Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Two feasts for $5.58

$5.58 worth of groceries from Glebe Market

Are you a grad student working an unpaid summer internship? Determined to eat like a queen on a shoestring budget? Here's what you do: visit your nearest Hispanic market or bodega. Pick up an onion, green bell pepper, avocado, can of Goya black beans, and homemade corn tortillas. Contain your surprise when these ingredients (plus a few breakfast bananas) total $5.58 at the check out. Fortunately, you already have some crumbly cheese (feta works), garlic, and cilantro at home or you would've forked over at least $7 or $8.

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Dice your onion and pepper, mince your garlic. Saute them all in olive oil. Meanwhile, drain and rinse your beans. When the onion/pepper mix is done--browned slightly, onions translucent--add the beans, salt, and pepper. Stir well. As the beans warm up, chop your avocado, your cilantro, and crumble some cheese. Turn the beans to low or off. Heat a smidge of olive oil in another pan until warm, then toss in a tortilla. Heat on one side until it puffs up and the bottom gets crispy. Flip. Repeat with a second tortilla. Put tortillas on plate, pile with 1/3-1/2 of the beans, top with avocado, cilantro and cheese. Save the leftovers for tomorrow's dinner, and toast your thrifty-ness with a glass of an $8-a-bottle pinot grigio.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

sounds fantastic. I recently moved to an area where my closest markets are of the ethic variety. I almost can't stand to shop anywhere else now (except for things like t.p.). The prices and selection are unbeatable.
I love your take on this hispanic feast! Black beans are a go to in my kitchen! Eating like royalty on a budget is my way of life. ;)

Jay said...

i don't think people realize how versatile and inexpensive tortillas can be..this one sounds like a winner, and it looks to be very flexible as well, and open to experimentation. i don't have feta, but i do have a bleu cheese, hmmmm.. thanks erin.

Anonymous said...

Non -twin daughters serving very similar meals within days...last night D+ A made sammies on the GRIDDLER (D's fav)with many similar ingred's. They grilled the veg. first, then grilled the whole lovely mess inside slices of wheat bread. I never expected this.
Still love the blog.

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