Cheap Vegan

Some things are worth sharing: 19 Signs you’ve been vegan...

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:32:33 -0400

Some things are worth sharing: 19 Signs you’ve been vegan too long

5 Foods to Help Against Spring Allergies Allergies can really...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:46:00 -0400

5 Foods to Help Against Spring Allergies

Allergies can really put a damper on a beautiful Spring day. Runny/stuffy noses do not go well with sundresses. There is no real cure for allergies and it seems like Claritin works less and less the more you use it. So here are some foods to help stop inflammation and tame your allergy symptoms to get you through the rainy months.

1. Turmeric

Turmeric contains Curcumin which is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Turmeric is easiest absorbed when eaten with fats, so feel free to eat with coconut milk for a curry, sautéed with oil in a stir fry, or sprinkled into guacamole.

2. Red Fruits

Fruits like grapes, berries, tomatoes, and apples are all great anti-inflammatory fruits that are rich in antioxidants. The vitamin C in these fruits is also helpful in giving your immune system a boost and acts as a natural antihistamine.

3. Red Tea (Rooibos)

Red tea is a smooth and mild caffeine-free tea that has been known to help with pollen allergies and rashes. Some say rooibos also helps control asthma and other respiratory ailments.

4. Nuts

Packed with Omega-3s and vitamin E, nuts help cut down on inflammation and relieve allergy symptoms.

5. Garlic and Onions

These stinky flavor boosters are packed full of Quercetin. This flavonoid also helps stop immune cells from releasing histamines, so get a breath mint and add a little extra garlic to your dinner!

What's your monthly food budget (and what general area do you live in, for context)?

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:56:23 -0400

Hey there, thanks for writing in!

I don’t have food sectioned off in to it’s own budget but I usually plan on spending $100* a week. Often times I don’t spend that much but I like to have a buffer.

I’ve lived in Delaware, Chicago, and Barcelona on this budget and currently live in Los Angeles.

**The $100 includes drinks, shampoo, clothes, parking, toilet paper, basically any time I spend any money on daily living.
Not included: gas, rent, electric etc.

The eggplant is ALIVE! My garden is growing more and more every...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:00:55 -0400

The eggplant is ALIVE!

My garden is growing more and more every day!

Edible Street Art Changing the Landscape of Low-income...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:18:20 -0400

Edible Street Art Changing the Landscape of Low-income Neighborhoods

In this TED talk Ron Finley, a renegade gardener in South Central LA, explains how he’s impacting his community via gardening. Finley uses gardening as an artistic statement against the current food system and how it is effecting low income communities.

“South Central LA. Home of the drive through and the drive by. Funny thing is, the drive thrus are killing more people than the drive bys.”

Finely takes great concern in the quality of health in his community and others like it. While his gardens are definitely statements of rebellion and empowerment, they are also actually feeding people! They motivate his neighbors to invest in their community and their health. He encourages kids to work on these gardens to help keep them off the street and to teach them good eating habits. In return the gardens help beautify these neighborhoods, turning vacant lots into works of edible art.

To get involved visit http://lagreengrounds.org/

The Cheap Vegan Vegetable Garden I recently started my first...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:14:00 -0400

The Cheap Vegan Vegetable Garden

I recently started my first ever vegetable garden. My dad had always grown vegetables but I usually just enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Now that I’m living in LA I want to take advantage of the sun and grow some greens of my own.

Since I’m in the city, we don’t have garden space in my apartment complex. I asked my landlord if I could put a planter out and he happily agreed. He even helped me build it!

To build a planter you need treated wood (to keep bugs from eating it) and some long nails that are really hard to hammer in… I wish I could say that I was a great builder and I did it all on my own, but without help I probably would have just ended up buying a bunch of pots and laying them in a row on a shelf.

Once I had the planter, I filled it with dirt and an organic alternative to Miracle Grow (ask the people at the nursery for a suggestion).

CHEAP VEGAN WARNING: Don’t be too cheap of a vegan, refrain from getting free dirt on Craig’s List as tempting as free dirt sounds (does free dirt only sound tempting to me?) The problem with free dirt is you don’t know what seeds or plant diseases are already in it, you could be using dirt full of weeds and you’ll only know once you are already too invested to start over.

Next, you need to pick out some plants. This will depend on the time of year you are planting, the climate you live in, and the size of your garden. For example, my dad suggested that I get some carrot seed and sprinkle it around the garden. That would be a great idea in Spring time on the East coast, but not in LA. Be sure to ask your garden supply store what works best in your climate. If you go to a good local nursery the guys there are sure to be a rich source of information, talk to them!

