Tasty, Fast and Low-Cost

As I've said in a few of my posts, I'm not a cook. My culinary goals basically consist in making sure I get a reasonable amount of nutrition without giving myself botulism.

However, even I sometimes have to contribute something to a social occasion and a few weeks back, I brought one of my favorite dishes to a meeting for about 30 people. At least twenty people ate my offering, no one sickened or died, and to my complete surprise, I was actually asked for the recipe by some of those present.

Thus encouraged, I'm offering my version of a low cost sort-of salad: easy to make, reasonably tasty and made with low-cost stuff you'll find in any supermarket.

Start with a a pound of frozen corn. (And no, you don't have to cook it first.) Put that and a half pound of frozen peas into a colander and rinse with water to thaw. Then drain. Add half a can of rinsed and drained black beans. (Rinse 'em until the foamy stuff is gone.) Rinse, chop and add two small or one large stalk of green onions. (Discard the really green part of the stalk.) Add two coarsely chopped Roma tomatoes. (I like Romas because they have less water and more meat than regular tomatoes.)

Next, add about two tablespoons of Thousand Island Dressing, a little salt to taste and a shake or two of red chili powder. (Don't overdo the chili powder.) Mix gently until the dressing and chili powder are evenly distributed throughout the salad.

That's the basic salad, but you can also add, if you like, some chopped cooked chicken, a cubed avocado, some cubed tofu, some sliced mushrooms, a bit of grated cheese...whatever you have on hand.

That's it. Takes about five minutes to put together, costs about $2 in ingredients for the basic recipe and makes a nice side dish for eight to ten people. (I doubled up the recipe for my meeting.) If you're taking it somewhere, don't thaw the corn and peas and they'll help keep the salad cool.

Now....I've done my duty in providing a tasty (at least so I was told by those who ate it) low cost dish. (And no, I'm not expecting The Food Channel to call.)

It's your turn. What's your favorite money-saving recipe?