Note: Each week I try to share a popular post from our archives. This one was originally published in April 2011.
There’s a lady at our church who has a ministry helping families get back on their feet. It’s not something that our church started and she volunteers, it’s a ministry that she and her late husband started. They saw that sometimes families could finally afford an apartment (instead of being in government housing or at shelters) but they couldn’t afford any furnishings or household items. It was very discouraging for them to come home every day and eat dinner and sleep on the floor. Many would eventually give up and go back to the shelters where at least they had a bed and a table to eat at. So, the ministry takes donations of furniture and household items and gives them to people who are trying to get on their feet again. It’s an amazing ministry that has touched many lives in our area.
One day this amazing lady was talking with another lady at our church and mentioned that alot of these people her ministry helps have very little cooking skills. Alot of the time the food they get comes from the food bank and sometimes WIC and it is things like beans, oats and powdered milk. So they are putting together a cookbook of recipes that are made from staples – no canned soup or boxed biscuit mix.
I gave them the Peanut Butter Treat recipe and this bean recipe (which can make a variety of meals).
- 1 big pot - I use a 20 qt. electric Roasting Oven
- 4 lbs. pinto beans
- Lots of water
- garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and onion powder (optional)
- Rinse beans really well.
- Put beans in the pot (I use the roasting oven pan) and cover with water.
- Let sit overnight.
- In the morning drain the water and cover with fresh water.
- Cook beans (at a slow boil) for another 2 hours or so making sure they stay covered with water. They are ready when they are soft. You can add your seasonings at any time but I do it after the beans are soft (about 4 tbsp. of each garlic powder, cumin, chili powder; about 2 tbsp. salt and 1tbsp. each pepper and onion powder).
- warning: if you choose to put salsa or any tomato product in your beans do NOT add it until the beans are soft or else you can cook them for 2 days and they still won't get soft.
- You can use these beans in a variety of ways, we usually eat them the first night with cornbread. Then I take the leftover beans and put them in containers (usually quart size) and put them in the freezer. Over the week we will make...
- 1 lb of meat
- 1 quart of cooked beans
- 1 can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of corn
- 1 packet taco seasonings (or just more of what you put in the beans)
- 1 small can of tomato paste (optional - my family likes it more like chili than a soup)
- Mix everything together and heat. If I'm feeling generous I'll serve it with some grated cheese and maybe even some tortilla chips.
Taco Salad
Tortilla Chips
Beans
Cooked ground beef
lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado, grated cheese, sour cream and salsa
Put chips on a plate and crunch them. Add beans, meat and whatever toppings you want and enjoy.
Chalupas ( Taco Bell calls these Tostados, I’m not sure why)
You can either buy chalupa shells already cooked or you can fry your own (they are just a corn tortillas that are fried flat). Mash your beans and put them on the shell along with lettuce, tomato, etc. and enjoy.
Bean Burritos (we eat these for lunch 3-4 times a week)
Beans
Flour or corn tortillas
lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado, grated cheese and salsa
Put the beans in a skillet and mash them (or in a food processor). Heat tortillas, put some beans on them along with some lettuce, tomato, onion, avacado and grated cheese. (Sometimes we have all of these things, sometimes we have only beans and tortillas, they’re still yummy.)
What are some of your favorite pantry staples recipes?
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy says
April 12, 2011 at 5:23 pmThanks for the tip about the tomato products… that’s why my baked beans never turn out!
The Schneiders says
April 13, 2011 at 4:14 amI was so happy when someone told me not to put salsa in the beans too early. When we were first married I cooked a pot of beans for 2 full days and they never got soft. I thought the beans were old!
Kristin says
April 15, 2011 at 3:11 pmI love making beans. Not a lot of people make them though. They really do save you money as apposed to the canned stuff. I love the recipes you included.
The Schneiders says
April 17, 2011 at 9:38 pmThanks, Kristin. I used to think that they were so time consuming then I realized that you don’t have to soak them overnight and they they freeze great!
Laura Hewitt says
April 23, 2011 at 9:35 pmHey Angie. I love your site and plan to come back when I have more time to print a few of those recipes! Hope all is well with your family of 6!
Laura Hewitt
The Schneiders says
April 25, 2011 at 12:53 amThanks Laura!
Angel says
October 3, 2013 at 8:54 pmFeel free to include anuthing on my blog that may help. I have found the same thing. Most people just dont know how to cook with the basic staples and it breaks my heart 🙁 I did a series about how to cook beans and rice and meant to branch out to other staples as well and just never got to it. Its in the Saving Money category on my blog.
