Vegan Meals for $3 or Less

The Peta2 blog features a series of vegan recipes that cost $3 or less called "$3 Dish of the Day."

Right now I'm extra-superduper brokey-broke-broke, so I thought, what better time to try some of these recipes than now??

Here is a list of recipes that look I thought looked particularly delectable! And, as peta2 promises, each costs no more than $3 each to make. Some are old familiars, others are interesting twists on old familiars. :)

Split Pea Soup

Soy Chorizo Spinach Hash
 
Sloppy Joe Lentil Wraps

Tasty Baked Potatoes

Pimp My Ramen <--These are only $0.32 to make!!!!


I can't wait to try some of these!!! If you have any other recommendations for super cheap vegan recipes, please do pass them on! :)

yours,
foodchain

Vegan MoFo! Post #7: Frickin Pumpkin-Spiced Coffee!

Ugh, I'm STILL sick! I literally slept all day today - hence the sore lack of MoFo posts on my end lately. I don't think I've been ill this long since...maybe ever? I'm seriously on my 12th day of this flu thing. I normally avoid taking any extra medications, so as to build up my body's ability to heal itself (even if that's not scientifically accurate, I believe there is some psychological merit there), but this has been so bad so long that I decided it was some time for antibiotics.

It's a bummer that the past few days, I haven't been well enough to continue my planned themes (Foods That Heal, Cultural Cuisines, & Vegan On A Shoestring Budget). However, as promised, here is the recipe for the Frickin Pumpkin-Spiced Coffee! that my roommate made the other day. It's so obvious it's nuts, but I seriously never thought to do this.

Enjoy, and stay well, people! I will have much more MoFo magic for you within the next few days. I should be back to normal by then. :crosses fingers:

O l i v i a ' s  F r i c k i n  P u m p k i n - S p i c e d  C o f f e e !

...perfect for fall. :)

...also a great trick if you're short on money --> use cheap coffee and spice it up to cover over the flavor. Voila. Gourmet coffee.

Ingredients:
-coffee beans, freshly ground
-pumpkin pie spice

You'll also need a French press. I think this would clog up an electric coffee maker. Er, maybe it wouldn't, but a French press = coffee done right (actually, chemex pot = coffee done right, but I'm not financially there).

Prepare your beans as you normally would, grinding them coarsely and putting them into the French press. Then, add approximately 1 or 2 teaspoons of the pumpkin pie spice and stir it around once or twice. Steep your coffee as you normally would, using boiling water. That's it. I almost flipped out when I realized I could just add whatever to the steeping coffee beans!

Vegan MoFo! Post #5: Friendship Is When People Know All About You But Like You Anyway

Oh man, this is like Foods That Heal, Foods of Various Cultures, and The Barebones Kitchen all rolled up into one tasty blog post.

So, I woke up still not feeling well today (for those of you who may've missed my Sinus-Zap Tea post, I've been dealing with a flu-virus-type-thing for the last few days). Today, I am home from work, and yesterday, I even (gasp!) skipped my MoFo post of the day.

But here I am, bringing you vegan tasties, and you know how?

...Because I have fabulous roommates, that's how! I stumbled out into the kitchen this morning (cough, afternoon), my groggy-eyed, hair-like-a-birds'-nest self, and behold! THIS was going on:

 Brian: Do you want a Brian's Special Vegan Banh Mi?

 

 Olivia: Yes, in fact, you can try this Some Kinda Spicy Potato Pancake Thingie! that's still hot:

Yeah, that's a Hello Kitty toaster. Deal with it.

Olivia (adding): Want some Frickin Pumpkin-Spiced Coffee, too?

Me: Um, YES.

Dinero: Can I have some?

Typical cat, right? But he's so cute, so he gets away with it.

Refrigerator magnet: 

I just love this quote. The one on the green magnet, not the word salad thing above.

 I'm going to link to the 3 recipes above...very soon!  Two of the recipes are linked now! Working on the third. In the meantime, you should click on the linkz to said fabulous roommates' astrology and painting sites.

xoxo,
foodchain

Vegan MoFo! Post #4: Raw Vegan Ice Cream at Home for PENNIES!

