Healthy Vegan Dishes on a Budget

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As rising food prices eat into budgets, a diet of healthy foods can be expensive. But the truth is, even if you're a frugal shopper, you can likely afford nutritious foods with several different choices weekly. And whether cooking for one or more, with a few tips you'll soon become an expert at finding healthy bargains. One thing to consider is where you shop. Natural foods stores can be alluring with their promise of organic foods, but prices may be off-putting to frugal shoppers. Instead, peruse discount outlets, ethnic markets, and big box stores. Jeff Yeager, creator of the website The Ultimate Cheapskate, says he only buys food at 99 cents a pound or less. It's something to look for in produce departments. Some stores sell damaged and over-the-hill produce for cheaper prices, and if you're persistent, you can find organic produce for bargain prices. At farmers markets, look for "seconds" or less-than-perfect produce. It can be worth a trip to a farm to buy in bulk and freeze or can your produce. Consider growing your own, and if you don't have a yard, consider container gardens. Keep in mind, water prices may inflate the cost of growing produce in your yard. Whatever you do, be open to seasonal bargains and you'll find a variety of produce week after week. Shopping, stocking the pantry, and making salads, entrées, and snacks from scratch doesn't have to be overwhelming. And at the end of the day comes satisfaction that healthy foods can fit into your budget without draining your savings.

Serve this main dish with rice, or use it to fill tortillas. Add some greens and you've got the whole meal. *Total estimated cost for entire recipe: $3.07 with dry beans and $3.97 with canned beans. (*Prices in this article are estimated from Washington State in 2017.)

If using dry beans, clean, rinse, and soak them overnight. For a "quick soak," place rinsed beans in a pan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat, cover, and let beans sit for 30 minutes before draining and cooking.

While beans soak, heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion, stir and cook until onion caramelizes. Add corn, sweet potato, white potato, chili powder, garlic, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, water, salt, and drained black beans.

Cover and cook on medium low for one hour with soaked beans or 20 minutes with canned beans. Add water if necessary. Serve with tortillas or corn bread.

This cooling summer salad includes two gluten-free grains and the produce of summer. Consider alternative seasonal vegetables when making this salad throughout the year. *Total estimated cost: $2.54.

In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, add millet and quinoa. Then bring to second boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and grains are tender. Let grains rest 5 minutes, covered, then fluff with a fork to separate the grains; place them in a bowl.

While grains cook, combine olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and agave nectar. Combine, grains, vinaigrette, red and green peppers, corn, chopped parsley, roasted cashews, salt, and pepper.

Zucchini is plentiful and the price is often the best during summer months. The same goes for peppers, tomatoes, and fresh basil. If you don't have access to fresh basil, use 1 Tablespoon dried basil, but add dried basil in the beginning of cooking as it takes more time for dried herbs to impart flavors. *Total estimated cost: $3.76.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, garlic, onion, jalapeño, and oil. Stir frequently, cooking until onions become translucent and vegetables are coated with oil.

Transfer cooked vegetables to a soup pot; add diced tomatoes, corn, potato, water or stock, and kidney beans. If using dried basil, add it now. Simmer on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If using fresh basil, add now and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.

Remove one cup of the soup from the pot and purée with milk, then stir into the chowder. Add lemon juice and salt.

Soaked dried mushrooms provide a savory flavor base for this year-round comfort stew. You can save your own mushroom stems to use for a quick stock by leaving them out to dry. *Total estimated cost: $4.08.

Pour boiling water over dried mushroom stems and let them absorb water for an hour or more. Heat a heavy frying pan over medium heat. Add fresh sliced mushrooms and dry fry (without oil). Stir frequently until the mushrooms squeak. Remove from heat and set aside.

Use the same pan and add onion, oil, green pepper, celery, and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent and the vegetables soften. Place all cooked vegetables in a soup pot. Add mushroom water, removing the mushroom stems if you want. Add garlic salt, pepper, bay leaf, tomatoes, and diced sweet potato. Cook for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.

Purée one cup of the soup and then stir into the soup pot with kidney beans. Heat on medium low for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper. This soup is perfect with the following Lemon Cornbread recipe crumbled on top.

Store-bought cornbread, sometimes served at soup bars in grocery stores, can cost $1.20 per serving. You make your own cornbread for less than a quarter of that price. Ground flax seeds whipped with water makes a great egg substitute for homemade baked recipes. *Total estimated cost: $1.55.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray or lightly oil a 10-inch oven-safe skillet or an 8-inch baking pan.

Combine lemon juice and almond milk and set aside. In another bowl, blend vegan butter, sugar, and lemon zest mixing with a spoon until smooth. Set aside.

Using a blender or an immersion blender (hand blender) whip flax seeds and water on high until frothy. Blend this mixture with the butter-sugar mixture.

Sift flour, cornmeal, and baking powder and soda together in a separate bowl, and then combine dry ingredients with the butter mixture and almond milk, stirring gently to blend.

Place mixture in the skillet or baking pan and place in the oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 and bake for 25-30 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick.

Cabbage isn't just a bargain all year long; it's also nutritious, keeps for a week, and is good served raw or cooked. If you have a cooler, you can take this slaw oncboat trips or take it camping. Make cabbage part of your frugal kitchen all year. You might consider adding raisins, dried cherries or cranberries, chopped dried apples, red peppers, toasted walnuts, or even sunflower seeds into this stand out salad. *Total estimated cost: $1.56.

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, zest, ketchup, and pepper in a small bowl. Blend until creamy. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and carrots, and then stir in the dressing and any other optional ingredients. You can serve it immediately, but flavors mingle and the taste improves if this salad is refrigerated for an hour or more.

It's time to celebrate when broccoli dips below a dollar a pound, and if you don't care for broccoli, you can easily substitute cauliflower or blend in spinach right before serving. *Total estimated cost: $4.98.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add soba noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain noodles when done.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, add olive oil, onion, and red pepper. Stir and cook until onion becomes translucent and pepper is soft. Add tofu to the pan. Spread the tofu so it will brown on the bottom. This may take 7-10 minutes. Stir and turn tofu. Add the broccoli. Blend grated ginger with water and stir in, then cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes, adding more water, if needed.

In a large bowl, toss noodles and vegetables with low-sodium tamari or hoisin sauce, if desired, and serve.

Debra Daniels-Zeller is a regular contributor to Vegetarian Journal. She lives in Washington.