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[ludicrous]

I can't believe no one has mentioned tofu.

1.  Take one block of extra-firm tofu and slice into 1/4 to 1/2" squares/rectangles.
2.  Pan fry until golden brown on both sides.
3.  Sprinkle garlic, soy sauce, and/or hot sauce on tofu.

Another meal that really only requires one ingredient:  sweet potatoes/yams.

1.  Cut into thin slices (no thicker than 1/4" thick). 
2.  Toss on a baking pan with a splash of olive oil.
3.  Bake for 20-30 minutes. 

[punchnpie]

Check out 'Cooking with Clara' on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking for some Depression-era cooking from one who was there.

[zarathustra]

For a variation on beans and rice, try simmering a can of black beans with garlic and onion and serving it over some corn bread.  Then the corn bread can go with other stuff too.  With a little cheese on top to melt, it's nice.

[punchnpie]

corn bread can go with other stuff too. 

Cornbread as dessert - hot cornbread with honey or agave nectar. Add strawberry preserves if you've a mind to.

This got me and my then toddler son thru some very lean times.

[undisciplined]

oseph, sorry for the delay. You make risotto in the rice cooker by following the directions in (here it comes again--I swear I am not related to the author or publisher!) _The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook_. The authors have you game the rice cooker timing a little bit, turning it off and on at the beginning of the cooking process, but it's actually pretty simple.

[oseph]

oseph, sorry for the delay. You make risotto in the rice cooker by following the directions in (here it comes again--I swear I am not related to the author or publisher!) _The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook_. The authors have you game the rice cooker timing a little bit, turning it off and on at the beginning of the cooking process, but it's actually pretty simple.

Thanks - that is really interesting!

[undisciplined]

I got my cookbook for $12 on overstock.com. In researching the rice cooker purchase, I kept coming across it as "the bible." I've only made a few recipes so far, but so far so good. BTW I got a cheap cooker, on sale for $30 at Target. It has settings for white rice, brown rice, steam, and "keep warm." It probably doesn't have the fuzzy logic of the expensive models, but so far I haven't missed that. I guess I am easy to please.

[daurousseau]

If you know how to cook pasta, it doesn't take much to make it tasty day after day. Oil, garlic, herbs and basta! If you are feeling flush, some chopped and roasted veggies.

But most people don't know how to cook pasta.

[xenia]

One more - this one is a favorite with kids. My kids, at least.

1.5 cups red lentils
1 can coconut milk (regular or light)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 tomato, diced
seasoning to taste

saute onion, add carrot, celery, tomato, lentils. Add coocnut milk and water (not too much if you want a dal, more if you want soup) and seasoning. Cook until tender.

This is very much like what I learned to make as Jamaican Rice 'n Peas.

We use:

1 1/2 cups rice (I like jasmine rice for this)
1 can red kidney beans, drained  (we've tried pigeon peas in this, but don't like it as much).   
1 can coconut milk (I've used every kind of coconut in this, and it all works, even shredded--just adjust liquid accordingly)
1 or 2 onions, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped   
1 can or tetrapak of chopped tomatoes, or big squeeze of tomato paste (adjust liquid)     

Season with thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, ground or corn allspice 

Saute onions/garlic, dump in everything else, cover and simmer 20-odd minutes. Add some liquid part-way through if the canned tomatoes and coconut milk didn't provide enough liquid, or if you like it wetter.

Fish out thyme sticks and bouquet garni; salt, pepper to taste.

I find this absolutely delicious, and filling in a good way (I don't feel overstuffed or logy after eating this, and it keeps my energy high for hours).
Keeps beautifully in the fridge, freezes nicely too.

[punchnpie]

xenia - how big a can of coconut milk? I keep little cans on hand (about a cup) because most of my recipes don't call for large amounts. Should I use two cans? The recipe sounds delish.

[xenia]

So sorry to have left you hanging, punchnpie!

