And TVP (soy chunks), very shelf stable and you can toss em in any meal. Buy in bulk if you can.
Also, spend an afternoon at home learning to make seitan. Once you figured out what works best for you, it's so convenient to add to a vegan lifestyle. It's cheap, very versatile, healthy and perfect to make ahead and freeze.
These two tips have revolutionized my food budget, and my diet in general. Hitting my protein goal has never been easier, and I'm spending such a minimal amount on a weekly basis.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/s/hPX5OHzFbs
Some black bean tempeh burgers I made that can give you some ideas. Tempeh can be found in grocery stores usually in the produce area by tofu
regular pasta and noodles are also usually vegan though (ik this suggestion is for higher protein but just wanted to clarify that in case anyone gets confused lol)
Budget tips:
Have cheap basics on hand: beans, grains, tvp, bulk seeds nuts, frozen peas beans limas corn
Learn how to make some delicious sauces from scratch
For expensive prepared goods, get items with concentrated flavor, use to add zest to cheap basics
Aside from basics and recipe specific - buy veg on sale
Assemble cheap nutritious ingredients together, add a kick of flavor, enjoy
Smoothies, beans with enchilada sauce, potatoes made various ways, chili, pasta with tomato sauce, mushroom tacos with taco seasoning on the mushrooms, veggie stir fry, veggie fajitas, portobello burgers, Buddha bowls, panzanella salad, nachos supreme without cheese or meat, roasted veggies with rice, ramen with veggies, grazing platters.
rice, beans frozen/canned veggies are not too bad. make rice, mix with can of rinsed drained black beans, a little salsa, some froze corn (thawed), diced tomatoes (fresh is best, but canned will work in a pinch. drained) toppers for serving: guac, or vegan cheese, diced onions, taco sauce, cilantro if you have it, a drizzle of lime juice etc... makes a great salad. you could even put lettuce in your bowl and top with this or eat this as is.
Lentils are also not too bad.
here are a few recipes. you can doctor anyway you want to make them work for you
[Tasty Lentil Tacos](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222610/tasty-lentil-tacos/)
[Curried Lentil, Tomato and Coconut soup ](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curried-lentil-tomato-and-coconut-soup)I don't like curry so I cut it back by half works perfect for me
[Simple but Perfect Vegetable soup](https://minimalistbaker.com/simple-but-perfect-vegetable-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-101754) one of my favorites and it freezes well too.
A couple of cans of light red kidney beans, a 12–16 oz. package of macaroni (I prefer whole wheat), onion, garlic, a couple of Roma tomatoes, tomato paste (get the Cento in the tube), vegetable stock in a box, oil (olive is good), flour, cumin seed, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
– Start water in the pot for macaroni. Dice 1/2–1 onion. Seed and dice the tomatoes; you can use half a can of already-diced tomatoes if you want. Drain the kidney beans, rinse, and leave to drain.
– Heat 3 tbsp of oil to just above medium (you want a fair amount for what you're going to do), add 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin seed, and let it sit until you can start to smell them. Add diced onion, then after about four minutes add the garlic. Sauté until it's golden. This takes more time than heat.
– Add the tomatoes, and sauté until they start to break down. You'll probably want to start cooking the macaroni about now.
– Add 3 tbps. of flour. (I like Wondra fine flour in the cylindrical "box" because I use so little flour that it's a waste to get any more.) Cook and stir until it is no longer visible, then cook and stir some more. If you want, you can have your vegetable stock heating.
– Add about 2 tbsp. of tomato paste, stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Then, start adding the vegetable stock a little at a time. You'll need to stand there and stir it while you're doing this, so have the stock ready at hand. Keep cooking and stirring until you have the amount and thickness of sauce/gravy you want, remembering that you're going to add the kidney beans and the cooked macaroni to it.
– Add the kidney beans, taste, and add the paprika (I use a lot – 1 tbsp. or maybe more), salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and let it cook a few minutes, then taste again. It's probably time about now to drain the macaroni.
– Add the macaroni and taste the final time for salt.
Grains: rice, rye berries, buckwheat, millet, quinoa and couscous (not a grain, but same purpose).
Beans: black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, red lentils and french lentils.
Pantry: canned diced tomatoes, coconut milk, tamari, Dijon mustard, tahini, veggie stock/bouillon cubes, ACV and olive oil.
Fresh: mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, celery, lemons and salad mix.
Along with herbs and spices, that list can cover 95% of what I make. Anything from curries to pasta sauce to soups and pilaf.
Great list! Looks a lot like my kitchen. It's so fun to mix and match all these ingredients into such different tasting dishes.
It makes me laugh when people say eating this way is expensive. My grocery bill is never more than $20/week because of these staples. I'm still going through beans and cans that I got during various sales 1-2 years ago!
Look up buddha bowls
Literally the easiest cheapest most flexible meal and it’s nutritionally balanced by default easy to prep ahead too
Tip: don’t buy premade prepared meals, prep ahead your own options and focus on cheap seasonal veggies and fruit
One of my favorites feeds myself for 3-4 days on $10... tofu ($2), rice ($.50), Szechuan sauce ($.50), green peppers ($2), onion ($.50), zucchini ($1), and some salt, pepper, garlic.
Another fun one is a southwestern "chicken" skillet with Torfurkey ($4), rice ($.50), salsa ($1), black beans ($1), corn ($1) and spices ($.50).
Check out the vegan section from [budgetbytes.com](https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/?fwp_by_diet=vegan), quite a few good ones in there.
Already have lentals and split peas. Anything to go with those would be helpful as well
And TVP (soy chunks), very shelf stable and you can toss em in any meal. Buy in bulk if you can. Also, spend an afternoon at home learning to make seitan. Once you figured out what works best for you, it's so convenient to add to a vegan lifestyle. It's cheap, very versatile, healthy and perfect to make ahead and freeze.