In LA, this time of year, in a planter, these were the plants I decided to grow:

Tomatoes
Basil
Orange Wax Peppers (seeds)
Purple Basil
Rosemary
Oregano
Thyme
Bush Beans (like green beans)
Cucumbers
Eggplant (seeds)
Cilantro

There is some science to plant placement. Some plants do better/worse planted next to each other. This is called “companion planting”. Basil and Tomato for example work well together. The basil deters certain bugs from eating the tomato plant.

Here is a chart of some good and bad companion plants.

I’ll be keeping you posted on how the garden grows and the tricks and tips I learn along the way.

Cheap and Easy Homemade Salsa!Because People Like to say,...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:40:01 -0400

Cheap and Easy Homemade Salsa!
Because People Like to say, “Salsa”

Buying salsa kills me. For a simple mix of onion and tomato it costs $3.50. This measly 15.5oz jar lasts about 10 minutes, 5 minutes if I share it with friends. Plus! That’s not even the good salsa! I’m just talking the run of the mill Tostido nonsense you get at the 711!

I never thought I could master the art of salsa so I begrudgingly complied to the salsa injustice I faced. That is until I went to Spain. In Spain, Mexican food basically does not exist. I know, I know, they’re Spanish! Shouldn’t they eat exactly like Mexicans?! No. Unfortunately, there is nothing about Spanish cuisine that even comes close to Mexican.

Like all globalized nations, they do have Mexican food. But frankly, it’s awful and it costs double the price of the same products you’d find in the states. So my little 15.5oz Tostido jar of salsa turned into an even smaller jar for $2 more and an even worse flavor!

No thankyou.

So I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and my little kitchen in Barcelona was the birth place of Cheap Vegan Salsa. It has been a while since I talked salsa on here so I decided to re-share my recipe with you.

But first, recognize that no two home made salsas are identical and you can be as creative with this recipe as you like. Want to add Garlic? Mango? Black beans? Jalepenos?! Go for it! I’m providing the cheapest salsa building blocks, it’s up to you to make it your own.

Cheap Vegan Salsa

1 large can crushed tomatoes - $1
(fresh tomatoes blended are even better)
1 green bell pepper - $0.35
1/2 large onion - $0.20
1/4 lime - $0.10
5-10 cilantro leaves - free from your herb garden
(a $3 cilantro plant is an investment, it will last as long as you water it)
salt

Pour crushed tomatoes into a jar.
Dice the onion and green pepper and put them in the jar as well.
Rip up the cilantro leaves and throw them in too.
Squeeze lime on top.
Salt to taste, I think the salsa in this photo probably had 1-2 tsp
Let salsa sit in fridge overnight.
You can eat it right away but it will improve the longer it sits.

There you have it! 2 and a half times the salsa for under $2!

Justin Timberlake - Bring it on Down to Veganville! This is...

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:14:00 -0400

Justin Timberlake - Bring it on Down to Veganville!

This is awesome! SNL used a really well known skit to send a message that was pro-vegan. I can’t believe it! What a big step in a great direction.

Food Trucks!Cheap Vegan Food on the Road! Pun Intended. I just...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:01:00 -0500

Food Trucks!

Cheap Vegan Food on the Road! Pun Intended.

I just completed my cross country road trip and have now made it to sunny Los Angeles! On the way I have had a lot of interesting, delicious, and fun vegan eating experiences. I’ve found that one of the best places to find cheap road food is by seeking out local food trucks.

Food trucks are a great way to get a taste of local flavor or to try a new foodie trend for half the price. Because food trucks don’t have to pay the costs of a brick and mortar restaurant, they have a little more flexibility in offering great food for cheap. Making these trucks great for cheap vegans in a bind.

Support your local food trucks!

In a world full of Red Lobsters, Outbacks, and Olive Gardens, it’s important to support the local maverick chefs who put their neck out to follow their dream of providing imaginative dishes that cater to our lifestyles as conscious consumers.

In New Orleans I came across a couple with just this mission in mind. Fat Falafel (photo above) is a local NOLA food truck that serves a menu that consists mostly of falafel dishes and french fries (with the most amazing vegan aioli I’ve ever had)

Theresa Galli and Gavin Cady, CEOs of the Fat Falafel Food truck, strive to provide sustainable meals that happen to cater to the vegan diet. From the frier oil to the packaging, Fat Falafel, and many other food trucks on the road, strive to reduce their ecological footprint. By setting these standards for themselves, they set a grass roots example of the positive trends rising up in the food industry.

