Recumbents are generally more expensive than DF bikes. For your price range, consider the Burley Koosah. Easy to learn and has received good reviews. Tour Easy (TE) is a great bike. I love mine. But new they start at 2k and go up quickly. A new Rans Stratus is about $1600. You might find a used bike on Ebay, but these bikes generally hold their value well. There is a learning curve with any recumbent. The long wheel base, conventional steering and low bottom bracket types are the easiest to learn. Once you do, its hard to go back to a conventional DF bike.
Here is a link which provides good info.
http://www.bicycleman.com/index.htm
Good luck,
RonH