But I'm Too Broke to Be Vegan!

[Thalassa]

There's a common myth that veganism, or even being mostly vegan, is somehow expensive. Several posts ago, I posted a reasonable example of eating vegan on an average persons budget without excessive cooking. Simple ideas for the average working person.

But what if you go broke at the end of every month, or are a student?

What broke vegans eat:

Peanut butter or tahini with jelly/jam

Stocked up bags of frozen vegetables, especially green vegetables, like broccoli and spinach

Cheap blocks of tofu baked in the oven in slices, with canola oil or cooking spray, plus inexpensive dry spices, like salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. Some people prefer to add cumin or chili, or use chunks of chopped garlic. If you keep it on hand, drizzle with flax oil after cooking and/or dip in Sriracha. Tofu can be frozen for months, just thaw, drain and slice. Buying Chia or flax seeds in bulk can be sprinkled on tofu before baking (or mixed into rice, quinoa, or oatmeal).

Oatmeal and grits, with various additions, like chia, ground flax, sugar and cinnamon, or made savory with nutritional yeast, vegan margarine, salt and pepper.

Oriental flavor Ramen is vegan (Top Ramen NOT Maruchan)

Cheap fruits like apples, oranges or bananas

Fruit or vegetables from a neighbor or local farm, or their own garden

Quinoa with ground flax, nuts or seeds, and parsley or scallions. Quinoa is a complete protein.

Buy big boxes of tea in bulk

Stock up on spices, seasoning, bay leaves, and nutritional yeast, which last longer and will be there when your teriyaki or plum sauce run out

Buy a few bags of dry beans, to save for broke times, which can easily be cooked with salt and bay leaves, or with onion or garlic, and will feed you for days. Pairing with different spices, sauces, grains, and frozen vegetables can give you more variety.

Fortified nutritional yeast is a life saver for when you have run out of your B12 or multi-vitamin. Flax and chia give you Omega 3s, and can last for months and sprinked into lots of dishes.

Whole grain pasta and sauce (or make a homemade nutritional yeast cheese sauce)

99 cent or dollar stores can carry staples like beans, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables, vegan pasta, rice, tea, and even soy milk or veggie burgers.

Note that I'm not suggesting you don't add fresher and more exciting foods when you have the money, but there are easy ways to get through the end of the month still eating a relatively balanced vegan diet.

I also don't condemn anyone for grabbing a bean and cheese burrito in a pinch, since frozen ones can be found for less than a dollar - but note that Taco Bell now has a vegetarian menu on their Web site, and multiple sources can help you veganize Taco Bell for just a couple of bucks, no extra charge to regular items with even swaps now (beans instead of beef, guacamole instead of sour cream, red or green sauce instead of chipotle cream, extra onions or lettuce, all of these are free, though adding potatoes, rice or guacamole to an item that does not already have sour cream can cost like 50 cents).

 

[Thalassa]

Also one of the tastiest things ever, are roasted chickpeas. You can cook them dry, or used drained rinsed canned, then lay them on a baking sheet with olive or canola oil or cooking spray, covering them in a generous sprinkling of salt, cumin and paprika, and garnishing with minced, or chopped, garlic, and baking at around 350 until they're crisp. Eat plain, or toss into a Buddha bowl, with rice or quinoa, vegetables on hand, and some sesame tahini.

Sesame tahini dressing is the best thing ever, but requires purchasing more pricey sesame oil and olive oil, to mix with tahini, lemon juice and salt, but it can be made during plentiful days and stored in the fridge for later.

Plain tahini is great to keep around though, just to use on its own, or eat with jam like nut butter.