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The folks at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute tell us the key to preparing a budget conscious tasty meal is keeping your pantry stocked with staples like seasoned rice vinegar.
"Well, seasoned rice vinegar is great because it already has sugar and salt so it just brings out the flavor from everything from stir fry veggies to great simple salad dressing. This and a little bit of olive oil gets your salad dressed," said Susan Westmoreland, Good Housekeeping Research Institute.
Garlic paste may be just what you need to spice up your gourmet burger or meatloaf.
"Garlic paste is great for adding a little bit of flavor to everything from meatloaves to burgers. But really it's wonderful to have in your fridge if you're making dip or a salad dressing and you just need a little bit of garlic," said Westmoreland.
And for your pasta and diced tomatoes, add a little bruschetta. It makes a great topping for Italian salad too.
"We are going to toss in some bread cubes and some chopped tomato. Toss it and it's this really flavorful, delicious main dish," said Westmoreland.
One last tip, mix grainy Dijon mustard with mayo with that plain turkey sandwich.
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