Cooking on a budget is always a challenge but it is a rewarding one that pays off when you have a little extra spending or saving money. I have been training to become a Food Literacy Educator and one of my biggest take aways is writing my food plan down. I’m a planner by nature, literally going to bed knowing what I will have for breakfast, but writing it down is a completely different experience. It means I actually stick to it and don’t over spend by buying the extras that were displayed beautifully in the store and end up in the trash by the end of the week because it went bad. This is a great challenge to help eliminate waste. I started with some oven-cooked spare ribs that were a main dish on Sunday with potatoes and string beans, leftovers one day, a spare rib sandwich with creole mustard and pickles another day and spare with tacos with guacamole and picked vegetables on the last day. I worked in some boudin and roasted veggies for a couple of easy meals and celebrated with my treat of one meal out on Friday. While the menu will certainly change, having a game plan is key and something that can make your food week a breeze. Check out the recipe below for the oven spare ribs that started it all. Enjoy and share your thoughts!
Oven Spare Ribs
Ingredients:
1 package of pork spare ribs
1 large white onion diced
1 small red onion diced
1 head of garlic (10-12 cloves)
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. fresh ginger
1 juicing orange (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 cups of water
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 280 degrees.
2. Open meat and rinse well before adding to a roasting pan
3. Peel and dice white and red onion and add on top of ribs.
4. Smash cloves and remove skin before dicing and adding to pan.
5. Add seasonings atop the mixture and add water around the edges of the pan.
6. Grate in fresh ginger and squeeze in orange juice into a small bowl. Mix with a fork then add around the pan like the water.
7. Cover in foil and let it slow cook for 3 hours.
8. After 3 hours, add bbq sauce evenly and let cook for another 40 minutes to an hour.
9. Serve with preferred sides and enjoy!