#fry up some corn tortillas and just dip that shit

[thermesiini]

the eggs were good i’ll try them without the lao gan man next time

[ri-ahhh]

cheap and easy vegan recipes I eat everyday bc i’m poor and lazy

I get asked pretty frequently what I eat or what I cook so I decided to just put a day’s worth of food in one post to refer people to haha. 

coffee subjective, but this is my favorite

some kind of intense cold brew concentrate (I’ve been using the brand Cool Brew in the mocha flavor) 

almond milk

nut pod creamer (hazelnut is my fave)

liquid stevia sometimes, like 5-10 drops

breakfast -- avo toast I don’t usually eat breakfast, but if I do this is a safe bet. also I don’t think I need to tell you how to make this but yeah, this is how I do it

bread (I like the Ezekiel low sodium but probably 90% of breads are vegan use whatever you want)

small-medium avo depending on how many slices you’re making  

spices: garlic powder, onion powder, tajin, nutritional yeast, red peper flaks, lime juice, black pepper

lunch -- salad self explanatory you can do whatever you want. my everyday:

baby spinach

extra firm tofu, one serving

bell pepper

avocado

nutritional yeast

dressing (my all time favorite is the herb de provence from the whole foods house brand but again theres a million vegan dressings)

dinner -- veggie tortilla(ish) soup no lie I eat this almost every day and I never get sick of it but I’m weird like that. I don’t measure anything tho so taste varies every time haha. 

this is super great for meal prep it makes like 8-10 pint sized servings that I put in mason jars and I eat it with half an avocado and a shit ton of nutritional yeast.

4 c veggie broth+ 4 c water, or 8 c of either, whatever you want as a broth base

red onion, chopped

minced garlic

1 jalepeno

1 bell pepper

can of petite diced tomatoes

can of black beans

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

~ 1/2 c frozen corn

2-4 T (or to taste) agave nectar or another sweetener

~ 1 T soy sauce

lime juice

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into lil like 1/2 inch cubes

you can add cilantro for authenticity but that shit’s nasty so you do you

spices (to taste, but start with maybe 1 tsp each): salt/pepper; chili powder; garlic powder; onion powder; chipotle powder; cumin; coriander; nutritional yeast; tajin; cayenne (use less haha)

- I make mine in the instant pot but if you don’t have one just saute the onion, garlic, and peppers, then put everything except the tofu, beans, and corn in the pot and bring to a boil. while that shit goes I recommend baking or air frying the tofu until it’s crispy (like 30 min at 400). when the veggies are as tender as you want them, then add the beans, corn, and tofu.  - if you do have an instant pot just saute everything I said above on the saute setting, then add everything except the tofu, corn, and beans and use the soup setting on 5 min. add the left out stuff when it’s done

snacks

apples w/ cinnamon and natural peanut butter

cucumbers: when I tell you I have been OBSESSED with these and i’ve hated cucumbers my whole life. but I chop up two English cucumbers then dress them with salt/pepper, onion and garlic powder, and Italian dressing. thank me later

pretzels and hummus: I’m pretty gluten intolerant so I like the gf good and gather ones from target and the original hummus from good and gather as well, but most pretzels and plain hummus are vegan

dates w/ peanut butter: cut pitted dates in half, fill them with pb, then freeze them. they’re amazing like this but if you dip them in chocolate.. omg. I use the Lily’s extra dark, but there are plenty of other chocolates that are cheaper and vegan. I usually eat these as a dessert but sometimes I get home from work and they HIT. 

[neriad13]

@cantankerouscatfish​

hokay! teaching ways!

versatile pantry stable vegetables that are good to keep around:

 - bag of peppers - these can be tossed into literally every meal to brighten things up and keep for a pretty good amount of time in the fridge

 - some kind of cabbage - I alternate between brussels sprouts and a head of green cabbage. also very versatile and lasts forever

 - carrots - there has been an eternal five pound bag of carrots in the bottom of the crisper for as long as I can remember. glaze ‘em, roast ‘em, saute ‘em, shred ‘em and mix ‘em into potato pancakes

 - frozen corn and peas - keeps forever and can be tossed into soups, stir fries, enchiladas and what have you for a nice touch

 - frozen spinach - has a million applications, both in savory dishes and smoothies. if you have sandwiches on the menu, buy a bag of fresh and use it as a healthier lettuce. when it starts to look less than perfect, you can freeze it and use the rest as you please

