M.R.
Beans! Dried beans are very cheap, and filling. I use pinto beans, sort them and take out all the rocks, and rinse. In a large pot or bowl, cover with water and soak them in water over night. Rinse. In the morning, put in the crock pot, cover with water and season to taste. I use bacon dripings, just a tablespoon, garlic, and salt, but you can use what works for your family. Cook all day (if you don't have a crock pot, you can use the stove, but will need to keep very close watch becasue they burn easily, and you will need to add more water often, I also use my pressure cooker when I need them quickly.) I can get two dinners and a lunch out of one large pot of beans. Serve over rice with grated cheese, chopped green chillis, chopped green onion (or what ever you like!) as a topping. Roll them up in tortillas with cheese for buritos, add a salad and fruit, dinner #2. Top tortilla chips with beans and cheese for nachos as a lunch, or do burritos again. My husband is mexican, so we eat at least one pot a week. You can change it up by making spanish rice too.
Stacked Enchalada's: Make an easy enchalada sauce by browning a table spoon of flour in a table spoon of vegitable oil in a large skillet. Add two large cans of plain tomoato sauce, chilli powder, garlic and salt to taste. On a large piece of aluminum foil, place a dozen corn tortillas and drizle with enough vegitable oil to lightly coat one side of each, wrap, place in the oven until warm- alternatively, steam them lightly without oil, but I don't care for them this way and be careful that they do not fall apart.) Place on a dinner plate (make each serving this way) cover with sauce, place a handfull of shredded lettuce, sprinkle with shredded cheese, place another tortilla and sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese, repeat for as many times as you like. You can add taco meat, and when you do it this way, you can make a pound or less of taco meat go a very long way.
Chilli relleno caserole: I don't know if you would like this one, but it is inexpensive. 10-12 eggs, can of evaporated milk (can use no fat) two cups shredded yellow cheese (cheddar, colby, jack, what every you like-sometimes I add more than two cups, it is a preference thing) two small cans of chopped green chillis, salt and pepper to taste. Beat eggs, add all other ingredients, put in a greased casserole dish, bake 50 mininutes at 350 or until a knife in the center comes out clean. Serve with tortillas and a salad. We even use leftover beans as a side dish.
These are my go to cheap dishes...
M.
