Hunger Awareness Blog Project - Day Seven: Pinto Beans Two Ways

Today wraps up a week of low-cost, high flavor meals! My Mom, Texas-to-Mexico, and I have been busy preparing meals this week that stick to a very slim budget and that follow the lines of what the average family would receive from the Capital Area Foodbank. At first I was finding it a little tough to be creative with this list:

2 cans spaghetti sauce

4 canned veggies

4 canned fruits

1 meat selection example: 1 lb. of ground beef (the Capital Area Food Bank said they receive everything from hams, chickens to pig trotters)

3 drink items (choice of lg. bottle of cranberry apple juice & or powdered milk

1 bag spaghetti or egg noodles

1 bag of beans

1 bag of white rice

1 package of jalapeno slices

1 ready-made dinner (example: Hamburger Helper)

1 bag/container of oats

1 bag of cheerios

5 lb. bag of potatoes

But after some brainstorming I think she and I came up with some creative uses of some not so creative ingredients. Being involved in this project has been a very interesting experience, seeing the dishes posted by others involved has been great and stretching a dollar and my brain to make something exciting out of simple ingredients was well worth the challenge. My hope is that this becomes an annual event as it's a great way to put yourself in someone else's shoes and open up peoples eyes about what hunger really looks like within your own community.

So, without further ado, here are the final two recipes for this week:

Texas Style Pinto Beans
1 Lb Dry Pinto Beans
Water
1 Large Onion, Diced
1/4 Cup Jalapeno Slices
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Salsa
1 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp Salt
Ham Bones or Ham Hock if available
1 Cup Fresh Chopped Tomato

1. Rinse and soak beans overnight.
2. 24 hours later, drain beans. If using ham, brown the hock/bones a little bit in a large, heavy bottom pot. After hock/bones are sufficiently browned, remove and saute onion and garlic in the pot until slightly caramelized.
3. Add ham hock/bones, beans, salsa, seasoning, jalapenos, tomato and cover with water. Allow it to simmer at a medium heat for at least 2 hours.
















*As a side note, at our local HEB Grocery store I recently found Goya Brande Ham Bullion. I picked it up not really knowing what I would do with it but ended up adding a packet of it to the beans, it added a great flavor and would have stood up on its own just fine even without the ham hock.

















Recipe number two is also a simple one but given the leftover turkey from the Meat & Potato Pancakes on Day Three and the left over pinto beans I figured it was a great, easy way to help clean up the fridge!


Turkey & Pinto Bean Nachos
1 Cup Leftover Ground Turkey (Seasoned with Taco Seasoning)
2 Cups Leftover Texas Style Pinto Beans
4 Chalupa Shells (or a few handfuls of tortilla chips)
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
Jalapeno Slices to taste

1. Re-heat pinto beans in a small skillet. Stir constantly to avoid beans overcooking, as the beans begin to heat up, add a few tablespoons of water to make the mixture slightly less thick. Mash up beans with the back of a wooden spoon until they are a spreadable texture. Remove from stove.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lay chalupa shells/tortilla chips on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spread beans liberally on the chips.
3. Layer about 1/2 of the cheese over the beans, then add ground turkey. Top with remaining cheese and jalapeno slices.
4. Heat until cheese is bubbling.