Don’t know how to find food trucks? Roaming Hunger (www.roaminghunger.com) is an app that helps you find these food trucks roaming around in your area. You can also use the site for catering or to start your own food truck.

www.thefatfalafeltruck.com

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death A Lecture by Dr. Greger I...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:21:00 -0500

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

A Lecture by Dr. Greger

I thought I posted this video a long time ago but realized it never made it up there. Although this video is about an hour long, it is one of the most informative and important videos that anyone who is mortal will be interested in. The source is credible, and the lecture will leave you thinking totally differently about the Standard American Diet.

(side note: I’m currently on another road trip and will be posting much more sporadically. In the mean time, please enjoy the Cheap Vegan archive!)

“Why not eat eggs? It doesn’t hurt the...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 22:28:00 -0500

1 day post rescue from a factory farm

2 months post rescue from a factory farm

1 day post rescue from a factory farm

2 months post rescue from a factory farm

“Why not eat eggs? It doesn’t hurt the chicken.”

When people ask why it’s bad to eat eggs since chickens will lay them anyway, these pictures speak more than words.

“These are Rhode Island Red hens that spent the first 18 months of their lives in an egg-production factory farm. After 18 months the ladies are considered to be “spent” and are sent to slaughter unless they’re able to find a home like this which are unfortunately few and far between.”

These hens were rescued from factory farms. The first two photos are 1 day post rescue, the second two are 2 months post rescue.

I don’t usually post this kind of thing on here, but I thought it was worth sharing.

(source)

(original reddit thread)

What do Vegans Eat Anyway? (Part II) Having a vegan guest over?...

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:45:00 -0500

What do Vegans Eat Anyway? (Part II)

Having a vegan guest over? Maybe you’re just thinking of trying to eat healthier for the new year, or even go Vegan! But knowing where to start can be tricky, especially when you don’t know what is and isn’t vegan yet. So here’s a mini mock-menu of some real life Cheap Vegan staples I eat on the regular.

Breakfast:

Oatmeal w/ natural peanut butter, chopped apples, banana, and cinnamon, topped with granola (for crunch and sweet flavor)
Granola with as many different fruits as I have/want and almond milk. Sometimes a scoop of natural peanut butter.
Natural Almond/Peanut butter and banana sandwiches w/some cinnamon (sometimes I’ll also do strawberry, peach, apple or grape slices, depending on what I have)
Pancakes - I’ll just use the Bisquick flour, add some oatmeal to the batter to pretend it’s healthy.
Then substitute milk with soy/almond milk and eggs with Energ-G Egg Replacer or Oil as an egg substitute.
Top with fruit and natural peanut butter
Smoothies/fruit salad (they also sell vegan yogurt for about $1 at whole foods)

Lunch:

Veggie Burger on Ezekiel bread with avocado, tomato, lettuce and Jalepeno.
(I like the veggie burgers that are made of veggies rather than say the boca burgers that are mostly soy/wheat protein to replicate meat)
Raw Chopped Salad** (This is my FAVORITE go-to when I don’t know what to eat, good for the work week)
Soup - generally I just take anything I have and dice it or throw it in a blender then slow cook it when I know I’ll be home the whole day. Then I have soup for the rest of the week, same as the Chopped Salad.
Taco Salad - instead of meat, sub beans, instead of cheese sub nutritional yeast or Daiya “Cheese” (Daiya is tapioca based faux-cheese, it’s pretty tasty but not that healthy)
Hummus Sandwich w/tomato, onion, lettuce, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, black olives, whatever looks good.

Dinner:

Pasta w/Tomato Sauce and Beans
Red Beans and Brown Rice w/Greens
Stir Fry and Brown Rice or Quinoa
Various Veggie Casseroles - I think baking is the best and tastiest way to cook so I’ll make casseroles out of anything. Vegan Shepherds Pie, Veggie Pot Pie, Mediterranean Veggies with White Beans, Artichoke, Zucchini, tomato, garlic, etc.
Mexican Quinoa, or nachos, or burritos, or tacos…..
(Quinoa recipes: http://cheapveg.tumblr.com/search/quinoa)

Snacks:

Nuts/Trail Mix
Sun-dried tomato on baguette
Apple and Peanut Butter w/cinnamon
Olives
Veggies and Hummus

Desserts

Raw Banana Ice Cream** AMAZING
I’ll usually add strawberries, blueberries and a scoop of Peanut Butter and Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, made from peanuts and cocoa, sorta like a healthier fudge.
Fruit Juice Popsicles
Frozen Fruit - you can also blend frozen fruit to make a sorbet, similar to the banana ice cream method
Various Types of Dark Chocolate (without milk, whey, etc)
Vegan Pastries
Still not really healthy but better than normal. They sell them pre-made at whole foods or you can make your own

General Tips on Nutritional Substituting:

To cut down on empty carbs and to get extra Calcium, Iron, etc. I try to add green leafy vegetables to my meals and then a smaller portion of grains. (Here’s a link explaining how)
I put Nutritional Yeast on basically everything savory for some added B12
I put beans or nuts/nut butters in almost everything for Protein

Merry Christmas From Cheap Vegan!

