This article recently published in the New York Times caught my eye:



Eating Well on a Downsided Food Budget



The article begins: "Now may be a good time to bring back the basics — the nutritious and affordable foods that have been all but forgotten by many affluent families since the Great Depression. I’m not going to suggest a nightly diet of stone soup or the cheap fat- and sugar-rich menus of the urban poor. But many people who once gave little thought to dining on steak, lobster, asparagus, baby spinach or crème brûlée are now having to spend less on just about everything, including food."



So I'm thinking, "Sweet! Interesting recipes published by the foodies at the New York Times that aren't unbelievably expensive, maybe even thrifty." As it turns out, the foodies at the New York Times have no idea how to cook interesting food with a tight budget. Their suggestions? Instead of eating lobster and steak, eat one of these 8 dishes:



Pork and Potato Chowder

Lentil Soup with Collards

Turkey Cabbage Soup

Simple Tuna Salad

Black Bean Burritos

Potato Salmon Croquettes (with canned Salmon)

Baked Apples

Unstuffed Cabbage (what amounts to cabbage soup with meatballs)



Thanks, but I didn't need the New York Times to tell me that soup is cheap. Now, you know that I love soup, but how about giving us some recipes for interesting food? ...Something I might not have thought of on my own.



Just to prove my point I'll give you 8 fun and economic dishes over the next week. Here are the first three off the top of my head....



1. Homemade sushi (super cheap!)

2. Black Bean and Plantain Empanadas

3. Jamaican Black Beans and Rice



Do you have any go-to inexpensive recipes?