The Spicy Spatula

I don’t know about you guys but I am always looking for ways to save money whether it’s on food, fun stuff, vacations or necessities. I proudly proclaim myself as cheap but my Hubs says I’m frugal. I’ll take both but I think he’s biased because he’s so in love with me. 🙂

Kidding, mostly.

Anyway one of the best ways to save money on what I think most vegans would agree is a vegan staple. Beans.

Beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber and they are incredibly satiating. But the cost of a can of beans is much higher compared to dry beans. I know, I know, canned beans are easier. They are so much easier because you pop open the can, rinse the beans and they’re ready to use.

But, hear me out. Here in Romania the cost of a can of beans is exactly the same for a kilogram of dry beans. The same, y’all! It’s not much if you don’t eat a lot of beans but in my household we eat lots of beans so over time the savings add up.

Instead of being lazy I just opened the cabinet and pulled out all the dry beans that have been sitting there forever. Starting with black beans because, why not?

I used 125 grams of dry beans and made: Southwest salad and black bean quesadillas.

Kitchen Tools:

*Slow cooker
*Blender
*Cutting board
*Kitchen knife
*Salad spinner

Ingredients:

*Black beans

*Salad ingredients (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, corn, salsa, olives, jalapeno peppers etc…)

*Quesadilla ingredients & toppings (onion, corn, salsa, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, avocado)

Instructions:

*You won’t need the liquid that you used to cook the black beans for the salad recipe but reserve some to help you blend the black beans for the quesadillas.

*For the salad just rinse and chop the ingredients and place in a large mixing bowl along with about half the beans.

*For the quesadillas, cook the onions and garlic and add to the food processor along with some of the cooking water. Here you can add tomato paste for flavor or jalapenos for heat, plus any seasoning you want like cayenne pepper and cumin. Don’t forget the salt & pepper.

Tips

Using dry beans doesn’t actually require that much more work, it just means you have to be a little organized. After dinner just soak the beans in cool water overnight and when you get up the next morning, turn on the slow cooker and add beans, water or broth, salt and a bay leaf.

Cook 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 6 hours on high, and then do what you want with the beans. And they will keep in the fridge so you can cook more and store in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them.

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