That's right. Forget about that $6.99 raw vegan grocery store-bought stuff. You can make it at home for WAAAY cheaper! 

About a year ago, I wrote about making raw vegan ice cream out of frozen bananas using the idea I'd read about on Choosing Raw. This stuff is amazing. Seriously, if you've never tried this before, YOU MUST TRY IT RIGHT NOW. It's everything you could want in a homemade ice cream recipe - fast, easy, cheap, healthy, versatile, and delicious. Oh, and kind of magical.

Anyway, this recipe is a staple of my own personal Barebones Vegan Kitchen, and yet I'd never paused to snap a photo of the finished product - until now.

The frozen banana chunks being whipped into ice cream by the food processor.

The final product. Kinda looks like ice cream, right?

And now you have photographic evidence.

Here's what I do:

Ingredients:
-A bunch of bananas

(yeah, that's it.)

Chop each banana into quarters (or whatever) and freeze them. You'll probably want to keep them in the freezer for at least 8 hours, if not longer. I like to keep mine in a re-usable plastic container to keep them from freezer burn.

When the bananas are frozen solid, put them in a food processor and process them until they form a custard-y, creamy texture. You may be tempted to add water at first, but trust me, just let them do their magic. :-)

Eat plain or top with melted vegan chocolate, melted peanut butter, chopped mango, coconut shreds...whatever you love!

The Barebones Vegan: Another Quick Dish for Less

Orzo-Steamed Spinach

I'm going to tell you about a recent dish that my boyfriend and I invented, called "Orzo-Steamed Spinach." Well, technically, it was mostly me that invented it, but I'll give him credit for getting me to love orzo. :-)

There are a lot of ways in which this dish is awesome. Allow me to elaborate...

• It can be made in less than 10 minutes.
• Its ingredients are either very cheap or, if they're expensive, they are the kind that last a long time. I have listed the prices after each item on the "shopping list" for this dish, below. Although the Earth Balance is pricey, it will last you a while, provided you use it as a condiment and not for baking. Same goes for the sea salt and pepper, which you may even already have. As for the organic baby spinach, it's much more economical to buy the huge container, as the price per ounce is significantly less than that of the smaller containers (trust me, I checked!). Plus, it's a hearty vegetable, so you won't have to worry about it rapidly going bad, so long as you keep it refrigerated.
• It's a great way to consume a large portion of green vegetables without having to go the salad or green smoothie route (which you may be sick of!)
• You only have to dirty one pot, yet you get two hot foods.
• Cheap and/or long-lasting ingredients, plus quickness (seriously under 10 minutes to make!!!), means that it's the perfect "eating for several days in a row" meal when you're mega-busy and don't have time or feel like meal-planning - like during finals week! or a week when you have to work late every night! or while you're writing your dissertation, like me!
• It's really delicious, despite its simplicity! 
 

So here's your ingredients shopping list:

1. a box of "orzo" which is a type of pasta shaped like little, flat footballs (1 store-brand box costs about $0.99 or less here in LA)
2. Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread (usually about $5.99)
3. the huge, 16 oz plastic container of organic baby spinach (I think this cost me something like $5.39)
4. sea salt (prices vary depending on container size)
5. black pepper (prices vary depending on container size)


And here's the recipe:

I'm not going to list the ingredients because they're just the 5 grocery-list items above. So, what you do is cook at least a couple "servings" (say, 1/3 of the box) according to the package instructions. When the orzo is done, stir in a teaspoon or more of the Earth Balance and mix it up real good. Hey, you could even use olive oil if you wanted. Put a mound (really, go nuts) of the fresh spinach on a plate. Cover the spinach some of/all of the hot orzo. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Wait a few minutes for the hot orzo to "cook" the spinach a bit. Makes more than enough for one person.

This is meant to be a light meal or an accompaniment to something else, say, a heap of white beans (which are also cheap and easy to prepare!).

