Vegan and vegetarian food on the cheap

lilac_lady · 8 January 2008 at 12:16AM

Follow any lasagne recipe but substitute the mince for baked beans. Delicious!

IamJen · 15 January 2008 at 8:51PM

Our lasagne (which we're having for dinner tomorrow) consists of layers of:

-lasagne sheets (I like these spelt ones that I found at the local HFS)
-tofu "ricotta" (mashed tofu with some lemon juice, garlic, salt, basil and a little olive oil; nutritional yeast/engevita makes a nice cheesy flavor if you have some, too)
-very lightly sauteed slices of aubergine and zucchini
-tomato sauce, either homemade or from a jar. I usually throw in some split red lentils into the sauce for a bit of texture and extra protein.

Yum.

(not sure what's happening with my font there)

seth · 15 January 2008 at 9:22PM

To save money on expensive items like stock and Quorn mince...

Long life tofu (Japanese) firm or soft is only 80p per pack. Look for tinned mock abalone only £1.13 at Asian supermarkets just stir into stir frys etc. Fried fresh tofu is amazing, but don't keep it too long it spoils quickly check dates and storage when buying.

I use Soy sauce. Buy the large bottles from Asian supermarket I pay 79p for 623ml of light superior soy sauce. I tend to stick to the naturally brewed ones with no MSG. Check the ingredients it should be wheat, soy extract, salt, water nothing else.

Start with light superior soy sauce this is ideal for making dishes darker (gravy in Spag. Boll. etc) remember not to add salt when using Soy Source.

I use the cheap textured dry textured vegetable protein. Easy to pack this too! This is soya based and very cheap. Boil it for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the water. Fry lightly for a better texture. I always add finely chopped onions at this stage. The onion reduce down well and brown the TVP mince.

Sample recipe for basic vegie mince to illustrate use:

In a separate pan, I prepare the sauce for spag Bol. Lasagne. Start with very coarsely chopped onions, and mixed veg. (tomatoes, peppers, garlic) lightly fry. Then pop this in a jug and blend. I use a cheap £3.99 blender from tesco /argos. Add some cheap chopped or whole plum tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes for a rich sauce. Add this back to the pan season with Soy, pepper , oregano.

I by herb and spices from italian and asian supermarket much less than supermarkets, grow your own basil in summer for more cheap flavour. Return to pan and reduce.

I never add flour to thicken it kills the flavour, use a teaspoon of instant mash instead just sprinkle in and stir, or add a can of bean (e.g.. rinsed tinned butter beans) to the vegetable when blending.

As the TVG browns with the Onions stir in the sauce at the last minute serve with pasta, splashed with Netto Olive oil

redmandarin · 31 December 2011 at 4:08PM

:j Wow, thank you. This is a fantastic thread, I wish I'd have found it sooner!

We've been a veggie family for many years (and I've recently started drinking non-dairy milk) and we need to keep an eye on the pennies.

I've saved this thread to my desktop and am looking forward to trying all the tasty, great value recipie ideas very much!

Thanks to all! :T

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver · 31 December 2011 at 9:36PM

I am not a Veggie but an important friend is and I wonder how possible it is to have a healthy tasty delicious veggie diet on JSA?

JBD · 31 December 2011 at 10:19PM

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

I am not a Veggie but an important friend is and I wonder how possible it is to have a healthy tasty delicious veggie diet on JSA?

I would think it would be quite easy, if they ate mainly beans, nuts and pulses as their main source of protein, as opposed to quorn, Linda McCartney sausages etc.
If your friend googles frugal vegetarian meal plans he/she should find plenty of ideas for cheap vegetarian meals.

Murrell · 14 January 2012 at 9:28PM

http://cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

option 2 is vegan

moggymutt · 14 January 2012 at 10:21PM

Mega food- quinoa- looks like budgie seed- 8 essential amino acids + stacks of protein- a little of the dried stuff goes a hell of a long way. I'm a lazy so and so and refuse to prepare meals, so quinoa in the microwave is a godsend to me.. Even the likes of MrT sells it now. I get 7 good meals (usually too big because I still misjudge just how much it swells up) out of a 500g bag which in the health shop sells for £2.49.
I often cook with lentils or tinned tomatoes.

ps I'm gluten free vegan- only health problems are when I try to sneak gluten back in my diet which lowers my calcium absorption- my last set of doctors admitted that my diet was healthier than theirs! (and thats even with me admitting to being a soya chocoholic.)

omega 3 - best source is v pure capsules- easy to buy over internet- made from the algae that the fish eat in order that they get omega 3.

pps- after turning vegan lived on a dairy farm for a year-so I can go by what I witnessed every day, and not what others have told me. I would never ever touch meat or dairy again.

Type extremely slowly so cant write down all the horrors I saw.

A website called vegan village has masses of recipes.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Vegan and vegetarian food on the cheap

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