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:19:43 -0500

Merry Christmas From Cheap Vegan!

10 Healthy Foods with a Long Shelf LifeOne of the benefits of...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:50:07 -0500

10 Healthy Foods with a Long Shelf Life

One of the benefits of eating vegan is plant based foods tend to last a lot longer than meat and dairy products. Find out some of the healthiest vegan foods with long shelf lives.

Frozen Vegetables - Frozen vegetables are frozen right after they are harvesting, sometimes making them healthier than produce that had to travel thousands of miles to get to your grocer. These are a great cheap way to eat your veggies.
For maximum health benefits, avoid extreme heat from boiling or the microwave.
To remove bitterness some frozen veggies have, squirt a little lemon juice while cooking.
Frozen Fruit - But frozen bags of fruit or freeze fresh fruit that’s going bad. Great for smoothies!
Dry Beans - Buying uncooked beans (especially in bulk) saves a lot of money and cuts down on the sodium that’s in canned beans. (Some hints on cooking beans here)
Bulk Rice - Buying giant bags of rice is a great idea. You can keep the rice for long periods of time and save money in the long run.
Pasta - At $1 a box you can’t really go wrong with spaghetti. Look for store brands and if you can afford the extra 50 cents, try whole grain pasta for a healthier bowl of noodles.
Nuts - Nuts are essential for a healthy vegan diet, not to mention they last an incredibly long time. Save money by buying nuts in bulk online or at bulk grocery stores.
Nut Butters - A $6 family size jar of peanut butter can hold you over for months. Nut butters are great for breakfast, in smoothies, even mixed with soy or coconut milk in a stir fry.
Herbal Tea - Many teas, especially herbal teas have wonderful health benefits. Green tea releases antioxidants, while Red tea helps with allergies. Tea will last for a long time if kept in a tightly sealed container. Look in stores like TJ Max and Marshalls for gourmet teas at bargain prices!
Bulk Potatoes and Onions - Potatoes and Onions can almost make a meal on their own. They last a very long time, but be sure to keep them in a dark, dry, and cool place. Sunlight speeds up the spoiling process on these veggies significantly.
Soup - Poor people have been making soup for thousands of years for a reason. It’s easy, it saves rotting food, and it’s delicious. Initially (and briefly) boiling the food kills bacteria, and adding salt helps preserve the ingredients. (Check out this post on the benefits and how-tos of soup basics)

the-reduced-rack-shopping-at-the-reduced-rack-is hey isnt pop tarts not vegan? unless that flavor is, which in that case i'm going to buy a pallet of them

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:11:28 -0500

I always wonder if people notice non-vegan items that sneak in when I post pictures. I often grocery shop with non-vegans so sometimes their items sneak in to the photos (like the waffle in continental breakfast post)

Pop tarts, for the record, are not vegan if they have frosting, but non-frosting pop tarts are vegan.

Pumpkin Pie From Real PumpkinFind out my secret to ending...

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:14:00 -0500

Pumpkin Pie From Real Pumpkin
Find out my secret to ending liquidy vegan pie!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! If you were like me and you were too busy to cook dessert, this pumpkin pie recipe will come in handy.

Making a pumpkin pie from a real pumpkin is surprisingly easy. It can also be cheaper than buying canned pumpkin. This time of year is great for getting discount pumpkins since most people are not cooking from scratch or making Jack-o-lanterns.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Pumpkin is extremely filling and healthy, making it great for cheap vegans. About 1 cup of pumpkin has 2g of protein, 19% DV of vitamin C, 11% DV fiber, 8% DV iron, 4% calcium, and a whopping 245% DV of Vitamin A!

Vitamin A is beneficial for eye health. Retinoid forms from vitamin are helpful for pregnancy and childbirth, infancy, childhood growth, night vision, red blood cell production, and resistance to infectious disease.

Besides the health benefits of pumpkin, they’re delicious! Buying pumpkin fresh instead of canned is the healthiest way to take in these nutrients.

Although a pie isn’t exactly the healthiest way to eat a pumpkin, is a nice treat especially around the fall holidays.