My camera phone doesn't really do it justice, but you get the idea. In this particular photo, you'll see I added some yellow peppers. This was only because we had some from our CSA and I wanted to try them out.

For other cheap, easy ways to be vegan, see my other Barebones Vegan posts.

The Barebones Vegan: Cheap 'n Easy! (Just how you like it)

This is my third of the "Barebones Vegan" posts, in which I tell you how to get by as a vegan without sacrificing your wallet or principles (screw you, Big Business!). You can find my other two posts on this issue here and here.

In the kitchen, practicing my "Look me in the eyes and say that" face. I never said I was fierce.

Here's a cheap and easy recipe that I adapted from The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook.

Spicy Spanish Potatoes:

Ingredients:

7 or 8 small potatoes (use red bliss or Dutch yellow), sliced 1/4'' thick
1 TB (or so) olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/8 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
Sriracha ('cause I'm crazy like that)

Parboil your potato slices for about 3 minutes. Then fry them in the olive oil until they're slightly browned on both sides (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low and season with salt and pepper. Add the cayenne and paprika, making sure to flip the potatoes over a few times to coat. Cover the pan and let it cook until potatoes are soft.

In a small bowl, mix together the tomato paste and vinegar. If you're also crazy, add however much Sriracha you want. Stir the mixture into the potatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes or less, making sure to flip the potatoes occasionally.

The beauty of this dish is four-fold:
1. it's cheap
2. it's easy
3. it uses mostly natural foods
4. it acts as a sinus decongestant because it's so damn spicy 

I paired these potatoes with heated up black beans topped with melted Daiya, and a salad of arugula and tomato. I think adding a side of sliced avocado would also be good.

P.S. Peta2 does a $3 Dish Of The Day if you're interested in checking out similarly cheap vegan recipes.

Like this necklace? Get ready for a shameless plug: Support small, vegan businesses.

Vegan MoFo! Day 8: The Barebones Vegan (Part II)

This post is part of a series I'm writing this month. My hope is to establish a set of basic, essential, and affordable practices for vegans on a budget. You can read the first post here.

T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n  P a n t r y

Below is a partial list of the cheapest pantry items I've found (based on US prices). They're also very versatile and generally healthy. If you're a vegan trying to survive on a tight budget, these are your non-refrigerated staples.

1. Nutritional Yeast - Usually bulk bin places are cheaper, but it depends. It's probably cheapest to find a food co-op near you. They generally have cheap bulk bins (and other cheap food, too).
2. Dried Beans, Split Peas, Lentils - Compare these to the price of the canned variety. Sometimes canned is cheaper, depending on what's on sale and where you shop. These items are great because they're so nutritious (protein, fiber, + vitamins) and they're filling. Eat them with rice, put them on a salad, or toss in the blender to make a bean dip.
3. Oils - Not totally necessary if you're really watching your fats, however.
   
4. Vinegars
   
5. Pasta
6. Rice - A great grain to have on hand because a small amount can be so filling. I've heard that "broken rice" is the cheapest.
7. Flour
   
8. Canned tomatoes and tomato paste
9. Spices/seasonings 
10. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) for soups, stews, casseroles, etc. - This is a much cheaper alternative to fake meat.
11. Nuts
    

Bulk bins @ a food co-op. photocred.

T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n  F r i d g e 

Here are all the vegan refrigerator items you really need, as far as I'm concerned.

