I usually go out for lunch with my co-workers just to step away from my desk. (I’m the kind of person who never leaves my desk when I’m working. Other people have to tell me to eat.)
On Monday I tried out a new restaurant with my teammates. It was a family diner with Greek flair. While perusing the menu, I lit upon the spanakopita. I haven’t had it in a while and it always gives me really fond memories of traveling to Greece. It was an appetizer, but the waitress told me that it was a decent size for an entree. So I spent $8 bucks including the tip. Not too bad. A nice meatless lunch.
I also ate a meatless dinner too. This time it was some homemade black beans with a little soy chorizo sausage, cheese on a tortilla. I was very good and I only ate one. I had enough calories today. (Add in a juice, a coffee, 10-12ozs of red wine, granola bar, matzoh and boursin for the rest of my daily intake.)
I feel good that boyfriend liked the beans I made. I put them together last week with the slow cooker and they turned out very well. It’s super cheap. You can make a pound of dry beans for the price of one can. One pound dry is about equivalent to 3-4 cans. Of course if we planned things out better, we would have eaten more of them before throwing out the rest. Now I know to make the beans in half-bag batches.
Cost of a bag of beans is like 80 cents. Cost for a can of beans is $1 each on sale. So there is no contest here, making your own beans is the way to go and slow cooking them is the least troublesome manner. My schedule is to clean the beans before going to bed and soak them overnight. Then put them in the cooker in the morning before work. They’ll be ready by dinner. Or else, soak them in the morning before work, then cook them in the cooker when I get home. Cool them off on the counter before putting them in the fridge.
ps- FWIW, I also ate another meatless dinner last night, but Peruvian chicken for lunch. YUM.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Just remember that when cooking beans, do not add salt! Salt stops the beans from becoming tender, and you end up with fully cooked bits of leather.
Cooked beans freeze well, and are so convenient (and cheap) for other dishes. I make chili a lot, and never use canned. I freeze them in baggies in one cup portions. Cuts down on food waste.
We have been making dry beans for the past few weeks, and we find that the lead to a big money savings over cans. Not only that, you have the insurance of fresher food as well. My wife makes a wonderful tortilla soup with them, and it’s delicious!
Jerry
Beans are awesome, both for nutrition and for your wallet. We’re big on rice and beans at my house.