I have no pictures this time; I haven’t made this in a while, and I’m not up to cooking tonight, anyway. That, and I lack baked potatoes.

<u>Ingredients</u>

- Baked potatoes, one per person you’re feeding

- Crushed, canned tomatoes

- Two eggs per person you’re feeding

- Splash of milk

- Chipotle powder

- Salt

- Pepper

- Olive oil

- Cheese to top, if desired

<u>Procedure</u>

Roughly dice your baked potatoes. Coat a pan in olive oil and heat. Brown the potato pieces. While they’re browning, beat the eggs, milk, chipotle powder (amount varies by taste), salt, and pepper. Pour over potatoes and lower heat. Scramble until eggs are just solid. Add 1/2-1 cup of the crushed tomatoes and scramble. Top with grated cheese, if desired.

A can of crushed tomatoes is a dollar. We recently bought fifteen pounds of potatoes for $4.49. The olive oil and seasonings are things you should have on hand anyway. Eggs and milk are a little more pricey, but for the amount of protein and how filling this is, it’s well worth it. For my roommates and I, this meal comes out to about three dollars total.

That’s where dishes like this come in. If it’s something that can be vegetarian and omnivore-friendly, and it doesn’t require a ton of work on my part, doesn’t trigger food allergies, and I can make leftovers from it, I’m all for the meal.

Given G’s vegetarianism, and the cost of dried beans versus canned, I opted to make refried beans at home. Unfortunately, I forgot to soak them Saturday night; fortunately, pinto beans will cook without presoaking.

Refried beans
You’ll need:

• Three cups pinto beans
• Water
• One medium onion, diced
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
• Chipotle powder
• Cilantro
• Ground cumin
• Salt

Sort your pinto beans into a large pot. Cover with water, enough to cover the beans by three inches or so. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cover and walk away for two to two and a half hours.

When the beans are done (they’re soft and the skins split), drain. In the same pot (I’m all about conserving dishes, and don’t have a big enough frying pan for this besides), heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the beans and mash–it’s okay if there are still some whole beans left. Add water, so you’re not just making bean paste, until they’re at the desired consistency. Stir in chipotle powder, ground cumin, cilantro, and salt to taste. Set aside. Freeze whatever you won’t be using right away, for another meal to be on hand.

Chicken
You’ll need:

• Five chicken tenderloins
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Water
• Cilantro
• Chipotle powder
• Ground cumin

Heat frying pan over medium heat. Slice the chicken tenderloins into thin strips. Pan-fry until cooked on the outside, about two minutes. Add tomato paste and enough water to thin; stir. Add spices to taste. Lower heat and simmer gently for ten minutes.

Assembly
You’ll need:

• Shredded lettuce (we used iceberg)
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Corn tortillas
• Salsa
• Tomatoes
• Avocado

Pan-fry the corn tortillas in a dry pan until hot. Assemble as desired; mine had refried beans, chicken strips, cheddar, lettuce, sour cream, and avocado, in that order.

The most expensive part of this meal was my avocado (S and G are both allergic). Total cost was roughly eight dollars to feed four people–we matched it with a side of watermelon slices.