Angi Schneider says
October 4, 2013 at 1:00 pmWhat a great post series, Angel. I bet lots of people will be looking at staple cooking right now. There are a lot of people who are struggling and need some ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Angel says
October 3, 2013 at 8:55 pmhttp://angelnavywife.blogspot.com/2011/04/eating-frugally.html
Angi Schneider says
October 4, 2013 at 1:00 pmgreat ideas!
chris says
October 20, 2014 at 4:59 pmThis link is from the Utah State University extension office : http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FNP_102.pdf. It’s a free download that’s 21 pages scratch cooking. That is from a website that was from one good thing by Jillee (. http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/10/homemade-shake-and-pour-pancake-mix.html) . I don’t know If I’m allowed to post links on here though. If not, please feel free to delete. And I’m sorry
Angi Schneider says
October 20, 2014 at 6:55 pmChris, no need to apologize, those links are great. I always welcome comments that help me and those who read this blog. Thanks for sharing!
Chris says
December 12, 2014 at 8:53 amI’m an older girl who needs to copy recipes and look at them with my glasses on! I can’t find a copy recipe button. 🙁
Angi Schneider says
December 12, 2014 at 4:12 pmThanks for visiting, Chris. This is an older post, so I updated it with printable recipe cards…just for you ;-). Have a great weekend.
Anna Gibson says
March 31, 2015 at 7:25 pmI’ve been Bean hungry for a while now. Hubby doesn’t like them so when I cook them…they last me forever. 😉 I used my last quart of frozen beans about a year ago. So happy to find this recipe. I joined all your social networks. I think u rock!
Angi Schneider says
April 1, 2015 at 9:38 amAwww, thanks Anna! I’m a firm believer that we should treat ourselves to things we like even if we are the only ones in the family that likes them. For me that’s fermented veggies.
daizy says
January 12, 2016 at 12:35 pmI’ve been trying to cook more but my teenager is not encouraging of my efforts. He prefers boxed mac and cheese and Dinty Moore beef stew to my creations.
My mother always called those tostadas so I had to look it up.
According to Wikipedia: “A chalupa (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃaˈlupa]) is a tostada platter in Mexican cuisine. It is a specialty of south-central Mexico, including the states of Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Chalupas are made by pressing a thin layer of masa dough around the outside of a small mold, in the process creating a concave container resembling the boat of the same name, and then deep frying the result to produce crisp, shallow corn cups.”
Angi Schneider says
January 13, 2016 at 12:59 pmTeenagers are trying sometimes, aren’t they? But we still love them. Thanks for the info on the difference between tostada and chalupa. I guess I’ve been calling it the wrong thing all these years. I probably won’t change but at least I know the truth ;-).
kamay says
January 16, 2016 at 9:46 pmIn California, we had Tostadas for lunch all the time. I think it might be a regional thing cause when I moved to Texas as a teen I missed tostadas for the longest time. Then someone ordered a chalupa.. 😀
My “how to use your big ol’ pot of beans’ tip is to add them to chicken burritos. That is where my leftovers end up. Makes your chicken stretch longer.
Angi Schneider says
January 17, 2016 at 3:39 pmI bet you were so happy when they ordered a chalupa! I love them, my husband thinks they are silly but it’s comfort food for me. Thanks for the tip on using beans in chicken burritos. I’ll have to try that!
Erin says
May 23, 2016 at 2:33 pmI so admire the idea of teaching people to cook with staples so they can save money and create a better living situation for their family! Did your friend at church create a cookbook? If so, is there any way to view it or get a copy?
I saw a similar idea while back. An NYU student created a cookbook for those living in poverty (https://8e81c55f4ebf03323905b57bf395473796067508.googledrive.com/host/0B2A2SnkA9YgxaHdzbEhGSmJOZDg/good-and-cheap.pdf). Honestly, it wasn’t that appealing to me. Beet salad just doesn’t make my mouth water. But I do love your idea about using dry beans to stretch a dime and create multiple meals. Thank you for sharing!
It’s a gift to see how you can make the most of what you have. I’m so happy to have found your blog and to hear about your friend’s ministry. Not all of us have the natural ability/creativity to see so much potential in things. It’s inspiring! Thank you!
Angi Schneider says
May 24, 2016 at 4:39 pmYes, our friend did create the cookbook but unfortunately, she has since passed away and I’m not sure what happened to it since she self published it. Thanks for the link to the Good and Cheap book, I’ll have to check it out. Have you read Wildly Affordable Organic (http://amzn.to/1Tw2KUu)? I really liked it, it’s the same premise as Good and Cheap. One think I like about it is that she not only gives you recipes but she also gives you a system. Sometimes it’s hard to get off the convenience meal track and onto the made from scratch track.
I’m so glad you are enjoying the blog!