1. Veggies and fruits - A vegan must. You may have to shop around to see what's cheapest. Cost will also depend, in part, on if you want organic, local, or not. Concerned about pesticides? Get to know the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15, the lists of worst and best produce to buy organic as determined by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Still concerned? Well, according to doctors like Joel Furhrman, M.D., no matter what shape produce your produce is in, you're still going to get less pesticides than you would from consuming meat, given that eating animals means eating a very concentrated, lifetime's supply of the pesticides that those animals have consumed. Cheapest fruit I've found? Bananas, hands down. And they give you a lot of options: you can freeze 'em for smoothies, eat them on-the-go, have them with peanut butter, fry them, use them as egg substitutes in baking, etc. 
2. Tofu - Cheaper and more versatile than fake meat, so you're getting a lot for your money, in my opinion. 
3. Peanut butter - Get the all natural kind, not the sugary, commercial kind. That stuff's nasty. Trader Joe's sells decently-priced all natural peanut butter. I always refrigerate mine because my 10th grade science teacher told us your peanut butter can harbor botulism bacteria if you don't.
4. Bread - This one varies widely according to what kind you buy. Be sure to check the ingredients list - sometimes bread manufacturers sneak unnecessary dairy ingredients into their bread. Lately, I've been on a whole wheat pita kick, because I like how I can use for sandwiches, personal pizza crusts, or for dipping in hummus.
5. Soy or nut milk of your choice - You can also make this, though it takes some time and dedication. It is cheaper to DIY, though, plus you get a lot of other edible products out of the process.

Soy beans. photocred.

T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n  F r e e z e r

In my opinion, it's generally best to skip most frozen foods, as they're usually expensive. Use your freezer mainly for freezing leftovers plus fruits, veggies, and herbs that you plan on using later. Sometimes, there are cheap deals on pre-packaged frozen fruits and veggies, depending on where you shop.

Oh! There is one exception: many varieties of berries tend to be cheaper if you buy 'em frozen! I, personally, will only buy my organic strawberries when they're in season because they're so damn expensive. All other times, I buy them frozen. Thanks, Queer Vegan Runner, for reminding me of this important exception!


T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n ' s  O t h e r  S e c r e t  F o o d  S o u r c e s:

1. Picking fruits growing off public trees - For so many reasons, I think THIS IS AWESOME! Basically, public trees are public property, right? So, this means the fruits of those trees are the public's, too. Free fruit for everyone, YEAH! Lots of cities worldwide are catching on to this and creating "fruit maps" of their area. For example, at this website, you can download a map of the Fallen Fruit of Silver Lake - a great source if you happen to live in/near Los Angeles! Thanks to awesome folks Matias Viegener, David Burns and Austin Young for starting this project! Don't live in Los Angeles? Here you can find fallen fruit maps for other places, including Copenhagen, Denver, Madrid, Malmo, Mira Flores, and more. 
2. Grow your own garden  - Don't have a back yard? Not to worry. Community gardens are shared spaces of land that you can essentially rent. In Los Angeles, they can be as cheap as $3/month, and I'm guessing that other places are similar if not less. If you live in LA, you can search for a community garden in your area here. If you live in the US, you can search here. Another option? Start an herb garden on your window sill. Herbs, especially, are expensive if you get 'em store-bought! Freeze anything you don't immediately use so you always have herbs on hand. 
3. Join a CSA group - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a group of people in the same area all pitch in money to the same farm, and in turn, the farm distributes "shares" of the season's crops to each person. It's a cheaper way to get organic produce than if you bought it in the store, because it essentially cuts out the "middle man." Prices, therefore, are based on more accurate costs of growing the crops. I just found this directory of CSAs in the United States, if you'd like to search for one near you. 

CSA delivery box. photocredit.

Vegan MoFo! Day 6: Can Veganism Be Cheap? The Barebones Vegan Solution (Part I: Kitchen Equipment)

I've been thinking a lot about whether veganism is a demographic choice. In other words, is veganism a "privilege," limited only to the middle and upper classes who can afford it? Or is veganism accessible to everyone, regardless of income?

Apparently, others have been thinking about this issue lately, too. Bess of idreamofgreenie just informed me of Business Week's article about veganism being for the rich and powerful. The article cites recent vegan converts including Bill Clinton, Bill Ford, Russell Simmons, Steve Winn, and Mike Tyson (yes, he's vegan), among others high up on the financial ladder, like CEOs and major business owners.

However, as a vegan, I can say that you don't have to be wealthy to be vegan. This past August, Natala at veganhope set up a really thought-provoking $21-a-week-challenge to show that it really is possible to eat vegan on a tight budget. Twenty-one bucks is the amount of money allotted to you, per week, if you receive food stamps here in the US. Check it out.