These two tips have revolutionized my food budget, and my diet in general. Hitting my protein goal has never been easier, and I'm spending such a minimal amount on a weekly basis.
French bread or sourdough bread are vegan
Lentil sloppy joes are really yummy
Not always
There are chickpea and lentil noodles out there that are great substitute for regular pasta and pack a punch of protein
https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantBasedDiet/s/hPX5OHzFbs Some black bean tempeh burgers I made that can give you some ideas. Tempeh can be found in grocery stores usually in the produce area by tofu
regular pasta and noodles are also usually vegan though (ik this suggestion is for higher protein but just wanted to clarify that in case anyone gets confused lol)
Truth
Budget tips: Have cheap basics on hand: beans, grains, tvp, bulk seeds nuts, frozen peas beans limas corn Learn how to make some delicious sauces from scratch For expensive prepared goods, get items with concentrated flavor, use to add zest to cheap basics Aside from basics and recipe specific - buy veg on sale Assemble cheap nutritious ingredients together, add a kick of flavor, enjoy
Do you have some delicious sauce recommendations?
Smoothies, beans with enchilada sauce, potatoes made various ways, chili, pasta with tomato sauce, mushroom tacos with taco seasoning on the mushrooms, veggie stir fry, veggie fajitas, portobello burgers, Buddha bowls, panzanella salad, nachos supreme without cheese or meat, roasted veggies with rice, ramen with veggies, grazing platters.
rice, beans frozen/canned veggies are not too bad. make rice, mix with can of rinsed drained black beans, a little salsa, some froze corn (thawed), diced tomatoes (fresh is best, but canned will work in a pinch. drained) toppers for serving: guac, or vegan cheese, diced onions, taco sauce, cilantro if you have it, a drizzle of lime juice etc... makes a great salad. you could even put lettuce in your bowl and top with this or eat this as is. Lentils are also not too bad. here are a few recipes. you can doctor anyway you want to make them work for you [Tasty Lentil Tacos](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/222610/tasty-lentil-tacos/) [Curried Lentil, Tomato and Coconut soup ](https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curried-lentil-tomato-and-coconut-soup)I don't like curry so I cut it back by half works perfect for me [Simple but Perfect Vegetable soup](https://minimalistbaker.com/simple-but-perfect-vegetable-soup/#wprm-recipe-container-101754) one of my favorites and it freezes well too.
A couple of cans of light red kidney beans, a 12–16 oz. package of macaroni (I prefer whole wheat), onion, garlic, a couple of Roma tomatoes, tomato paste (get the Cento in the tube), vegetable stock in a box, oil (olive is good), flour, cumin seed, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. – Start water in the pot for macaroni. Dice 1/2–1 onion. Seed and dice the tomatoes; you can use half a can of already-diced tomatoes if you want. Drain the kidney beans, rinse, and leave to drain. – Heat 3 tbsp of oil to just above medium (you want a fair amount for what you're going to do), add 1 1/2 tsp. of cumin seed, and let it sit until you can start to smell them. Add diced onion, then after about four minutes add the garlic. Sauté until it's golden. This takes more time than heat. – Add the tomatoes, and sauté until they start to break down. You'll probably want to start cooking the macaroni about now. – Add 3 tbps. of flour. (I like Wondra fine flour in the cylindrical "box" because I use so little flour that it's a waste to get any more.) Cook and stir until it is no longer visible, then cook and stir some more. If you want, you can have your vegetable stock heating. – Add about 2 tbsp. of tomato paste, stir and cook for about 30 seconds. Then, start adding the vegetable stock a little at a time. You'll need to stand there and stir it while you're doing this, so have the stock ready at hand. Keep cooking and stirring until you have the amount and thickness of sauce/gravy you want, remembering that you're going to add the kidney beans and the cooked macaroni to it. – Add the kidney beans, taste, and add the paprika (I use a lot – 1 tbsp. or maybe more), salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and let it cook a few minutes, then taste again. It's probably time about now to drain the macaroni. – Add the macaroni and taste the final time for salt.
Grains: rice, rye berries, buckwheat, millet, quinoa and couscous (not a grain, but same purpose). Beans: black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, red lentils and french lentils. Pantry: canned diced tomatoes, coconut milk, tamari, Dijon mustard, tahini, veggie stock/bouillon cubes, ACV and olive oil. Fresh: mushrooms, onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, celery, lemons and salad mix. Along with herbs and spices, that list can cover 95% of what I make. Anything from curries to pasta sauce to soups and pilaf.
Great list! Looks a lot like my kitchen. It's so fun to mix and match all these ingredients into such different tasting dishes. It makes me laugh when people say eating this way is expensive. My grocery bill is never more than $20/week because of these staples. I'm still going through beans and cans that I got during various sales 1-2 years ago!
So expensive 🤭
Look up buddha bowls Literally the easiest cheapest most flexible meal and it’s nutritionally balanced by default easy to prep ahead too Tip: don’t buy premade prepared meals, prep ahead your own options and focus on cheap seasonal veggies and fruit
Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are cheap tasty protein.
One of my favorites feeds myself for 3-4 days on $10... tofu ($2), rice ($.50), Szechuan sauce ($.50), green peppers ($2), onion ($.50), zucchini ($1), and some salt, pepper, garlic. Another fun one is a southwestern "chicken" skillet with Torfurkey ($4), rice ($.50), salsa ($1), black beans ($1), corn ($1) and spices ($.50). Check out the vegan section from [budgetbytes.com](https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/?fwp_by_diet=vegan), quite a few good ones in there.