Dollar store ingredients

It amuses me how often I’ll be discussing vegetarian food with a meat eater and he or she will automatically assume that it costs more to eat animal-free meals. It happened just this week.  While it’s true one might have to dig a little deeper into a pocket if the focus is on pricier processed foods like frozen meat substitutes, I felt compelled to prove that one can be frugal and stick to a budget while eliminating animal products from a diet.

So I turned my Honda Civic into a local dollar store parking lot on my way home from work, determined to roam the aisles and put together a cheap and somewhat healthy vegetarian dinner.  As I grabbed a hand-carry basket inside the store’s entrance, I laid my ground rules… I would spend no more than $5… the majority of the meal would be derived from items found in the dollar store… I would strive to use vegan ingredients… the final dish had to be something that would satisfy my omnivorous hubby’s tastebuds, too… if this impromptu experiment failed miserably, I’d still post it on the blog for everyone’s amusement.

I purchased the following:

• One 14.5 oz jar of water-packed sweet red peppers = $1
• One 15 oz can of sweet corn = $0.79
• One 15.5 oz can of black beans = $1
• One 16 oz jar mild salsa = $1
• One 13 oz package faijita-style flour tortillas = $1

Grand total = $4.79

To the best of my knowledge, all items appeared to be vegan.  The only non-dollar store ingredients I used was: a serving (two tablespoons) of Tofutti sour cream, which added about $0.20 to the total cost, and a few shakes of a southwest chipotle seasoning I had in my cupboard, which I did not figure in because if you purchase such seasonings at a discount store, it would maybe add a penny to the cost. You can certainly omit the sour “cream” if you don’t have it or are watching calories and fat grams.  I also should note that I deducted an additional $0.50 since only half the jar of red peppers was used for this recipe, leaving the other half for another meal!

The Dollar Store Burrito recipe below yields approximately nine burritos at about $0.50 each.  Not too shabby for budget-conscious cooks seeking a quick and healthy animal-free meal.

Dollar Store Burritos – 9 servings

Half of one 14.5 oz jar sweet red peppers, well drained

One 15 oz can of sweet corn, well drained

One 15.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

One 16 oz jar mild salsa

One 13 oz package faijita-style flour tortillas

Drain the sweet red peppers, corn and black beans.  Dice the sweet red peppers, or slice into thin strips.  Add the peppers, black beans and corn to a medium-sized pan. Fold in the salsa and Tofutti sour cream (if using), as well as a sprinkle of Mexican seasoning if you have it on hand, mixing well and heat on medium-high until warmed through.  Just before serving, soften the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Scoop about 1/3 cup of the mixture onto each heated tortilla and wrap into a burrito. Smile as you enjoy your compassionate cheap eats!



Dollar store burritos