 - bag of onions - duh. red onions have a milder flavor than yellow ones. hence, red ones are typically used raw and yellow ones are cooked. but, you have what you have and don’t need to stick to the rules too thoroughly

 - green onions - doesn’t keep for as long as a bag of onions, but has a slightly stronger flavor and is nice to add to asian dishes

 - broccoli - the florets are tasty, but the stem is also edible! slice it thin and toss it in with a stir fry, or shred it make a salad. boom. two veggies in one

 - tomatoes - I use tomatoes more in the summer than in the winter. but half a beefsteak tomato is a good thing to have around to toss onto sandwiches and grilled cheese

 - eggplant - what I like to do is slice up an entire eggplant, salt it, let it sit for a day (to draw out excess moisture and improve the final texture), towel it off, bread it and then freeze the slices I’m not eating on a sheet tray. when they’re frozen, they go into a ziplock freezer bag and I’ve got eggplant parm whenever I want it

 - mushrooms - I usually go for brown button mushrooms. portobellos are a treat. they keep for a fairly good time and can be thrown into just about anything

starches:

 - sweet and regular potatoes - if you can dream it, you can probably make it out of a potato

 - brown rice - can be flavored any possible way and used as a stir fry side, fried rice, rice pilaf...

 - box of spaghetti - I’ve found that spaghetti is the most versatile noodle. you can make italian dishes with it, but it also works out just fine for lo mein

 - home baked bread - I make bread roughly every 2-3 weeks. it’s a pretty easy whole wheat bread recipe that makes two loaves, which I pre-slice and then freeze. it’s way cheaper and usually tastier to buy flour than a finished loaf of bread

 - wheat tortillas - these freeze nicely and can be pulled out to make tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, whatever you want

 - naan bread - kind of fancy, but does make a nice pizza crust in a pinch and is also good for dipping into hummus. and as garlic toast

 - tortilla chips - nachos are an excellent fast meal that can be thrown together in under ten minutes if you’ve got the right ingredients around

 - bread crumbs - very useful to have around

 - big tub of plain oatmeal (I usually get the quick cooking oats. I don’t give a shit) - a quick breakfast, a quick granola and it’s also the secret ingredient that keeps my bean burgers together

proteins:

 - a whole chicken - usually cheaper by the pound than individually frozen pieces. after you roast it and eat the pieces you want, you can break down the rest into chopped chicken and freeze it. pizza, soups, nachos, sandwiches - that stuff’s good anywhere. if you’re really devoted you can make the bones into stock

 - canned beans - I most frequently use black beans and chickpeas, followed by pinto beans and butter beans. like the potato, anything can be made out of beans. chili, soup, gnocchi, meatballs, hummus...and bean burgers, which are a staple of mine. I can make four of them out of a 15 oz can and freeze the uneaten ones ahead of time. you can really play with the flavors in them too

 - rotating bag of frozen seafood - I alternate between the cheapest frozen shrimp and the crappiest salmon. it takes a little practice to get the crappiest fish to taste good, but it is possible - so long as you towel it off well before searing it, give it a good sear and then serve it with a flavorful sauce. shrimp’s easier to toss into whatever

 - sliced lunch meat - I don’t eat a whole lot of meat, but it is nice to have something relatively cheap that you can toss on a sandwich quickly when you’ve forgotten to eat

 - tofu - way cheap, way versatile. tofu wings are a quick, tasty meal. simply slice thin, cover in hot sauce, dredge in seasoned flour and fry up until crispy. serve with bleu cheese dressing. you can also improve (every type but silken) tofu’s texture by draining it for half an hour before cooking. put it between two plates, put a small weight on top and walk away

 - vital wheat gluten - you really can make anything out of this - vegan lunch meat, roasts, stir fry meat, fake shrimp, taco crumbles, sausages, burgers, etc. the catch is that it takes some time and labor. seitan usually needs to be kneaded by hand and then cooked for an hour before it is edible. ya gotta plan ahead for it. it’s a family tradition for me to make my famous vegan hot dogs whenever my vegetarian aunt comes to visit

 - eggs - cheap, quality protein with many applications. a favorite emergency meal of mine is eggs and toast (though probably not for you, elle X-P)

 - peanut butter - for toast, sandwiches, sweets or a nice, savory peanut sauce =9

dairy:

 - milk - almond milk is usually the cheapest where I’m at, though I will sometimes alternate between soy and real milk. put it in hot drinks, bake with it, drink it, mix in chia seeds and flavorings to make an overnight chia pudding. did you know you can whip up your own turmeric milk in a blender super fast?

