apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Your list of cans makes me think in the direction of a dip. I'm not sure you could put both the sour cream AND the tomato paste into it, but hey, why not? Run it all through the food processor, add herbs and salt and dip away....

Bean Burritos? I have a stack of tortillas sitting in my fridge...

Or a black bean chili...

Chop half an onion, saute a couple of mins. in olive oil, add 1-2 minced garlic cloves, continue cooking for a few more mins., add tomato paste with a tiny bit of water, then add beans. Season with freshly ground cumin, a bit of coriander, chili powder or flakes. Add s&p as desired.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving.

I posted too quickly. I didn't mean add the whole can of tomato paste, maybe 1/4 cup or so, anyway, to taste! :)

Drained beans + 2 garlic + a 1/4 tsp tomato paste + 3 oz cream cheese + good pinch cayenne + salt/pepper. Whirl in food processor. Dump into a baking dish. Top with some white sharp cheddar. Bake 350 till bubbly. Top with the sour cream. Maybe chop an avocado and put on the top if you got it. Get out some good tortilla chips. Open beer. Eat. It is a bit "dude food" casserole but it's good for snacking.

It looks like the beginnings of a cincinnati chili (w/ added beans) to me...with a big dollop of sour cream on top. Then again, I'm into warm comfort foods at the moment (gotta love winter weather). The added bonus is that you get to use up some spaghetti and broth taking up room in your cupboard too.

I really should take up this vow of cucina povera for a month. My tiny apartment pantry is currently overflowing with food. I've got too many boxes of crackers leftover from holiday parties. I wonder how well they'd work into a meatloaf...

These are great suggestions! I just wanted to say that I love the new Publix brand packaging. Very clean and simple looking.

Loving Desk's suggestion and think it's good for Chick's too!

My variation would be to fry up a cheese quesadilla using corn tortillas, adding a small bit of the garlic and a dash of the tomato paste. Then heat up the beans with the garlic, cumin, black pepper, and some hot peppers. Top the quesadillas with the bean mix and sour cream.

Love leed's suggestion... I was thinking of something along those lines... how about this? Black eyed peas in a pot + vegetable stock and any fresh veggies you might have around (chopped carrots, a little celery and onion), + a few tbsp of tomato paste and seasonings (bay leaf, pinch of sage, cayanne). Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Reserve 1/4, then blend the rest until creamy. Add back the chunky 1/4, salt and pepper to taste, then either stir in sour cream or dollop on top.

The black bean stew in a hollow of a baked potato.
Tomato soup with roasted garlic. Add vegetable/chicken broth to the paste. If you have cilantro leaves then you may garnish otherwise without that too , it would be good.
Other additions to the soup -
Adding a tablespoon full of brown rice makes it a full meal or
if you have cheese around - add grilled cheese to the soup.
or Add minced ginger to the tomato soup and toased seasame seeds - very nice . real comfort food for a cold wintry weekend.
or I would just make a sandwich spread -the way Desk mentioned and use it for a busy week.

This may not follow the letter of your challenge, but I think it follows the spirit. My own approach to your pantry challenge is to find some ingredient that has been hanging around forever and find something to do with it. This involves the black eyed peas. I think I originally found something like this at epicurious.com:

Black eyed peas salsa

Combine 2T canola oil, 1T chili powder and 1/4C minced green pepper in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté for a minute, then reduce heat to medium and stir in 1/4C water and a 15oz can of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed [the can from your pantry]. Simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in 2C tomatoes, seeded and diced, and 1/4C green onion, minced. Set aside to cool--serve at room temperature.

This salsa is great served over grilled or pan seared steaks, chops, chicken breasts or whatever--especially if the meat has some spice added to it. It's also great just as a spicy, flavorful side dish.