Frugal Cowboy Bean Recipe

Over at Life in a Shoe, Kim is hosting a Linky for Bean recipes. Why? She, like many of us, is becoming increasingly aware of the rise in food cost. The grocery budget just doesn’t seem to go as far as it use to. And, the sad news is, food cost are NOT expected to go down anytime soon.

I didn’t start this post to complain about the economy. I just want to keep the food budget under control, and I want to do it without resorting to ramen noodles, so we’re going to eat less meat, more beans and learn to use lentils.

So, what are we to do? Learn from our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. These ladies fed a family and providing comforting meals on near nothing! Don’t believe me? Take a look at how little people had to eat during War Time Rationing. We need to remember back to a similarly less prosperous time, and learn from out history. We have to remember how to keep our family comfortable and be frugal.

One suggestion Kim made was to eat less meat and more beans. Beans are easy, nutritious, cheap, and have a LONG shelf life. Beans are one of those foods you want to know several recipes for.

TIPS FOR COOKING WITH BEANS

**Find a ‘workable’ recipe you enjoy. You can add and change this recipe based on what you have available.

**Always do a quick rinse on beans before cooking. Soak 1 lb beans in 6-8 cups of hot water. Bring to boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain water and rinse beans.  Wash the pot too. This will save your tummy lots of discomfort later

**I like  I like to use at least 3 types of beans. For example: Red Beans, Pinto Beans, and Navy Beans. This adds color and keeps your beans “interesting”

**Beans freeze well. Just allow them to cool and before putting them in your ziplock bag. You can also freeze ‘pre-rinsed’ beans.

**Beans are best when they are cooked for a long period of time, even over night. You can cook your beans in a crockpot or on a very low setting. I start my beans the night before we are ready for them, and we eat on them all week!!

COWBOY BEAN RECIPE

• 1 cups dried pinto beans
• 1 cup dried red beans
• 1/2 cup dried Navy Beans
• 5 minced garlic cloves
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1- 1 1/2 lb ground beef, browned
• bullion cube
• salt pork or bacon for taste
• salt to taste
• water

Method:

Quick Rinse Beans. Place onions, garlic, bullion cube, pork, and beans in crockpot. Cover with water. Cook on low for several hours (about 6-8) until beans are soft, stir occasionally and add water as needed. Once beans are cooked and soft, remove pork. Add BBQ sauce, Ketchup, brown sugar, and beef to beans. Combine ingredients well. Salt to taste. And serve.

Thrive foods carries a new line of  “Instant Beans”. These beans are ready to go and can be cooked in less than 20 min!! What a time saver! Thrive also carried a full line of dried beans ready to stock up in your pantry. Beans are a great addition to the home store, especially when you are on a budget!

And when you are looking to save money on your food budget, cutting down on the amount of meat you eat is a great way to cut cost. Why not try a cost-effective vegetable protein instead? Taco TVP and beans make for a very cheap and very affordable and super healthy meal!

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