Cheap, easy eating from Old Mexico

[TxGypsy]

I've spent quite a bit of time in Old Mexico and I am amazed at how flavorful, filling and economical the food is. &nbsp;I thought I'd pass on some of what I've learned.<br><br>Beans are omnipresent in Mexico. &nbsp;They are eaten at least once a day and often at every meal. &nbsp;Beans are good for you and they are a wonderful fiber rich base for making many different dishes. &nbsp;<br><br>I was lucky enough to be invited to eat lunch with the building crew that was finishing up the house I was going to start renting the next week. &nbsp;They had black beans(most of Mexico eats black beans rather than pintos) that were well seasoned, salsa, fried eggs and tortillas. &nbsp;I was served a bowl of beans, topped with an egg, some salsa and tortillas. &nbsp;There were no eating utensils! &nbsp;One fella explained to me that a tortilla was a spoon. &nbsp;The whole crew had fun teaching me how to eat with a tortilla. &nbsp;That was one of the best simple meals I've ever had. &nbsp;In Mexico there are almost always tons of tortillas served with a meal. &nbsp;Tortillas are one of the cheapest foods available there and you are expected to eat plenty.<br><br>Learn to make tortillas....there is no comparison to store bought, and they are pennies or less each. &nbsp;They are easy to make once you get the hang of it. &nbsp;My first attempt at making a flour tortilla had my Amiga's Mexican husband laughing so hard he was crying and saying.....hey, it is in the shape of Texas! &nbsp;Even with it being funny shaped, it was still delicious. &nbsp;I'm now reasonably proficient and could whip up a batch anywhere that I can find something hot to cook on and a flat surface to roll them out on.<br><br>When in doubt, dice up jalapeno, tomatoes and onions. &nbsp;Though I am primarily a vegetarian, I do eat fresh 'free swimming' fish from time to time. &nbsp;The absolute best fish dish I've ever had was marlin cooked with jalapenos(remove seeds to remove the heat), tomatoes and onions. &nbsp;This was served with a side of beans, hot tortillas and Mexican coke in a glass bottle. &nbsp;Heaven! &nbsp;This works with most any type of fish. It comes out with the fish minced up into small pieces. &nbsp;Cook the onions and jalapenos first and then add the tomato and fish when the veggies are about half done.<br><br>Simple snack. &nbsp;Heat up a flour tortilla and place slices of avocado and roma tomatoes in it with some sea salt. &nbsp;Stick some tortillas in tin foil on the dash to heat them in the summer and this is a super quick, easy snack to fix on the side of the road.<br><br>Everything is better with salsa. &nbsp;Salsa adds lots of flavor and lots of nutrients. &nbsp;When I eat out(invariably breakfast foods since Texas is NOT vegetarian friendly..lol) I often help round out/help out a mediocre meal by smothering everything in salsa. &nbsp;If you ever get used to 1/2 ketchup and 1/2 salsa for your french fries you will never go back to plain ketchup. &nbsp;By the way, if you get salsa at a restaurant that is too hot for your taste...cut it in 1/2 with ketchup. &nbsp;Check out the Mexican food section at the grocery store and they will likely have little cans of salsa that say Salsa Casera(hope I spelled that right). &nbsp;This is good salsa, will do about 2 servings, so you don't have to worry about refrigeration. &nbsp;Generally this is very economically priced as well. &nbsp;<br><br>Mexican potatoes are traditional for breakfast, but awesome for any meal. &nbsp;Cube potatoes, dice onions, couple of cloves of garlic, dice jalapenos and cook in olive oil over medium heat until the potatoes are mostly done. &nbsp;When potatoes are almost done you can add tomatoes if you want. &nbsp;I prefer without tomatoes. &nbsp;You can eat the potatoes plain or beat up some eggs and stir into the potatoes. &nbsp;Burritos!&nbsp;<br><br>The easy, no mess way to eat avocados. &nbsp;Cut in half lengthwise. &nbsp;Remove seed(thwack the blade of your knife into it sharply so that it sinks into the pit, twist and it will come right out). &nbsp;Use a knife to 'score' the avacado meat down to the peel, but not through it about 3 times so that it has been divided into fourths. &nbsp;Then score it across at a 90 degree angle. &nbsp;A spoon will easily carve out neat bites. &nbsp;Throw about your 'bowl'(the peel) when you are done. &nbsp;It takes far longer to explain it than to do it.<br><br>Add some fruit to almost any of the above suggestions and you have a pretty danged nutritious meal. A single serving of everything listed should be under $1. &nbsp;The fish dish might exceed that depending on what type of fish you use(you could always catch your own).<br><br><br>

 

[akblack10]

Great post, I agree homemade tortillas are the best!<br>Thanks for sharing!

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

Thanks for the ideas. As for the catch my own fish, I'm to add. Someone told me once maybe fly fishing would work for me.

 

[TxGypsy]

After checking out the price of non-resident fishing licenses in the states I want to visit, I'm pretty sure that it will be cheaper to buy fish. &nbsp;It's really a shame since I'd enjoy doing a little fishing.

 

[offroad]

check into cat fish farms and such.&nbsp; sometimes it is not fishing if it is private ponds stocked with fish.<br><br>and once you are over 60 you sometimes can get discounted fishing license.&nbsp;

 

[highdesertranger]

txgypsy I hear you on the non resident fishing licenses ditto on hunting licenses also.&nbsp; when they used to be more reasonable I used to get them all the time.&nbsp; not anymore.&nbsp; guess it just for rich folk these days.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[creationode]

MMMMM salsa and avocados!&nbsp; I was really lucky one time and scored 20 avocados for only 50 cents each at a grocery store called Sack n Save.&nbsp; I had at least 2 every day...<br><br>I too thwack the pit, twist it, then score the meat, and scoop it out.&nbsp; The best method by far.<br><br>I like to make a large batch of very hot salsa with lime in a blender, blend it gently with avocado, then store this in a fridge.&nbsp; When I get my van power, it will be in the van.&nbsp; I stick this sauce on everything I eat, and often, just eat that only...all day.<br><br>Instead of using normal corn tortillas, I like larger wraps, as I tend to eat alot, when I actually make my own food.&nbsp; <br><br>Nothing beats fresh homemade food, for sure, and the food from Mexico is oh so much fresher than the Tex Mex you get in Texas.<br><br>I never buy Mexican food in Texas unless it is from a lunch van, or something similar to that.&nbsp; The chains are just...bad.