I use a 400-ml. can for the rice 'n peas recipe, so by all means double up. I can't honestly say how much is necessary; that's just how I've always made it.

The red kidney beans is usually a larger can, but that's to taste too. The recipe's pretty foolproof. Best of luck, and please let me know if you try it!

[daurousseau]

Lunch today is a California Garnet sweet potato.

Microwave six minutes.
Slit it open, sprinkle with salt, pepper, butter or olive oil, and horseradish.
Squish them all into the pulp.

MMMM good.

[economizer]

What do you call cheap? This will be under $4 per person [home cookin'].

[b][Boss] Hog Heavenly Ham meal[/b]

Buy a package of center cut Country Ham ($4)
Per directions, cut end of packaging and microwave

Nuke A big ol' baking potato ($.60 per lb.) for about 10 min.
Then, butter, salt, split it and serve it

Find about $1.50 worth of good fresh-made cold slaw somewhere

Filch a couple of containers (single serving not 40') of apple butter from a Waffle House

Bake a cheap can of biscuits and prepare per directions ($.60)
Serve buttered and topped with the apple butter.

Put bread in basket, and two plates of food (ham, slaw, potato) on table, and,
once again, with a picture of iced tea, if you have not made any of it.



'

[liesdarnlies]

Breakfasts:

1. A big, generic thing of quick-cook (not instant) oatmeal. Add your own cinnamon, sugar, etc.
2. Smoothies with frozen fruit. I love frozen fruit--comparison shop until you find the cheapest blueberries, strawberries, cherries year round. (Breakfast this morning--smoothie with frozen cherries and soy milk and a spoonful of cocoa powder. So delicious. If I had greens I would have added them too. You heard me!). Bananas are always great in smoothies. and are the cheapest fruit out there.

Lunch:

Leftovers. (Although I do have a fridge and a microwave in my office.)
Chickpea salad sandwiches (like tuna salad but with mashed chickpeas instead of tuna. Tuna would be cheap too.)
Big salads with beans on top and an oil/vinegar or oil/citrus dressing. (No reason for the bottled stuff.)

Dinner:

Lots of beans.
Limited amounts of tofu. (While it's cheaper than meat, it's still more expensive then beans).
Seasonal vegetables.
Rice or pasta. (though lately I've been skipping these. I'm not personally a potato fan.)
Cornbread is a wonderfully cheap special treat for us!
Stock up on garlic, ginger, onions, and (if you can stand it) hot peppers and you'll never get bored.
Buy generic or bulk herbs/spices... or even better, grow your own (or make friends with someone who grows their own; I have friends and students who are all to happy to unload the overload of their garden on me).
I'm not a huge fan of canned vegetable stuff, but an arsenal of canned tomatoes/sauce/paste/puree is a must. (My favorite tomato sauce in the world is a can of each + whatever spices/veggies make you happy, simmered all day in a crock pot. It makes the house smell heavenly when I come home).

General rules:

1. BUY IN SEASON. I have a general rule of not buying vegetables unless it's a dollar a pound or less, which generally corresponds to what is seasonal. In the winter, supplement with frozen, and learn to love greens (which are always cheap)

2. COMPARISON SHOP. Know what's cheapest where. (Wal-mart has cheap veggies I don't see anywhere else; Whole Foods has the cheapest tofu.) Related: I tend to buy generic whenever humanly possible.

3. This goes against common thought, but I spend less when I don't go shopping with a definitive list. I buy what's on sale and think of meals as I'm there.

4. I still use, and love, my starving-student cookbooks. They're quick and cheap.

5. Gain confidence in your cooking. Get a sense of what goes with what and you can substitute out things you don't have/are expensive.

[economizer]

In several areas I have recently visitied, Chinese restaurants are offering luncheon menus which include beverage in the price.  A heaping hot plate of food and a soft drink for about 5 bucks.  Take it home and eat it for dinner and, while watching the Travel Channel, think you're someplace exotic!