I was craving soba noodles tonight, and luckily I had a few things on hand to do a lazy version of takeout. Soba noodles are decently high in protein and cheap, my grocery store has triple packs for $3. This recipe uses 1 bundle of noodles, so this meal cost around $6 total, and I got rid of the poor lone radish hanging out in my fridge.

• First boil the soba noodles according to the package directions, about 8 minutes. While the noodles were boiling, I minced some garlic cloves, ginger, and a radish.

• Next I drained the noodles, then in the same pot I heated a tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat and sauteed the garlic, ginger and radish for about a minute. On top of that, I added about half a block of firm tofu torn into chunks and half a cup of frozen edamame. Stir together with the garlic mixture, then add ~3 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes, just enough to heat the tofu.

• Last, add thinly sliced collard greens (or any firm greens, kale or boy choy would work too) on top of the tofu. Add about a half cup of water to the pot and it will steam the greens almost instantly. Let simmer together for another 5 minutes. Then add the soba noodles back to the pot, and stir gently to combine everything together. Transfer to a bowl and top with sesame seeds!

I can’t believe I never thought of this before! I love baked Beans and this would be super easy to make! Especially if you made your own baked beans from scratch!

• Dried Chickpeas soaked for two days then boiled until soft
• Olives in water/vinegar based brine (no oil)
• Tahini (preferably raw tahini)
• Cumin
• Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt (my preferences)
• Lemons
• Cold water or ice cubes
• Paprika or smoked paprika (optional but I prefer it)
• Optional for dipping: pita chips, tortilla chips, flatbread, fruits and veggies such as: cucumber, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, snow peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.

1. Once chickpeas have been soaked for two days (you may need to replace the water on the second day), bring them to a boil. It may take a long time to achieve desired softness. You want them to be very soft. It if effort but is much preferable to using canned.
2. Add cooked chickpeas to food processor along with desired amount of olive brine from olive jar. (I use about half per batch, sometimes more depending on batch size). You can also add some olives to the mix. I like to throw in a few but I also like to just save them until the end to eat with the hummus. It’s up to you.
3. Add in a big scoop of tahini. You can adjust this to taste as well.
4. Add in desired amount of cumin, I usually add about a teaspoon, or slightly more depending on batch size. Add desired amount of salt as well, to taste.
5. Squeeze in lemon juice to taste, being careful not to let any seeds get in the food processor as they can catch on the blade. I usually like about half a lemon but you may prefer less or more and it does depend on batch size.
6. Add some cold water or ice cubes to help thin it out to desired consistency.
7. You will need to blend it in batches, giving your food processor small breaks.
8. Once finished, transfer to bowl and top with paprika or smoked paprika. I like to put some olives on top too. :)
9. Dip your favourite accompaniments in and enjoy!

Hello Cheap Vegan fam! What are you all prepping this week that's cheap and vegan? Keeping it simple with beans and rice, or trying something more advanced? Do you have any general tips for managing your mealprep process? Share your knowledge and help out your fellow vegans and aspiring vegans! Thank you all! 🌱

This is based on Andrew Bernard's recipe from Make it Dairy Free, blog post here: https://makeitdairyfree.com/one-bowl-vegan-pumpkin-baked-oatmeal/ and Youtube video here: https://youtu.be/M8vYwax2ybk?si=NAIJnFyGVL2ADIQI

Instead of pumpkin, I used an acorn squash that I baked and mashed myself. Pumpkin is great, but acorn squash brings a really unique creamy flavor without the sweetness of pumpkin. This version is probably not sweet enough to fit into the "dessert" category but it's delicious as a breakfast meal or any time snack.

To bake your own acorn squash, simply preheat your oven to 350F. Cut your acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds (you can roast these too if you want, or put them outside for critters). Put the squash halves on a baking sheet, preferably with raised edges because it will get juicy, and bake at 350 for around 30 to 40 minutes. They're done when a knife goes all the way through with no resistance. Let the squash halves cool, about another half hour, until cool enough to handle. Then the skin should peel off easily. Put the halves into a bowl and squish with your hands until smooth. You can use a blender here, I find my hands work just as well and I don't need to get the blender dirty.

