News Flash: Cheap Eats at Food Truck Rally Tonight

Souper Jenny is hosting an underground food truck event tonight in its Buckhead parking lot. Local vendors like Taqueria del Sol, Artichoke Bliss, The Pickle, the King of Pops and Souper Jenny (duh) will be selling their delicious fare, and most items will be priced at $5 or less. Please come out to eat on the cheap and support this burgeoning movement. The vendors accept cash only, so don't forget to hit the ATM on your way there. It's sure to be a delicious gathering!

56 E. Andrews Dr., Buckhead
6 - 9 p.m.

One Dish Wonder

It's my hope that one of these days we can throw an Affordable Foodie bash here in my "quaint" little apartment. Not only would that give us all a chance to experience these delectable dishes in each other's company, but it would provide you with the opportunity to see my kitchen. It's one of those kitchens where you basically have to laugh to keep from crying, if you know what I mean. For starters, my washer and dryer are right there...literally just a few feet from the sink. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Maybe at some point in your life you've lived sans dishwasher. I hope not, for sanity's sake, but if you have, you understand that even for someone who loves preparing great meals (and I do), not having a dishwasher can often take the wind out of your cooking sails. I mean, here you've slaved away and enjoyed the spoils of your hard work...and then you're left with 30 extra minutes of manual labor requiring rubber gloves. Ugh! With that in mind, this Affordable Foodie has a new found appreciation for recipes that are not only tasty, but ones that don't clog up the sink with countless dishes.

My very favorite of this type of recipe is for beef enchiladas. It's a no-mess, easy and absolutely mouth watering dish! And the best part is it only uses one pan and one baking dish. I pair the enchiladas with slices of avocado, romaine lettuce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream and Jack's Fresh salsa. The recipe is below. Enjoy! I apologize for the pics; I had to use my iPhone.

C's Famous Enchiladas

(You'll need an 8x10 in. baking dish)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cans of El Pasos enchilada sauce
1 package of 12 in. tortillas
1 can of Rotel
1 package of McCormick's taco seasoning
1.5 - 2 lbs of ground lean sirloin
1 package of chopped romaine lettuce
Jack's Fresh salsa
2 avocados sliced into 1/2 wedges
1/2 cup of picked jalapenos
3 cups of pepper jack cheese, freshly shredded)
1 cup of shredded 4 Mexican cheese blend
1/4 cup of cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

Cook meat in pan until brown. Add package of taco seasoning (follow the standard directions on the seasoning package). Also add 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce - we recommend the Old El Paso sauce you can find at your local grocer. Once meat is cooked, add about 3-4 tablespoons of meat to each 12" tortilla. Tightly roll 5 tortillas with beef in a casserole dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, rotel, and picked jalapenos.



Then add cheeses and cilantro to top.



Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Serve with romaine, sliced avocado, salsa and sour cream.

Atlanta a la Cart: Support the Street Food Movement

Christiane Lauterbach, the well-respected editor of Knife & Fork, wants you to know that Atlanta is missing out on a major national trend: food carts and trucks. She's started an interesting blog called Atlanta Food Carts (duh) to educate hungry Atlantans on the reasons why our fair city is behind the culinary curve.

From the "About" section of the blog:

"Born of frustration, started in hope, nourished by memories of delicious street food eaten al fresco in other American cities (Portland, New York, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New Orleans among them), this blog would like to document a budding Atlanta scene inhibited so far by existing regulations adverse to the process."

Don't you want to see Jenny Levison of Souper Jenny take her business on the road to a neighborhood near you? Wouldn't it be great if you could buy a steaming hot breakfast burrito courtesy of the guys from Tacqueria del Sol on the street below your high-rise office in Midtown?

At AF, we believe there's nothing better than spending an average of $5 for a delicious lunch straight from the sidewalk. Join us and sign Lauterbach's petition to help bring casual, affordable, delicious food options to the streets of the ATL.