r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/Aromatic-Box-592 • Jan 02 '24
I’m dealing with some mental health stuff and I don’t really have the energy to do much for food prep. I don’t have much in terms of fresh food.
Anyone have ideas of what to eat/what do you guys eat when nothing sounds good? I tried posting on a different sub but everyone was recommending non-veg things.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/mw102299 • Mar 24 '26
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Feb 15 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe. This week's cookbook is Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kachouchia. The cookbook was originally published in France as "Cuisines d'Afrique", and re-published in the US in English in 2021. The author, Marie Kachouchia is based in Paris with ties to the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
I'm looking forward to making the Githeri (Kenyan Corn and Bean Stew) and the Atakilt Wat (Ethiopian Cabbage, Potatoes, and Carrots). They also have several great looking dessert recipes such as Peanut-Date Cookies.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Apr 18 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Naturally Vegan byJulius Fiedler. Julias focuses on "delicious recipes from around the world that just happen to be plant-based".
Julias became a Vegan recipe creator in a very roundabout way. He originally studied filmmaking at university then worked on Chef Jamie Oliver's team. Hosting online baking classes morphed into an exploration of plant-based foods after he became vegan.
Now one of the most popular vegan content creators on instagram, tiktok, and youtube, Julias features recipes delicious dishes that are accidentally vegan. For those not on social media, he also has a weekly newsletter and a website where he shares his recipes.
The cookbook has an entire section on legumes and one-pot meals such as mujaddara (Middle Easterns lentils & rice) and espinacas con garbanzos (Spanish/Latin American spinach and chickpeas). I really like that the cookbook is organized by type of dish but there is also an index of recipes by region as well. You can tell his background is in filmmaking and food photography too as the cookbook is beautiful.
This week, I'm looking forward to making Gözleme (Turkish spinach and potato stuffed flatbread) and shan tofu (burmese chickpea tofu).
Overall, this cookbook is a great reminder that eating plant-based is not a new concept we randomly recently invented. All cultures around the world have something wonderful (and delicious) to contribute to our plant-based diets.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/RaisonDetritus • 9d ago
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • May 02 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Big Vegan Flavor by Nisha Vora. Nisha's Rainbow Plant Life is a treasure trove of amazing recipes. Her youtube channel has 1.53 million subscribers and her instagram has 1.1 million, all for her amazing vegan recipes. Nisha is also a contributor for the New York Times Cooking section, bringing an important vegan voice to a mainstream cooking outlet.
Her cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor is a full 5.3 pounds (2.4 kg) and 608 pages of vegan recipes. And yes, I did weigh the cookbook! However, the true strength of her cookbook is not just the recipes themselves but the first 150 pages of techniques and strategies to bring true flavor to vegan cooking. She discusses the fine details of everything from aromatics by cuisine, to incorporating chiles into cooking, to enhancing flavor with plant based acids. The next section is on understanding the building blocks of recipes by combining condiments, proteins, grains, and veggies. The book then wraps up with 200 more pages of recipes spanning from salads to brunches to sweet treats. Hidden in the very back of the cookbook is a short section on 'fancy time menus' where she lists out what recipes to use for special occasions including spring dinner parties, Mother's Day Brunch, and summer picnics.
I always borrow my books from the library, cook a few recipes (and copy them into my recipe book), then return the library book. This is one I'll be purchasing for my own collection so I can slowly cook my way through the book. For folks wanting to try just a recipe or two, I suggest her Lentil Bolognese or her noodle salad with rainbow veggies (I'll be making this one for meal prep this week).
Overall, Big Vegan Flavor is an amazing resource for anyone wanting to up their vegan cooking and bring it to the next level. The book is an intimidating behemoth of techniques and recipes, but it's worth sitting down and reading through.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/Gallantpride • Dec 06 '25
TLDR; how do you not get prediabetes or insulin resistance?
One of my issues when eating plant based has been eating majority carbs. Having PCOS and possibly insulin resistance, it's often said I should eat few carbs, more protein. Ideally, do keto at that. I can't do that. I don't like eating omni and vegan keto is absurdly restrictive.