 - plain yogurt - I usually buy a big container of whole milk greek yogurt and flavor it with a spoonful of jam for breakfast. can also be tossed into smoothies or made into yogurt sauces

 - shredded cheese - I’ve been keeping a bag of shredded mozzarella and shredded taco cheese in stock in my fridge for months now. it’s really good for quickly throwing together a pizza, or nachos, or a quesadilla or sprinkling cheese on top of something that requires cheese. it’d probably be even cheaper if I bought a block of cheese, but I hate stopping to shred cheese X-P

 - sliced cheese - I pick a different flavor every time I restock. again, it’d probably be cheaper if I bought a block of cheese, but it’s so nice to have a perfectly thin slice of cheese to throw on a sandwich or a burger or a grilled cheese whenever

fruits:

 - my staple fruits are a bag of apples and a bag of oranges. both of them keep for a long time and have many applications. you can eat either of them raw or cook them up into something special. the orange zest has many additional uses

 - bananas - I eat bananas more in the summer, mostly in smoothies. when they start going brown, I freeze them and make frozen banana smoothies

 - keep an eye out for seasonal fruit sales! it’s very nice to alternate between different fruits as they come into season

pantry staples:

 - canned coconut milk - makes fantastic curry, rice and sweets. I was so upset when my aldi’s stopped carrying it

 - tomato sauce - I don’t recall ever making a successful tomato sauce in my life, but it does tend to be more expensive to buy a load of tomatoes rather than a premade sauce. mix up the flavors from trip to trip!

 - salsa - can be eaten as is or cooked into many delicious dishes

 - jar of chopped garlic in oil - it doesn’t have as strong a flavor as fresh garlic, but the convenience can’t be beat

 - soy sauce - yeah

 - tub of miso - equally good for soup and sauces

 - tub of chili paste - there’s a lot of flavor in a little bit of this. just a touch adds a lot to stir fry sauces

 - liquid smoke - this is excellent for making non-meat proteins taste meatier. smoked paprika can also get the job done

 - Worcestershire sauce - the soy sauce of britain

 - mustard and ketchup - good as both condiments and as seasonings in other dishes. mustard rosemary bean burgers are delicious

 - hot sauce - I am a buffalonian. it’s culturally mandated. as is the bleu cheese dressing in the fridge alongside it

 - vinegars - I currently have rice, apple cider and malted vinegar in my cabinet. I usually keep around a bottle of balsamic too, but sadly, ran out the other day. all of them are very useful and last a while

 - bottle of lemon juice - I don’t really like bottled lemon juice but can do what I have to make it taste good in something else. will occasionally switch out for a bag of fresh lemons

 - jar of yeast - for the breads. it’s so much better to scoop out a tablespoon yeast from a jar than try to get it all out of the corners of the packet

 - various stock bases - they’re like bullion, but they’re refrigerated and you scoop them out of a jar. I currently have a tiny bit of garlic base and more veggie base. the mushroom’s also delicious

 - chia seeds - for smoothies, puddings, using as toppings on bread! in some places, you can buy them in bulk. sometimes, if you’re lucky, you have a friend who randomly gifts you with a pound of them that you’re still going through

 - frozen ginger - an excellent way to keep fresh ginger is to buy a big root, peel it, grate it all and then flatten out the resultant mush into a ziplock bag, which you then freeze. after it’s frozen, you can break off a piece whenever you need it. it’s way more delicious than frantically dumping powdered ginger into a stir fry (like I do way too often)

most frequently used spices:

 - pepper and iodized salt (keep yer thyroid healthy!) 

- chili powder

 - garlic powder

 - onion powder

 - garlic salt

 - curry powder

 - turmeric

 - dried parsley

 - dried oregano

 - dried basil

 - powdered ginger

 - smoked paprika

 - paprika

 - cumin

 - coriander

 - cinnamon

 - cloves

 - nutmeg

 - allspice

 - I’ve also got some fresh chives, basil and parsley growing in the plant window. it’s easy to take care of and gets switched up whenever a plant dies

I bought twenty pounds of bulk rice and flour and two hours later I had the thought of "ohh shit, I'm the great aunt who lived through the great depression"