructions
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Begin by sanitizing your workspace and running three 12 oz canning jars through your dishwasher on high heat to sanitize them. Alternatively, you can also sanitize your jars by submerging them in boiling water and then allowing them to air dry.
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Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine agave syrup, 1 jalapeno (seeded), ½ red bell pepper (seeded), ¼ red onion, peeled ginger, and garlic cloves.
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Pulse vegetables and agave in a food processor until all vegetables have been broken down into a paste-like consistency, with any visible vegetables all being the same size, minced. Set aside.
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Prep all the vegetables: roughly chop or slice both cabbages, roughly chop the green onion (discarding only the very tip of the root), dice celery, julienne carrots, remaining ½ red bell pepper, and remaining ¼ red onion. This step is a great time to practice your knife skills or skip laboring over cutting everything and just chop it up coarsely. Kimchi is very forgiving, and it’s fun to have a lot of different shapes that will contribute to the texture once it is fermented later.
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In a large mixing bowl, combine all prepared veggies and salt. With clean hands, massage the salt into the prepared vegetables until they are all very soft. (It’s arm day, y’all! Use those muscles, and don’t stop!)
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After at least 10 minutes of massaging the vegetables and salt, add the prepared, processed vegetable and agave mixture. Continue to massage the vegetables and the spicy-sweet processed mixture together for another 5-10 minutes, or until a significant amount of water is released from the veggies, and you can see it pooling at the bottom of our bowl.
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With clean hands, spoon your mixture into jars and push it down firmly with the spoon once full. You should see a significant amount of liquid brine rising to the top, covering your vegetables whenever you push it down with the spoon (or clean fingers!) Don’t waste the brine; top off the jars as much as you can to cover the veggies.
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Place lids on jars loosely and wipe down the jars. Transfer the jars to a dark place in your kitchen for 24 hours. I like to place my jars in a spare Tupperware container and keep them under the sink, so they are contained and in a warm(ish) place to help with the early fermentation process.
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After 24 hours, carefully “burp” each jar by simply removing the lid to allow some of the naturally occurring gasses to escape. If your kitchen is particularly warm, you may want to burp your kimchi after just 12 hours to avoid a small (potent!) explosion. 🙂
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After the initial 24-hour fermentation period, burp your kimchi every 8-12 hours until you see consistent, active bubbles every time you open the lid. Once you see a lot of bubbling on a regular basis, you can screw the lid on tight and transfer the jars to your refrigerator. It’s done!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
The total amount of time for fermentation to take place can depend on various factors, such as the temperature of your kitchen. Keep burping the jar every 8-12 hours after the initial 24-hour (or 12-hour) fermentation period until you see consistent bubbles.
Nutrition
how to make Homemade Kimchi step-by-step photos
Gather all of your ingredients. Before starting, completely sanitize your workspace and run three 12 oz canning jars through your dishwasher on high heat to sanitize them. Or, you can alternatively sanitize your jars by submerging them in boiling water and then allowing them to air dry. I’ve also shared more on this below the step-by-step photos for reference.
Prep the veggies: While you wait for your jars to sanitize, you can get started on the vegetables. Add 1 Tbsp agave syrup, 1 jalapeno (seeded), ½ red bell pepper (seeded), ¼ red onion, 2 inch peeled fresh ginger, and 2 large garlic cloves to a food processor.
Pulse them in the food processor until all the veggies break down into a paste-like consistency. Any visible veggies should roughly be all the same size, minced. Set this mixture to one side for now.
Now roughly chop or slice ½ green cabbage and ¼ red cabbage, roughly chop 4 green onions (discarding only the very tip of the root), dice 2 ribs celery, julienne (thinly slice) 2 carrots, remaining ½ red bell pepper, and remaining ¼ red onion. You can also chop up everything coarsely if desired (this recipe is very forgiving!)
Massage the vegetables: Add the prepped vegetables to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp salt. With clean hands, massage the salt into the vegetables until they are all very soft (about 10 minutes).
After at least 10 minutes of massaging, add the processed vegetables and agave mixture from your food processor to the bowl.
Massage the vegetables with the spicy-sweet processed mixture for a further 5-10 minutes or until a significant amount of water has been released from the veggies.