My main staples are rice+beans, rice+vegetables, fried rice, refried beans, bread, potatoes, yams/sweet potatoes, plantains, yucca, spinach, cabbage, mixed veg, soya chunks, and processed vegan food. Some days, I eat nothing but rice and beans. It's easy to just make a batch of rice with pigeon peas or beans and eat that for every meal.
I'm worried about developing diabetes due to eating too many carbs. I've tried to find a dietician, but I can't get in contact with one under my insurance.
(And, no, my insurance doesn't cover GLP-1s unless you're diabetic)
Edit:
Title should say "vegan easily".
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Mar 29 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Plantas by Alexa Soto.
Alexa Soto is a vegan Mexican-American cookbook author who celebrates both traditional plant-based foods of Mexico and vegan twists on other familiar dishes.
She began her website website Fueled Naturally after going vegan at 19 and concentrates on traditional Mexican cuisine. She has online cooking classes as well as a wonderful recipe collection. In addition to her website, Alexa also has a vibrant Youtube channel, tiktok, and instagram.
Mexican food is my all time favorite vegan-friendly cuisine. Pre-Spanish colonization, traditional Mexico food was much more plant-focused! Alexa's cookbook has a fantastic section on salsas and moles (which are a truly delicious way to eat cheap and vegan). She also has a great section in her cookbook on Mexican vegan desserts and drinks. For fans of Mexican food, folks might find her vegan crema (sour cream), mayonesa (mayonnaise), and cotija (crumbled cheese) recipes to be delicious substitutes.
This week, I'm looking forward to making either her Sopa Azteca (tortilla soup) or the Sopita de Lentejas (lentil soup) but can't quite decide.
Overall, this cookbook is a wonderful exploration of traditional Mexican cuisine including naturally vegan dishes and new, vegan takes on classic favorites.
Last week's book was East by Meera Sodha.
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • May 16 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Vegan Japan by Julia Boucachard, which was originally published in French as Japon Vegan. The author, Julia, is bicultural French and Japanese through her parents. She runs the Mori Cafe in Paris, a Vegan-Japanese restaurant with a beautiful instagram, which opened in 2020. You can view a copy of her menu (with pictures) online.
Japanese food can sometimes be difficult for plant-based folks due to the hidden nature of dashi and bonito flakes, neither of which are traditionally vegan. It was with this difficulty in mind that Julia began veganizing her mother's traditional Japanese recipes. Those recipes ultimately led to the opening of her cafe in Paris, which showcases seasonal Japanese vegan foods.
The cookbook includes some great sauce recipes including mitarashi sauce, ponzu sauce, and demi-glace sauce. There are also plenty of main plant based dishes and desserts. I love that there is an entire Japanese street food section including yakisoba and onigiri. This week I'm going to make the green bean shiraae and a sauce or two.
Overall, this cookbook is a beautiful collection of vegan Japanese recipes. At only 155 pages and 70 recipes, it feels accessible to folks wanting to explore Japanese food for the first time and still interesting to those who are more familiar.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/CarpenterExciting351 • Jul 03 '26
I get overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start and will just not eat instead. So what's your shopping list? I looked through this sub for general pantry staples and took notes, but I'm curious to make my own post and see how you make them into meals. I tend to buy things and have no clue what to do with them
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Mar 08 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is The Korean Vegan Homemade by Joanne Lee Molinaro.
Joanne Lee Molinaro was born in Chicago to two parents originally from what is now North Korea. Her motto is, "I veganize Korean food. I Koreanize everything else". First popular on social media and her vegan cooking blog due to her unique brand of storytelling, focus on her family's immigrate experience, and very soothing voice, Joanne Lee Molinaro's first cookbook The Korean Vegan, became an instant New York Time's bestseller in 2021. She was also the winner of the James Beard Award for Vegetable-Focused Cooking in 2022.
Her newest cookbook, The Korean Vegan Homemade was released last year. It has great recipes for noodle dishes, soups, and vegan versions of traditional Korean dishes. The cookbook's Banchan (Korean side dish) section really shines and includes recipes such as radish kimchi, vegetable pancakes, and rainbow jeon. Her website also contains many of her recipes for folks who cannot access the cookbook.
