This Might sound ludcrously simple.
15 pound bag of brown basmati rice
Canned black beans (or any other bean you want to rehydrate and cook)
1 gallon can of salsa
Make the rice 1 cup (dry) at a time. It stays fresher this way and using brown basmati gives you a great flavor, faster cooking time, and more nutrion than white rice. The addition of beans makes it a complete protien. It keeps you full for hours. Add the salsa or buy a giant bag of shreded cheese and add till it suits your taste.
The combined cost to calorie ratio is great.
I'll second this. I'm currently "between careers" so we eat rice and Indian-style dahl most nights. Every week or so, I'll cook down a pound of dry lentils for 45 mins or so. While it's cooking down, I saute:
- 2-3+ Tablespoons olive oil
- a whole onion (chopped)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- cumin
- cheap curry powder
- black pepper
- lots of salt (to taste)
Yes, you saute the spices in the oil. It releases the soluble flavors from them. When the lentils get soft, add the saute to them and stir. We eat this over rice, with any combination of the following toppings:
- lettuce
- shredded cabbage (fun to do with a very sharp knife)
- shredded cheese (we buy a 2lb block for $4 and shred it at home)
- soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (you wouldn't think. But it's good)
- nutritional yeast
- diced tomatoes
- diced green bells
- salsa
- sliced avocado (when on sale. Otherwise, avos are $$$ so skip)
- drizzle of olive oil
- sour cream (I'm so cheap and broke that I will sometimes sub a dollop of Blue Plate mayo. Oh, the shame)
- hot sauce
My wife loves it. I do too. So does the 25% of the world that eats this dish 3 meals/day, though perhaps they don't love it as much as my wife and me. I haven't calculated out the cost per serving but it's probably pennies. With all the veggies, it's actually pretty nutritious and adds variety. As noted above, brown rice is more nutritious and tasty but it is more expensive and I still can't cook it right.
There is a trendy cafe chain here in Oregon called Yumm Bowl that serves pretty much exactly this, for ~$6/bowl.
Another dirtbag gourmet treat from my college and thru-hiker days is "Sketchy Thai Noodles": a few packs of cooked ramen (flavor packets discarded) with
- a spoonful of chunky peanut butter
- enough hot water to make the PB into a nice peanut sauce
- hot sauce
- a splash of milk or unsweetened soy milk (coconut milk is awsome, but $$$)
- a half teaspoonful of Thai curry paste, or even Indian curry powder
- 1 soy sauce packet from the take-out counter (not enough that you can taste they soy sauce flavor)
- small splash of rice vinegar or cheap white vinegar (optional)
- fistful of frozen peas
- half a carrot, sliced thin
- chicken (optional)
Top with chopped peanuts and a pinch of chopped cilanto. Serve with half a lime and tea. For some reason, if you serve this right (add candles and chopsticks, serve with a simple side of sliced fruit, put on a clean shirt), it can impress the ladies. Worked when I was single, still works now that I am married.
This is one that I usually keep for solo meals, but my wife will actually admit that she likes it:
- 1 pack of Knorr Lipton (or store brand) noodles-n-sauce, usually Alfredo
- 1 can tuna (drained)
- fistful of frozen peas
Cook Knorr Lipton according to package. If you are too broke to afford butter, just continue without it. When it is almost done, add peas and tuna. Top with a fistful of crushed potato chips (no kidding).
ETA: One of my favorite minimalist dirtbag treats:
- 1 box of mac-n-cheese
- half a can of refried beans
- hot sauce
CrimsonTideShooter, congratulations to you and your fiancée for trying to eat frugally. It will pay off. We're in our early 30's and when we have to shift into this mode between adventures, we actually enjoy it.
Another word of unsolicited advice: you two are young, fit, and looking great. With all due respect to the other cookbook contributors, be careful with too much tater tots and Velveeta.
) cook for 7 hours.
