Southwestern Succotash, Kristi Willis of Ditch the Box

Kristi Willis curates the blog Ditch the Box in which she details how to eat a delicious and diverse diet of whole foods without breaking the bank. As part of the 2011 Hunger Awareness Project facilitated by the Austin Fool Blogger Alliance and Capital Area Food Bank, Kristi created meals using food typically available at food pantries. The total cost of ingredients for this recipe which serves four was $7.67. That means each serving came in under $2.00! It is possible, with a little forethought and creativity to make your food dollar stretch and to eat well while doing it. Good work, Kristi!

Southwestern Succotash

4 Servings

Ingredients

2 pieces of bacon, diced

olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

about 1/2 a container of okra, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 zucchini squash, diced

2 jalapenos or other peppers, seeded and chopped

2 ears of corn, kernels trimmed from cob

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tomato, diced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Heat a pan at medium-high heat and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

Clean the bacon grease from the pan using a paper towel and reheat the pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and saute the onion until clear. Add the okra, corn, zucchini and jalapenos and cook until just tender. Add black beans and bacon and cook until heated through. Season with cumin salt and pepper to taste and combine well with the veggies. Take the pan off the heat and toss in the tomato.