If you have a family budget worked out, you know how hard it is to stick to it without having some real concrete plans and strategies to stretch your money as far as it will go. Usually, the first area we can squeeze a few extra dollars out of our wallets is on groceries. I’d like to introduce you to your new partner in your frugal endeavor, the black bean.

We all find ourselves searching the grocery store for something to cook for the family that won’t take our last few dollars. When you find yourself standing in the middle of the store ready to give up, wander over and take a look at the black beans. First take a look at the price. Then take a look at the nutrition label. How can something with the nutrients you need like protein, calcium, iron, and fiber, also be so inexpensive, and low fat, too? When you can feed your family a healthy, delicious meal for literally pennies per serving, you should consider black beans a pantry must-have. How about a few quick and tasty meals that you can prepare for your family so they can fall in love with the wonderful black bean, too.

1) Quick and Easy Beany Soup

Take 1 can each of black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, and butter beans, open, drain and set aside. (Yes, you may substitute whatever beans you have on hand.) Now, take a large pot, pour about 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil in, add 1 cup diced onion and 1 cup finely diced celery. Over medium to medium low heat, cook until celery is transparent. Then add 1 clove garlic, crushed, and let cook for a minute or so. Now pour all your beans into the pot along with 1 small can of diced tomatoes, use seasoned tomatoes if you wish, and 1 small can of chicken broth. Cook nice and slow so it’s just simmering for 20 minutes or so. Soup’s on!

2) Bountiful Bean Salad

You’ll be choosing your favorite canned beans for this salad, keeping in mind color and texture; favorites like black beans, butter beans, navy beans, kidney beans, waxed beans, and whatever else you like. Drain and rinse all the beans and put them in a large serving bowl. To the beans, add some sweet onion, or green onion including the tops, chopped celery, freshly chopped parsley, maybe some fresh rosemary, or whatever herb you like, and top it all with a little shake or two of a very good vinaigrette salad dressing, I use Paul Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette. You’ve got yourself a kid-friendly and nutritious salad.

3) Too Easy Black Beans & Taco Sauce

My daughter loves black beans, and loves her taco sauce, too. So, the two just seemed a natural when she put them together in a bowl. Now the whole family is hooked! Just drain and rinse a can of black beans, make sure they’re drained well, then pour into a bowl and mix in some of those leftover packets of taco sauce you have laying around the kitchen. It makes a quick and tasty side dish or snack. This easy treat is worth a try even if you’re a bit skeptical. Once you’re hooked, you may want to try using some hot salsa, but just a little to add flavor, not too much sauce. Don’t forget to put some cheese on top!

4) Black Bean Celery Salad with Cottage Cheese

You can throw together a really fast and delicious salad in just a few minutes, with these simple ingredients. Take a salad bowl, add about a 1 cup scoop of cottage cheese, salt to taste, and add some freshly ground black pepper. Thoroughly drain and rinse some canned black beans. Add about 1/2 cup of the rinsed black beans to the top of the cottage cheese. For crunch, dice some celery and put a handful on top of the black beans. This salad is not only yummy, but it’s got the nutrition you’re looking for, like lots of protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and fiber.

5) Quick Black Bean Burrito

If you have a few staples in your pantry you can whip up this simple burrito. You’ll need a flour or corn tortilla, either heated or not, that’s up to you. Drain and rinse your black beans, then start building your burrito however you want. I add black beans, some diced tomatoes, a little onion, lots of shredded cheddar cheese, a little sour cream, leftover rice, some chopped up pieces of chicken from last night, and whatever else I have to use up. Depending on how I feel that day, I go a little heavier on the black beans and lighter on the other stuff. Get your salsa or taco sauce ready and enjoy.

We could go on forever with delicious ways to serve the incredibly nutritious and inexpensive black bean, but you’ve got the idea now. These five quick and easy black bean recipes are meant to just get you started in producing your very own collection of black bean dishes.

Tags: Cooking, family, food, frugal, frugal cooking, frugal meals, home, parenting, save money, save money meals

This entry was posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Cooking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.