Vegan Diet On A Budget

I'm currently on a very tight budget right now, and have some ideas of what to get for the budget which is vegan.

I was wondering something, does anyone have any ideas of vegan foods that are good quality and more affordable?

Those noodles i listed are cheap as hell to make.

Grains, tubers and legumes. Add some cheap fruit and veggies.

Dried beans...super cheap.

Dried beans...super cheap.

I never was too big on beans. Any other ideas?

Chickpeas? Lentils?

If I shop around I can usually get tofu pretty cheap.

When frozen veggies are on sale I usually stock up on those.

Dried beans...super cheap.

 

I never was too big on beans. Any other ideas?

Chinese grocery stores have cheap tofu and soymilk.

The downside is that there are not organic ( commercial soy beans can be GMO are grown with a lot of insecticide ). I've heard rumors that Chinese brands often lace their products with dairy without feeling the need to list it in the ingredients. Caveat Emptor.

You can also make your own Seitan/wheat gluten for a substantial savings. It is pretty quick with powdered mixes like "Vital Wheat Gluten"

You can buy powdered soy milk at a substantial savings, ie "Better Than MIlk" costs about $10 a can.

You can buy several types of TVP (textured vegetable protein ) and learn to make many meat-like recipes with the stuff. TVP is cheap.

Lewis Labs makes a brewers yeast grown specifically for human consumption. It has a ridiculous amount of nutrition and a ridiculous amount of protein. A $15 jar will last you for weeks drinking a glass a day.

Oatmeal is very filling and cheap, particularly steel cut oats ( Irish Oatmeal ) bought in bulk. Amaranth makes a very cheap, nutritious and filling hot cereal. You can buy many hot cereals made from whole grains that are fairly cheap.

Learn which produce is seasonal, that will be cheapest. Potatoes, apples and cabbage are always the cheapest of all produce.

Two of the most expensive vegan convenience items are premade soups and sauces. Once a week make a pot of soup or stew. Freeze it in zip lock bags containing individual portions. You will have something when you don't feel like cooking.

Buy this book. It will teach you how to make your own sauces and how to put together your own meals out of cheap leftovers, odds & ends:

http://www.amazon.com/Saucy-Vegetarian-Joanne-Stepaniak/dp/1570670919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264216824&sr=8-1

A vegan diet is like any other diet. You spend more when you make less of your own food. Make more of your food from scratch and you will spend less.

Love the Great ideas everyone is sharing!

I ate years with a limited budget..........being a vegan.

My pantry staples:

Dried beans & legumes

Brown rice- which I would order it in 50lb bag which ended up being so much cheaper! per pound.

Dried Polenta ( buy in bulk)

Sprouts seeds!! alfalfa, radish, mung and lentils. If I couldn’t afford many fresh veggies this gave me that freshness I was craving, I bought large canning jars & screens and made sure I was rinsing everyday to have a bounty of good sprouts.

Bulk bins! oatmeal, soy sauce, olive oil

Canned or bottled tomato products

Cheapest organic produce:

Cabbage, Bananas, apples , potatoes & onions – often in local health food stores they have a ½ off veggies section filled with slightly bruised foods, but still great quality & cheaper!

I put up a small greenhouse & grew all my greens, If your location allows it- Its easy to make box window green houses & have kale & chard and much more! all winter long.

If you live in a rural area- check out the closest organic farm, most of them have a CSA program & its worth buying into it, You pay a flat fee each season then you will receive a weekly basket full of their local organic veggies! They also are open to work exchanges- you spend sometime weeding or gardening & you get paid in veggies!

My favorite cheap food recipe is

Cumin cabbage: You thinly slice onions & cabbage, sauté in a large skillet, add pepper, salt & cumin powder, add a can of diced tomato’s and cook until tender. Enjoy! Serve with warm polenta

Tofu can be bought cheap & then put into the freezer

It is great after it has been frozen! chewy

It can be used in enchiladas or in soup.

here is a basic recipe

Freeze and thaw 1 lb. tofu (Chinese)

Squeeze moisture from tofu and tear into bite-sized pieces.

Mix together the following ingredients and pour over tofu pieces, then squeeze it in so all liquid is evenly absorbed.

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3 T. nutritional yeast

Lightly oil cookie sheet, or spray with cooking spray

Spread the tofu pieces on cookie sheet and bake at 350° 20 minutes, then flip over and bake 10 minutes more. Watch to make sure they don’t burn.

They should be browned and smell wonderful!

find a decent cheap asian grocer.

(usually the larger they are, the cheaper) Here you can cheaply get:

-tofu

-brown rice

-bunches of greens (chinese spinach, boy choy etc)

Then find a decent cheap continental store (not sure what they call these in the U.S... they sell lots of imported italian & greek foods) Here you can cheaply get:

canned and dried beans, lentils and chickpeas (I know you dont like beans but hey if you want to do it on a budget you have to learn to appreciate them)

-giant bags of TVP

Then go find somewhere you can buy some cheap almonds and peanuts, and a market to buy some more cheap veggies

With your imagination these ingredients can make up 90% of your diet

Love the Great ideas everyone is sharing!

I ate years with a limited budget..........being a vegan.

 

My pantry staples:

Dried beans & legumes

Brown rice- which I would order it in 50lb bag which ended up being so much cheaper! per pound.

Dried Polenta ( buy in bulk)

Sprouts seeds!! alfalfa, radish, mung and lentils. If I couldn’t afford many fresh veggies this gave me that freshness I was craving, I bought large canning jars & screens and made sure I was rinsing everyday to have a bounty of good sprouts.

 

Bulk bins! oatmeal, soy sauce, olive oil

Canned or bottled tomato products

Cheapest organic produce:

Cabbage, Bananas, apples , potatoes & onions – often in local health food stores they have a ½ off veggies section filled with slightly bruised foods, but still great quality & cheaper!

I put up a small greenhouse & grew all my greens, If your location allows it- Its easy to make box window green houses & have kale & chard and much more! all winter long.

If you live in a rural area- check out the closest organic farm, most of them have a CSA program & its worth buying into it, You pay a flat fee each season then you will receive a weekly basket full of their local organic veggies! They also are open to work exchanges- you spend sometime weeding or gardening & you get paid in veggies!

 

My favorite cheap food recipe is

Cumin cabbage: You thinly slice onions & cabbage, sauté in a large skillet, add pepper, salt & cumin powder, add a can of diced tomato’s and cook until tender. Enjoy! Serve with warm polenta

the cumin cabbage is very tasty i have it all the time!