You should see it pooling at the bottom of your bowl, as shown in the photo above.
Add to jars: Again, with clean hands, use a spoon to add your veggie mix to the sterilized jars.
Push the mixture down firmly with your spoon once full (a significant amount of liquid brine should rise to the top, covering the homemade kimchi as you push down).
Don’t waste any of the brine from the bottom of the mixing bowl! Try to top off each jar with as much as you can. You ideally want all the veggies to be submerged in the brine for fermentation.
Ferment: Place the lids on the jars loosely and wipe down the sides of the jars. Now, place the jars in a dark place in your kitchen for 24 hours. (I like to place my jars in a spare Tupperware container and keep them under the sink so they are contained and in a warm(ish) place to help with the early fermentation process.)
Once it’s been 24 hours, carefully ”burp” each jar by removing the lid. This allows some of the naturally occurring gases from the fermentation process to escape the jars. If your kitchen is quite warm, you may want to ”burp” your jars after 12 hours, not 24, to release the gases and avoid any small explosions!
After the initial 24-hour fermentation period, you want to burp your jars every 8-12 hours until you see consistent and active bubbles whenever you open the lid. As soon as you see lots of bubbling on a regular basis, screw the lid on tight and transfer the jars into your refrigerator. Now it’s ready to be eaten!
What is lacto-fermentation?
I mentioned lacto-fermentation earlier, but I just wanted to touch on what that actually means. It’s a natural preservation process where good bacteria (lactobacillus) feed on the sugars in the veggies and produce lactic acid. That acid gives kimchi its tangy flavor and helps keep it safe to eat. This is the same process used when making sauerkraut and dill pickles. But before that can happen, we need to salt the veggies.
Salting helps draw out moisture, slows the growth of harmful bacteria, and creates a brine that sets the stage for fermentation. So, yes, all that massaging the veggies isn’t just a good workout—it’s vital for the lacto-fermentation process!
Important Recipe Success Tips!
- CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN! Whether you’re experimenting with this recipe, sauerkraut, pickling, brewing beer, or making kombucha, you want to make sure you’re always working with clean materials when it comes to fermentation. We are trying to promote healthy bacteria, not the bad kind!
- Sanitize your jars. Following on from the previous point, you must sanitize your jars before starting this recipe. Run them through the dishwasher on high heat, submerge them in boiling water and let them air dry, or give them a bath in a food-grade hydrogen peroxide and water mix (follow the label for the correct ratio and instructions).
- Keep it submerged. You can use the rough ends of your cabbage and red onion or the butts of carrots to help keep the prepared vegetables submerged in the brine during the fermentation process. Just put the lid on top after you add the rough vegetable ends. Before you get to the refrigerator step, discard those pieces of veggies that didn’t go beneath the brine. If you skip this tip, you can scrape off the top of the kimchi if it doesn’t sit underneath the brine. (Sometimes this happens if you are short on brine.) Everything underneath will be fermented just right and safe to eat!
- Don’t tighten the lid during fermentation. Make sure to leave the lid loose while your vegetables ferment. Tightening the lid too early can lead to pressure buildup (and possibly a kimchi explosion…not fun!)
- Use a sea salt with no additives. Stick to plain sea salt with no additives. Additives can interfere with fermentation, and I want you to give those good bacteria the best chance to thrive!
Serving Suggestions
I love piling this recipe for kimchi on scrambled eggs…it adds just the right kick to a simple breakfast. For lunch or dinner, I’d toss it into fried rice or add it to an easy rice bowl (our Bibimbap recipe is perfect for this!). And, of course, I couldn’t make my kimchi spring rolls without it. Or, if you want a comfort food twist, it’s amazing in quesadillas with some melty cheese. You can also spoon it over grain bowls, stuff it into wraps and sandwiches, or add it to any salad for an extra punch of flavor.
How to Store
This recipe can last for several months in an airtight jar in the fridge. Be sure to use clean fingers or utensils whenever you grab some, as introducing new bacteria can shorten its life span or throw off the flavor. Also, make sure the top layer is always submerged under the brine to keep everything fresh and safe. If anything starts to look or smell off, it’s best to toss it and start a new batch.
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The post Homemade Kimchi appeared first on Budget Bytes.
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