Tatar Kevin - Tasty. Healthy. Cheap.: Budget-Friendly Recipes with Exciting Flavors: A Cookbook

While healthy (or healthy-ish) recipes are a big part of what I do (more on that in a bit!), I think most people started following me because they wanted tasty recipes they could make with minimal investment. I have a lot of fans still in college, or just getting out of school, and they mostly want fast, fresh meals that dont break the bank.

My biggest inspiration in my cooking journey was my grandma. When I was a kid, we cooked together for the whole family, and I was (at least in my mind) an essential part of this process. She made me understand the value of food as something that brings people together, something thats more than just fuel for your day. This is the spark that ignited my love for cooking.

A few years down the road, I left my home country of Romania to travel to the Netherlands for my studies. I was a clueless 18-year-old trying to figure out life, and cooking for myself was a priority. There was this stereotype that college cooking was BADinstant noodles, frozen pizza, fast-food burgers, and the occasional deep-fried kroketten (a Dutch mystery meat formed into a log). Although I think these foods have their place, I didnt buy this idea. I started looking into ways I could, on a limited budget, make nutritious meals that I actually looked forward to eating.

I didnt do this to prove a point. I simply enjoyed it, and I wanted to share this joy with the world. I believe home cooking, especially for young people, is an essential skill that is part of a more sustainable future. I took this idea, combined it with simple recipes approached from a curious and easy-to-understand perspective, and created the videos that you may know me from.

This book is a reflection of how I entered the vast world of cooking, as someone who knew next to nothing to start. You may notice Im imprecise and informal in the way I write these things: I am not a formally trained chef; I am simply a guy who likes making food at home and sharing it with the world. But I do think theres value from this perspective, and I tried to give you as much value as I can in this book.

SO, WHAT IS HEALTHY?

Healthy is a big word that is also part of the title of the book youre reading right now. (Hi, again! Thanks for reading this!)

Most people dont know this, but I started cooking because of fitness-related goals. Yet, it didnt take long before I developed a distaste for the food is just fuel mentality that is all too common these days. I instead came to the realization that maybe a dish shouldnt just be a collection of numbers that determines how healthy I am.

Sure, healthy can mean nutritious, low in calories, low in sugar, high in fiber, or rich in probiotics. All these things are important, and they are often a consideration for the recipes I create. But I want you to understand that healthy can mean lots of things, and different things to different people. Whether youre eating a cookie because it reminds you of being a kid, savoring a piece of cake with friends for a special occasion, or devouring a plate of cheesy nachos by yourself after a tough week, there is no need to feel guilty. All these things fall under my definition of healthy! After all, in moderation, even junk food or sweets can be fuelin this case, fuel for the mind or for social enjoyment!

Our relationship with food is complicated. I believe we shouldnt be so quick to slap labels on things. Just be mindful about what youre eating and be nice to yourself. The last thing I want you to do is to think of these recipes solely in terms of numbers. Flavor and satisfaction are important, too. So, whenever I use the word healthy, I generally mean within a commonsense approach to eating, including lower in calories, nutritionally balanced, more veggies, less fat, less processed sugar, realistic portion sizes, etc. Take this word with a grain of salt, and consider what healthy means to you. Now, go have some fun.

ADAPTING THE RECIPES

These recipes arent exact blueprints you need to follow precisely. Many utilize techniques you can apply in your own ways, according to your preferences and needs.

Want to incorporate your favorite local and seasonal ingredients in a recipe? Go for it! After youve cooked a few recipes, maybe youll combine two techniques from two different recipes in something new you dreamed up. Theres a lot of room for creativity and experimentation in cooking, and nothing would make me happier than seeing you use these recipes as a springboard for your own creative cooking.

OWNING YOUR RESULTS

Of course, as you get more confident and creative in the kitchen, you might take more risks or pay less attention to your task at hand. So, when something goes wrong (because it will), dont get discouraged; look at it as an opportunity to improve. Look back at your process analytically, considering what effects every step had on the final product and where things might have gone awry: Youll be a better cook in no time with this approach.

However, please dont bring out your notebooks and treat this like math class or a precise science. That is unrealistic and unsustainablejust try to develop a feel for it over time, and acknowledge your mistakes in a nonjudgmental fashion. The kitchen is not a sacred place for precision and limitation. It should be a liberating environment where youre free to make creative decisions based on your imagination and your feelings.