Fresh Pumpkin Pie

You can make pumpkin pie from many different types of pumpkins. You can use regular pumpkins for a more mild flavor but cheaper price, small pumpkins about the size of cantaloupe, or specialty pumpkins like the cinderella pumpkin pictured above. You can even use butternut squash for a slightly different flavor.

I used the cinderella pumpkin for it’s naturally sweet flavor. This was my first time using this type of pumpkin and I don’t want to ever go back. Not only was the pumpkin tastier, but the seeds were much meatier too!

Fresh Pumpkin Puree

Heat oven to 350 degrees F
Use serrated knife (I use a bread knife) to cut pumpkin in half.
Scoop out seeds and separate for baking pumpkin seeds later.
Place pumpkin halves on a baking sheet. You can cut pumpkin as many times as you need to. Water may collect on pan so make sure to use a pan with raised edges.
Bake until you can stick a fork through easily.
Remove and cool. If you’re in a hurry, place pumpkin in ice water to speed the cooling process.
Scoop meat of pumpkin into a strainer and press excess water out.
Blend pumpkin in a blender.

You now have homemade pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I still haven’t found the perfect pumpkin pie recipe but I found the most important change I made this year was using coconut creamer instead of soy milk.

2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup coconut creamer***
¾ cup granulated sugar cane syrup
¼ cup cornstarch
½ Tbs. dark molasses
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground allspice

**includes photo of product, this coconut creamer changed EVERYTHING about how I make a pumpkin pie. The coconut milk mimicked the actual cream so well that I had no problems with firmness or texture. It was perfect.

(You could possibly use coconut milk but I haven’t tried that yet)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Combine all ingredients and bake. Make sure to combine the cornstarch with a little cold coconut creamer first so you don’t get lumps of starch in your pie.
Pour mixture in pie crust of your choice (Whole Foods has vegan pie crust but you can save money by making your own)
Place in oven for 50 minutes or until the pie has firmed or become browned. Cooling should solidify the pie more firmly. Because of the creamer, the pie may be a lighter color than usual, this is normal and still tastes amazing!

Have you ever made vegan pumpkin pie? I mean there's recipes online, but I dont know how good they will be, so I was wondering if you knew maybe.

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 14:40:43 -0500

writing a post for you now, stay tuned ;)

Cheap Vegan: ON THE ROAD presents… Abusing The Continental...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:45:55 -0500

Cheap Vegan: ON THE ROAD presents…

Abusing The Continental Breakfast

If you’re already splurging on a hotel for the night, make sure to find one with breakfast included. At breakfast stock up on all things that can help you on the road the following day(s).

Good snacks to snah include:

Oatmeal Packs
Bagels
Apples
Oranges
Bananas
Plastic cutlery
Tiny Peanut Butter and Jelly packs

Use these ingredients to make extra sandwiches while you’re there for the drive ahead and cut out 2 meals at once.

[off the record hint: most hotels don’t notice who is at continental breakfast and most places you don’t need a room key to get in…]

Cheap Vegan: ROAD TRIP EDITION! Our first stop on the...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 16:58:17 -0400

Cheap Vegan: ROAD TRIP EDITION!

Our first stop on the Midwest/New England US American Road Trip was CALIFORNIA!!!

…PA

California is right outside of Pittsburgh, so we went in to get lunch. We hung out in a place called The Strip District which had some awesome open markets, Italian and Asian super markets, and cute cafes. So we found some great ways to save money for lunch.

First we got a 2 for 1 loaf of fresh baked italian bread at one of the Italian Markets.

Then a street vendor had a discount rack that had bundles of produce for really cheap! We got 8 green peppers and 6 apples for $2!

Then we split a big salad at a nearby cafe and had half of 1 of the loaves.

3.99 - 2 Big Loaves of Bread
$1 - 8 Green Bell Peppers
$1 - 6 Apples
$5 - Large Grilled Veg Salad

$11 total, $5.50 each, and we still have all of the apples, bell peppers, and 1 & 1/2 loaves of bread.

The Reduced Rack Shopping at the reduced rack is a great way to...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:00:00 -0400

The Reduced Rack

Shopping at the reduced rack is a great way to get brand name products for store brand prices. This photo is from a ShopRite in Philadelphia, PA, but many super market chains have similar sections in their stores. These racks are full of products that are slightly damaged but are still good for eating. For example, we found perfectly good boxes of De Cecco pasta for half the price! Same with Cinnamon Quaker Oat Squares simply because the boxes were squished. We opened them up at home and the cereal hadn’t even been damaged.

Be sure to look for reduced racks at produce stands as well These are a great way to try new produce and get it for way cheaper prices.