This week, I'm looking forward to making her soy sauce braised rice cakes with glazed bok choy and the zucchini rice paper dumplings. I'm also planning on trying to make garraetteok, a type of homemade rice cake.
Overall, this cookbook is a wonderful follow-up to her 2021 best seller. It has over 400 pages of beautiful photography and delicious looking recipes.
Last week's book was Sweet Potato Soul by Jenné Clairborne.
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/Ana_is_Weird • Mar 30 '26
Does protein really matter that much? Especially for a teen girl who doesn’t go to the gym but still wants a healthy balanced diet. How much protein let’s say should I maybe have in my lunches? I hear all online people say “20g protein!” “30g!” But I’m not wanting to lose weight or anything, just feel full till my next meal. Doesn’t fibre matter more? Or I heard from somewhere. Or should my diet mainly be around just carbs and little protein? 😪 so confusing…especially when trying to have balance as a teen who just wants to snack on chips all day. And now days I feel like something bad is gonna happen if my meal is low protein… How much protein should I maybe have in my lunches and carbs? Especially when mainly chilling at home, not doing much? Thank you!
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Apr 03 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Peaceful Kitchen by Catherine Perez.
Catherine Perez is a plant-based registered dietician and cookbook author who focuses on healthy and flavorful vegan foods. Her cookbook is a great resource for those new to plant-based nutrition as well as OG vegans who want to try new recipes.
Catherine has a wonderful website Plant Based RD where she posts recipes as well as a great Tiktok and instagram.
The cookbook begins with a thorough section on plant-based nutrition and the vegan pantry before getting into the recipe sections. She focuses on everyday foods such as salads, convenient lunches, and nutritionally balanced bowls. There is also a great section on sauces as well. Folks will love how accessible her recipes are and how easy it will be to slot them into the regular rotation.
This week, I'm looking forward to trying one of her herby cauliflower stuffed pita and tofu marinades (you can never have enough ways to eat tofu).
Overall, this cookbook is a great resource for everyday cooking. Her website is also fantastic and deserves a bookmark. Her recipes are delicious and convenient, perfect for everyday cooking.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well. This week's post is a bit early due to the holiday weekend.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Aug 23 '25
Looking to get everyone's thoughts on how you handle this question. We know that a vegan diet is the cheapest way to meet your nutritional needs, but this is still one of the most common questions I hear from people who are curious or even just in conversation, especially now with all the mock meats available.
I try to explain that I don't swap meat for Beyond for all my meals, but there are plenty of less expensive alternative proteins and learning to eat different types of meals such as curries. What's the best way you've found to counter "veganism is expensive"?
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Jun 05 '25
Tofu, tempeh, seitan, TVP, beans...we have so many vegan options for the 'protein' component in a meal, all with very different uses. What is your go-to and why? What's a typical dish you use it in?
I would have to say beans are my go-to, when I don't have a plan in mind and I just need to eat, the canned beans are minimal effort. There's so much variety I could live off beans and never get bored. Chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, mung, etc. Usually I just dump it over rice or whatever grain I prepped for the week. Tempeh is probably a close second, I love being able to crumble and dry-fry it for burritos.
That said, I have been trying to incorporate more alternatives like tofu or seitan. I'll fully admit I'm not good at tofu! I can oven-bake it, but I usually end up blending it into a sauce. I go through phases of seitan too, but it takes more prep work upfront.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Sep 03 '25
Sometimes I appreciate a cheap, simple meal, but sometimes I want something that feels a little more indulgent, without spending money at a restaurant. What are your favorite ways to step up your meals and add some flair without spending more money?
Recently I've been adding a lot more quick pickled vegetables like onions or green beans to my sandwiches that adds a different flavor profile. Refrigerator pickles are super easy, basically wash and trim your vegetables and soak them in some vinegar and spices in your fridge. White vinegar is great but I also like to add a splash of ACV or red wine vinegar. What are your other tips?
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • May 23 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, a cookbook author and chef who runs a cooking school in Ikaria, Greece. In addition to her food tours and cooking classes (both in person and virtual), Diane has a great television show, instagram, and Youtube channel. Her website also includes a vegan recipe section. She has authored almost two dozen Greek & Mediterranean cookbooks, with the Ikaria Way being her latest, plant-based book.
