Posted in Tightwad Tuesdays
Welcome to Tightwad Tuesday's with Canadagirl! If you have a tightwaddy tip to share with the group, please do go visit my friend Mary for more information.
This week, I thought I'd post this recipe for Black Bean Soft Tacos. I actually just threw this all together one day, and it has become a lunch staple for us. Sometimes I'll pare it with my homemade Beef Rice and a salad for dinner, but usually it winds up being a fast, easy, and filling lunch for me and the boys during the school week. I hope you enjoy them!
Shani's Black Bean Soft Tacos
2-3 cans of black beans, drained
1-2 teaspoons homemade taco seasoning
red onion, diced
garlic, pressed
olive oil
whole wheat tortillas
In a frying pan, heat olive oil. Add onion and garlic, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the beans and seasoning and cook until heated through.
In a second (non-stick) frying pan, heat on medium heat until pan is warmed. Pop in a tortilla, spin gently (to avoid burning) for a minute or so, then flip and repeat. Your tortilla is done when it begins 'puffing' up.
Did you know that tortillas are *not* cooked all the way when you purchase them from the store? Nope. You need to finish cooking them at home. I learned this way of finishing them from some Hispanic friends of mine back in Michigan. We detest microwaved tortillas (smell, taste, sogginess factor), and this way makes them dry and almost crisp. Yumm!!!
Add your bean mixture to the center of your tortilla, top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc., roll up and enjoy! The two boys and I use two cans of beans for lunch; when hubby is home we go through three.
Now, in a bid to become more aware of how much I'm spending and how much per meal is (this will all link in to a future Tightwad Tuesday post), I've figured out that this meal (tacos, rice, salad) costs my family approximately $7.44. Here's the breakdown:
Tacos:
3 can beans, 50¢ per can (avg. sale price here)
12 whole wheat tortillas, $2.29 (I know other brands are more inexpensive, but my research has shown that the cheaper brands are that much more unhealthy for you- I will begin making my own soon)
cheese, 75¢
lettuce, 25¢
tomatoes, 25¢
Beef Rice (double recipe):
Rice*, 75¢
Seasonings, 50¢
Butter, 40¢
Salad, $1.25
*I purchase my rice (brown, long grain - NOT minute rice) at a local Farmer's Market for 99¢ a pound (79¢ on sale), because it just tastes better. I've tried other types of rice, but the FM has a tremendous turnover, so the rice is super fresh. We didn't like other pre-packaged types of brown rice, because they tasted greasy and unpalatable to us. This does not.
So there's my recipe for a quick, easy, healthy, filling meal. I hope you enjoy it!
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