This recipe will use about half of a medium sized acorn squash. For the remaining half, either refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze it. Use the acorn squash mash anywhere you would use pumpkin! To make the baked oatmeal:

Ingredients

• 2 cups dairy free milk of your choice

• 1 and 3/4 cup mashed acorn squash

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (or oat flour or a combination)

• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (original recipe uses ground flax seed)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and cloves, or other seasonal spices of your choice

• Optional: add a half cup of raisins, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc. I threw a handful of pumpkin seeds on top for maximum autumn aesthetic.

Instructions Mix the wet ingredients first, until the squash and plant milk is fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients right on top of the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Recipe:

• Pasta
• Avocados
• Lime (or lemon)
• Salt and Pepper
• Crushed red pepper (optional)

Just make the pasta and then add mashed avocado mixed with lime juice to taste. 😋

Hello Cheap Vegan fam! What are you all prepping this week that's cheap and vegan? Keeping it simple with beans and rice, or trying something more advanced? Do you have any general tips for managing your mealprep process? Share your knowledge and help out your fellow vegans and aspiring vegans! Thank you all! 🌱

This is a super cheap, quick and filling meal! I always have a bag of potatoes hanging out in my cupboard, so this is a meal I make when I have nothing else planned and want a fast dinner. Kind of like a healthier version of fast food.

Any kind of potato will do, if you want red and starchy or yellow wax potatoes, both are delicious! Boil a pot of water, around 6 quarts if you're making dinner for 2, more if you're serving more people. Roughly chop about 1 lb of potatoes with skin on, no need to peel, and toss into boiling water. Boil for around 15 minutes and test with a fork for doneness. The fork should pass all the way through a potato chunk with no resistance. Once they're cooked through, drain off the cooking water.

To the drained potatoes, add about a half cup of unsweetened plant milk, half cup of nutritional yeast, about 1/4 cup of white vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. If you have a seasoned vinegar that's even better. Mash with a potato masher, or a large wooden spoon to your desired consistency. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve with tortillas and taco toppings--shredded lettuce, sauteed peppers, jalapenos, onions, mushrooms, rice, etc. Beans are a great addition, but potatoes are an underrated source of protein with 15g per cup!

This is highly customizable to your preferences of course! I tend to leave larger chunks of potatoes but smooth is great too. Add a clove of garlic when mashing the potatoes, or roasted garlic. The vinegar is not really optional though, this is the ingredient that takes potatoes from a side dish to main meal material.

Hello Cheap Vegan fam! Quick update, we have a couple of new tags here, Sauces and Condiments and Vegan Basics. Sauces are a cheap easy way to elevate simple ingredients to a fantastic meal, so as requested I'll be posting more sauce recipes. If you have a great secret sauce, please share! As long as it's not too secret...

Vegan Basics is for the really simple hacks that make vegan food easier, the quick tip that maybe you thought wasn't enough to post on its own--well it is! This community runs the whole range from experienced chefs to vegan newbies or aspiring vegans, so guaranteed someone here will find your post helpful. Thank you all for making this fantastic community what it is!

I know not the best pic but it's got a lot of thick rich flavours and was way better than expected. Ingredients: Dark roux (flour and oil toasted in a pan until chocolate brown) 6 cups vegetable stock 2 tablespoons tomato paste, One whole white onion, diced Three cloves garlic Vegan soy sauce Thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder. (Alternately use Cajun seasoning and add cayenne until heavily spicy) Silken or soft tofu.

Cook Three tablespoons of flour with a generous amount of oil in a pot until dark rich brown stirring constantly to prevent burning Slowly pour in the vegetable stock while whisking, adding in batches and mixing until incorporated then add the tomato paste, dry spices, onion and garlic. Cook until onions are soft and then taste for spices. Go heavy on the spice as this is meant to be served over rice with tofu. Start your rice and turn heat on sauce to low. Gently Add your silken/soft tofu and ensure each piece is fully covered in sauce. Cover the pot and leave on low until rice is ready, then serve.

I answered this question in a different subreddit a moment ago, but now I’m curious to what other vegan folks are spending. In your answer, specify how many people are in the household, your general location, how much you’re spending on eating out/morning coffee/etc, and anything else you feel is relevant.