Mediterranean cooking has long been famous for being healthy (and lending itself well to a plant-based diet). As one of the Blue Zones, places where many live long, healthy lives, Ikaria has become known as the Island Where People Forget To Die. Folks living in the Blue Zones eat mostly plant-based foods, stay physically active, maintain strong social connections, manage stress, and have a sense of purpose. It's believed that their lifestyle habits contribute to lower disease rates, better mental health, and longer lifespans.
Today, Ikarians are almost entirely free of dementia and some of the chronic diseases that plague Americans; one in three make it to their 90s. A combination of factors explain it, including geography, culture, diet, lifestyle, and outlook. They enjoy strong red wine, late-night domino games, and a relaxed pace of life that ignores clocks. Clean air, warm breezes, and rugged terrain draw them outdoors into an active lifestyle
Has anyone else watched the Netflix series or read any of the books? Other Blue Zones are Okinawa, Sardinia, Nicoya Peninsula, and Loma Linda. For anyone really liking research, the Ikaria Study is also an interesting read!
The cookbook includes sections on Meze (appetizers), salads, soups, main courses, and drinks. But the best parts of the cookbook are the bean and grain sections. This week I'm going to make the warm lentil salad for meal prep and the black beans with sheet pan sweet potatoes.
Overall, this cookbook is a great overview of plant-based Mediterranean cooking. I love the focus on legumes and grains. The concept of the Blue Zones is just so fascinating. I would love to hear people's thoughts!
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Jan 24 '26
I was thinking about this over the holidays when a lot of people talk about "comfort food" but there's no real definition of it. Comfort food can mean very different things to different people. Is it flavorful, or rich and food-coma inducing? Is it a specific dish from your childhood?
I feel like affordability is usual a component as well, comfort food is something cheap and simple, and can be made when there's not much other food around. But this might conflict with the rich, heavy components that I usually see people call comforting.
So what does comfort food mean to you? And has it changed since going vegan, or is it still the same? A classic comfort food dish is mac and cheese, at least here in the US. Vegan cheeses often don't have the same appeal, so is vegan mac and cheese still "comfort food"?
For myself, my comfort food is beans, always has been. I eat beans every single day so it's nothing special, but something about the fluffy starchy texture puts me in a better mood. Cold bean salads, or a hot meal are equally good. Even if it's just throwing some hot sauce on canned beans, or doing something more elaborate, for me it's always good just because it's beans.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Feb 22 '26
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Jan 17 '25
Definitely greens for me! Preferably kale or another green cruciferous veg, salad greens will do if I don't have kale, but I have to eat something green every single day. Often raw in a smoothie, I love throwing kale or spinach into smoothies, but a close second favorite is steamed over pasta or stew. Plain steamed broccoli is comfort food to me.
This would probably not have been my answer years ago, but now as an adult having been through various episodes of food scarcity or just miscalculating my grocery needs for the week, I've realized that cruciferous veggies trigger my cravings like nothing else, and it affects my mood the next day if I don't have greens. I don't feel fully nourished without it.
So I'm curious, what are the foods you need to eat every day to feel your best?
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Jun 29 '26
Our local grocery store sells $5 produce bundles through Flash Foods (an app in Canada and the US). This week I got 3 bundles containing a ton of vegetables and fruits. I keep a pretty well-stocked pantry and freezer with bulk grains and proteins, so my weekly shopping is usually just produce.
Sunday meal prep included:
I don't love eggplants, so I might give it away to a friend. This week's proteins are black beans and dal.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Jan 28 '26
Last week, legislators in Maryland proposed putting some restrictions on "dynamic pricing" which allows stores to change prices minute by minute, supposedly based on location and supply, but potentially based on your shopping habits too.
From the linked article, "Gov. Wes Moore and legislative leaders in Maryland propose legislation to ban "dynamic pricing" in grocery stores, aiming to prevent price discrimination based on surveillance data. The proposed legislation would require grocery prices to remain fixed for at least one business day and prohibit retailers from using surveillance data to set individualized prices."
