DIY -- bean salad plus

I had an interesting conversation with a stocker at my grocery store once.
He wanted me to buy four cans of mixed beans at $1.69 a pound.
I wanted to buy four cans of single beans at $1.39 a pound.
I saved over a dollar in that conversation.
What's more, I got 60 ounces of bean salad (once I added diced bell pepper and onion) for $4.
You will get 16 ounces for $8 on Amazon.
What's more, this week's DIY is a three-fer.
This is my mother's bean salad dressing.
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
pinch basil
1/4 tsp oregano
Bring to a boil very briefly and pour over the drained canned beans and other vegetables.  Eat the next day.
You can add garlic powder if you want, and also a pinch of sugar.

How this is a three-fer is that this dressing also works with artichokes.  Buy a box of frozen artichoke hearts.  Thaw them.  Add diced red bell pepper and sliced black olives.  Pour the dressing over and put in a jar or plastic keeper.  This is half the unit price of those tiny jars you see in the grocery story and makes a great ante-pasto for a dinner with guests and everything.

The same dressing works on pasta salad with olives, bell pepper, onion, cooked macaroni or shells, and grated cheese.  Again at half price or less.
Mangia!

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights Reserved