Ethnic seasoning goes a long way

Find easy ethnic recipes online and try cooking in some ethnic styles. Cooking based on different ethnicities has many advantages beyond simply trying out meals of different cultures.

Many ethnic dishes do not use nearly as much pricey meats as American dishes do. So if you’re looking to cut back on the amount of money you spend each week on meat and poultry, many ethnic dishes are either vegetarian or use less than half of a regular American sized portion of meat per dish.

Using unusual seasonings of different ethnic dishes can also make mealtime exciting. If you are worried that you’ve gotten your family into a rut by serving the same low-cost meals each week, trying out some of the budget ethnic dishes can put some of the zest back in to your meal times.

If you are concerned that some of the seasonings might be too strong for your family, consider preparing the dishes and only using one half or even one quarter of the seasoning and spices that the recipe calls for. Sometimes if you are not used to a particular style a dish, the seasoning can be overpowering enough to your family might not want to eat it. And making a notation on the recipe of what portion of seasoning you use, and what the family thought at the end result, can make it easier for you to judge for next time.