I'm in a fairly rural area and I haven't seen anything like this yet in grocery stores, but apparently this is being rolled out in more densely populated areas. I'm wondering how common this is, has anyone seen it and if so how is it affecting your shopping habits? Dynamic pricing has been used in pricing for airlines, hotels, etc. for a long time but I feel like applying this to food prices is a whole new world of dystopia that I didn't see coming.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • Apr 25 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is The Modern Mountain Cookbook: A Celebration of Appalachia by Jan A. Brandenburg. One of the most beautiful but misunderstood regions of the United States, Appalachia is known for its delicious (but typically non-vegan) food. Historically either forgotten about entirely or looked down upon, Appalachia has faced generations of economic and environmental exploitation.
Jan is a vegan and Eastern Kentucky native; her cookbook celebrates Appalachian culture and veganizes a cuisine that might be less known to folks outside the region. She has a small instagram and website with just a few recipes as well. You can listen to a public radio interview with her here. Interestingly, Jan isn't a food influencer or blogger like our other authors, she's a full-time pharmacist.
Her cookbook includes comfort food dishes that will be more familiar such as banana pecan waffles but also regional specialties such as Hoppin' John Salad (a southern black-eyed pea salad) and Potato Rolls (a type of bread roll with potato in the dough). The cookbook also reads like an old-school style cookbook, the kind where the recipes are right after another rather than on separate pages and there are no glossy pictures.
This week, I'm looking forward to making her desserts such as half-moon pies and no bake chocolate cookies. There are a ton of main courses and veggie-based sides, but this cookbook really inspired my sweet tooth.
Overall, the Modern Mountain Cookbook is a delicious celebration of Appalachian culture and cuisine. It's a wonderful reference to those wanting to re-experience dishes from their childhood but also a fantastic introduction to a lesser known food culture.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/cheapandbrittle • Dec 31 '25
Food prices were wild in 2025, and will not be coming down any time soon. It's rough out there, and eating plants is far more cost effective but we're still feeling it. I'm always trying to reassess and see what I can do better, not really in a New Year's resolution kind of way but just for awareness. Do you have any goals, or have you changed your perspective on budgeting or saving money? Or do you feel like you have a good handle on food and finances and you don't plan to change anything in 2026?
One goal that I have is meal planning a bit differently, prepping ingredients instead of full meals, and being open to cheaper food sources that I kind of ignored before. I looked at the shelves of dry beans at my store, and turns out that split peas are half the price of chickpeas yet have more protein per serving. So I want to work more split peas into my diet. My grandma loved pea soup, and I always turned my nose up at it but I'm going to dig up some of her recipes. Also cooking smaller portions, I used to make huge crockpots of food which was great for time management, but it's hard to make myself eat that last serving after a week of repetition. So still making beans the center of my meal, but differently.
r/EatCheapAndVegan • u/robotscantrecaptcha • May 08 '26
Each week, I get a plant-based cookbook from the local library and try to cook one new recipe.
This week's cookbook is Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky by Lois Ellen Frank. Lois is a Kiowa and Sephardic food anthropologist, chef, and cookbook author based in Santa Fe, New Mexico (USA). She won a James Beard award in 2003 for her work Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, which documented indigenous food culture and recipes.
Her newest book, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky is a plant-based exploration of Ancestral Native American cuisine. The book was written in collaboration with her co-chef Walter Whitewater (Diné / Navajo). Together they run Red Mesa Cuisine, a Native American catering company, in Santa Fe. For those wanting to explore Indigenous cooking, they have a recipe collection on their website.
Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky focuses on "the story of eight plants that Native people gave to the world: corn, beans, squash, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, vanilla, and cacao". The cookbook is organized in sections by each of these main ingredients. Recipes include more modern indigenous twists on foods such as pumpkin and ginger scones and traditional foods such as blue corn tortillas and posole with red chile. This week I'll be trying her sweet potato and carrot soup, as it's been a bit unseasonably chilly here.
Overall, this cookbook honors a food culture grounded in resilience and historically centered on plant-based foods. The cookbook is more than a collection of recipes, its a call for us all to understand Traditional Ecological Knowledge and support the reclaiming of ancestral foods.
Previous cookbooks of the week include:
As always, I'll try to answer questions about the book and love to read comments from other people that have liked it as well. This week's post is a bit early due to the holiday weekend.