Veggies = a huge part of a healthy vegan diet. How can you get the most for your buck?

Now, I have not tried Natala's $21/week challenge, but I do have some ideas for eating cheaply as a vegan. As a PhD student, I have been living off small stipends and student loans for several years, so I have some experience with finding cheap vegan deals. Throughout this Vegan MoFo November, I'll be posting a multi-entry series on what I'm calling The Barebones Vegan, offering tips and advice on how to be vegan on the cheap.

I recognize that some of my suggestions will take more time than their more expensive alternatives, but if you have the time, the patience, the internet access, and the interest, there are some low-cost ways to be vegan. 

Here we go:

T h e  B a r e b o n e s  V e g a n  K i t c h e n  E q u i p m e n t 

Because home cooking is ultimately cheaper to do than eating out, I list the basic kitchen appliances and tools you'll need to acquire in order to create your own meals. Nothing fancy here, just the stuff you'll need to get by.

1.  A reasonably-priced blender. In my opinion, a blender can do most, if not all, of the things a food processor can do, and they are generally cheaper. Glass jar blenders can do more (such as blend frozen fruits and ice) and are sturdier, but a cheaper, plastic blender will work just fine as long as you don't put ice or very hard frozen fruits in it. The smaller you chop your fruits before freezing them, the less likely you will injure a plastic blender. You can also partially thaw frozen fruits in a bowl of warm water prior to tossing them inside the jar. 
2. Pots and pans. You can get by with: 1 very large pot (for soups, stews, curries, pasta puttanesca, etc.), 1 medium-sized pot (for re-heating things, cooking rice, making sauces, single-serving items, steaming vegetables, etc.), 1 large frying pan (for stirfrys), and 1 medium frying pan (sometimes you'll want to have two things sauteing at once). It's best to have lids for the pots and pans, too. Nonstick pots/pans tend not to last long, plus who knows what those "nonstick" chemicals will do to you as they inevitably scratch off the surface! Look for cast-iron, which will last you a LONG time, is easy to clean, and tends to be much cheaper than stainless steel (for example, a cast iron skillet goes for around $25, whereas a stainless steel one is over $100).
3. A cookie sheet and a casserole pan, for baking desserts, seitan, casseroles, vegan pizzas, tofu, etc., plus re-heating food. 
4. One decent-quality 8'' or 10'' chef's knife. This will save you from needing any fancy schmancy food processor-type dealie. Plus you won't really need to buy a variety of other knives, this way. I, personally, do most of my chopping and food prep with just one quality knife. Keep the knife clean and dry and it should last you a long time.
5. Two wooden spoons. Two because you'll sometimes be cooking two things at once on the stovetop.
6. A wooden cutting board. Trust me, these will save you money in the long run, as their plastic counterparts tend to get gnarly pretty quickly. Just be sure to keep your wooden cutting board clean and dry, and it should last you a long time.

Skip the toaster, as you can use your broiler for toast. A microwave is also unnecessary, because you can re-heat your foods using your broiler, oven, or stove-top.

Try to avoid paying full-price. How can you get these cheaply? Check out The Freecycle Network, where you may be able to find free, used kitchenware, plus you'll be participating in a very eco-friendly practice. Craigslist.com is also good for finding cheap (sometimes even free), used appliances. Amazon.com is maybe the 3rd cheapest option, since you'll have to pay for shipping, although Adam says you can sometimes find expensive blenders that have been refurbished selling for half their original price. Also, thrift stores and yard/garage sales can be great to find cheap deals.

Lasagna doesn't lie. You can go veg - it just takes a little know-how.

Stay tuned for upcoming Barebones Vegan posts this month, including the Barebones Vegan Pantry, the Barebones Vegan Fridge & Freezer, The DIY Guide To Cheap Veganism, and more.

Hope this helps!

Peace,
CYoFC

P.S. Please feel free to share your own suggestions on how to eat vegan for cheap!!! I may end up using them in future Barebones Vegan posts.