Guacamole Salad (Frugal Makeover Version)

Looking for a tasty dish to take to a BBQ or a potluck picnic? This may just be the dish for you! I originally got the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. I altered it a bit to fit our tastes.

I brought this salad to the potluck party I went to last week, and a few people asked me for the recipe. It is cool and refreshing on hot summer days, and, since it doesn’t have mayonnaise, it is not quite as finicky as other summer salads.

Guacamole Salad
2-3 tomatoes, diced (.99)
1 red pepper, diced (1.29)
1 green pepper, diced (.79)
1 c. dried black beans, cooked (.30)
3 green onions, diced (.07)
1/4 c. lime juice (fresh from limes is best) (.33)
1/4 c. olive oil (.25)
1 tsp. salt (.01)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (.01)
1/2 tsp. minced garlic (.02)
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and 1/2 inch diced (1.98)

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, and green onion in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Just before you are ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Serve at room temperature.

This serves 6 and costs $6.04 or $1.00 per serving. If you need to stretch the recipe a bit, try adding more green and/or red pepper. They add a delicious crunch to the salad. Enjoy!

I shared this post at Life As Mom, The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Freezer Burritos (Frugal Recipe Makeover)

We love Freezer Burritos. I make up a batch of these and we eat some for dinner and freeze the rest. During the week I eat one for a quick lunch with a salad on the side. When I return to work, I plan to take these as my lunch a couple of times a month.

Recently when I made these, I tried to make them as cheaply as possible. Here is what I came up with:

1 lb. lean g. beef (3.00)
¼ c. finely chopped onion (.10)
1-1/4 c. salsa (.89)
2 tbsp. taco seasoning (homemade—2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. sugar, ½ tsp. salt) (.15)
1-1/3 c. dry pinto beans, cooked (.50)
½ c. water
1 c. shredded cheese (.50)
8 burrito tortillas (1.29)

These make approximately 8 burritos, at a grand total cost of $6.43 or .80 each. What a deal for a great lunch!

I estimate that the original recipe, which you can find here, would cost $8.95, or $1.12 per serving. I would make it the original way if I was pressed for time because it is still much better than eating out. However, right now I have more time than money, so we are happy with the frugal makeover.

I shared this recipe at The Grocery Cart Challenge, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays , $5 Dinners and Life as Mom.