Here's my idea for a very inexpensive and healthy snack that tastes pretty darned good. I pack it in my husband's lunch every day and it seems to be the one thing he always eats but never tires of.

Black bean dip

2 cups cooked drained black beans
1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 lemon or lime
Something hot-jalapeno, serano chilies, Thai peppers, whatever. I like to use the dried pacific peppers that we grew when we lived on Guam.
1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)
2 tablespoons minced Spanish olive (optional)

Pureé the ingredients together in a blender or food processor. My cookbook says you can mash the beans by hand but I haven't tried that. I'm sure it would turn out chunkier that way, and maybe some people would prefer that.

Once this is made, we use it as a dip with the following recipe for an Armenian flat bread. It is sort of a replacement for tortilla chips. It very easy to make and is also a great source of fiber.

Lavash crisp bread

2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 pkg. dry yeast (this is more for flavoring and texture than for rising)
1 tablespoon salt
1-1/2 cups hot water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds

In a mixing bowl place 1 cup each of the 2 flours and add the yeast and salt. Stir well to blend. Pour in the hot water and beat with a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix for 3 minutes. Add the remaining cup whole wheat flour and stir vigorously to blend. Add the remaining white flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Don't overload the dough with flour. It should be soft and elastic but not sticky.

Knead dough and let rise until doubled in size. Punch down dough and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Prepare a lightly floured work area. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll out each ball until it is very thin but still fits on half of a cookie sheet. Place two crisps per baking sheet. Brush with milk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

While the first batch is in the oven, roll out the second batch, and so on. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until light brown. Be careful that you don't overcook, there seems to be a fine line between raw and very brown.

Put the baked lavash on racks to cool. Store those not eaten immediately in a dry place. Stored in a sealed carton or bag, the pieces of cracker-like bread will keep indefinitely.