The Vegan Cookbook Club: Save money with thrifty vegan recipes - Duluth News Tribune

First let me introduce you to my neighbor Jody Richards. From her youth, Jody has been interested in frugal shopping and eating well. She is a founding member of the Vegan Cookbook Club and has produced several cookbooks, including, most recently, the Vegan Cookbook Club’s eponymous collection of recipes, available for purchase at Zenith Bookstore. Jody sums up her approach to cooking as H.A.E. — Healthful, Affordable and Easy-to-Prepare.

I, too, am a thrifty vegan shopper, so when Jody and I sat down over tea to discuss diet, dollars and cents, we found that we had a lot of ideas to share. Here is a distillation of our money-saving wisdom.

Why the bad rap?

The basic foods for a plant-based diet — vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans — are among the least expensive items at the grocery store. The idea that a plant-based diet will cost you an arm and a leg probably comes from looking only at high-end, highly processed items like vegan eggs, meats and cheeses and overly-packaged convenience foods. To save money, pass on these products or make them more economical by combining them with veg, rice or pasta to make many servings; one great vegan sausage can season a whole pan of potatoes.

D.I.Y.

It is almost always cheaper to make your own than to buy ready-to-eat. Homemade hummus costs a fraction of what you pay for a small tub of artisan spread. The do-it-yourself approach does not require you to spend all your time in the kitchen. Jody finds that she can prepare three good meals per week, and on the other days enjoy leftovers and combinations. Making a double batch of soup, casserole or grain doesn’t take much longer than making a single batch, and you can freeze some for future easy eats.

Do some research

A quick online search for “inexpensive vegan meals” brought up articles such as:

As for frugal cookbooks, I own “Student's Go Vegan: Over 135 Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegan Recipes” by Carole Raymond, and “Vegan on the Cheap” by Robin Robertson, and there are many others.

Simplify

Meals on a budget do not need to be elaborate creations. Simple meals are not only easier on the wallet — they are usually easier on the digestion as well.

Frugal basics

A well-stocked pantry lets you make good, cheap meals whenever you want. Look for sales on pasta, whole grains, your favorite beans and lentils (canned and/or dry), canned tomatoes and pumpkin, and frozen vegetables.

Jody’s favorite basics to have on hand are apples, bananas, carrots, celery, rolled oats, brown rice, lentils, pinto beans, nut butter, raisins and frozen peas. Her go-to seasonings are salt, pepper (freshly ground pepper is really nice and not expensive), cinnamon, chili powder, basil and/or oregano, cumin, onion and garlic. Jody says, “Play mix-and-match with this list! You’ll find that they combine in many ways.” In fact, with typical Jody enthusiasm, she advises bringing this playful attitude to the whole idea of eating well on a budget: “Make it a game!”

Thrifty veg

Don’t waste money by throwing away produce. Lay in a modest supply of long-lasting fruit and veg such as potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, winter squash, sweet potatoes, apples and oranges. Greens don’t keep well, so buy them in smaller quantities when you know you will use them. Greens with sturdy stems, such as kale, collards, parsley, and even broccoli can be kept hydrated by placing them in water as you would put flowers in a vase.

Don’t give up on slightly wilted produce; I have successfully restored limp celery, broccolini and rubbery carrots just by soaking them in water. Most produce freezes well, so if you won’t get to it in time, freeze it. Frozen fruits and greens are great in smoothies. Jody also says, “It’s not essential to buy only organic produce. The benefit of eating lots of plants overrides the risk of consuming some nonorganic fruit and veg.”

Less is more

Foods with minimal processing and packaging are usually less expensive. Use the bulk bins to buy ingredients in the amounts you want. Bring your own containers from home to reduce waste.

Splurge strategically

It’s OK to spend a little more for things that are important. I will pay extra for a Fair Trade, mission-driven product. Local food is sometimes the best deal, but even if it’s not, I usually plump for local. (Check out the minimally-packaged plant-based burgers and sausages made locally by Superior Small Batch.) And I urge you not to go cheap on chocolate; cheap chocolate was most likely harvested by child slaves in West Africa, which I wrote about last month. I’m not kidding. Do not buy cheap chocolate.

Savor your savings

A simple vegan diet can save you money in more ways than one. Many members of the Vegan Cookbook Club report that since going vegan, they have been able to reduce or eliminate medications (with their doctors’ blessings) — a savings in money and quality of life! In my opinion, we have no choice but to spend money on our health, but we do get to choose how we spend it: on good quality plant-based foods, or on meds and doctor visits. A simple plant-based diet is also key to slowing climate change, so add to your list of savings “Saving the Earth!”

Here are a few ideas for cheap vegan eats.

Keep parsley fresh in a cup of water and use it to make Frugal Hummus. (Emma Ambrosi / For the News Tribune)

Frugal Hummus

Tahini is the most expensive ingredient in most hummus recipes, and you can do without it!

1½ cups cooked chickpeas (One 15-oz. can, drained and rinsed)

⅓ cup (packed) fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: if you do have tahini in the fridge, you can add ¼ cup. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Add a little water if needed to reach desired consistency. Use some of your hummus in the following recipe.

Quinoa Veggie Wrap

From “The Vegan Cookbook Club: Stories, Recipes & More”

This recipe can easily be adapted with your choice of veg, or skip the tortillas and make it a bowl.

4 large tortilla or flatbread wraps

½ cup or more hummus

3 cups cooked quinoa

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped

1 cup shredded carrots

Optional: hot sauce

Spread hummus on wraps. Divide remaining ingredients equally among wraps. Fold and roll as burritos.

Jody’s Hoppin’ John

Grain + bean + veg is a basic equation for a satisfying, thrifty plant-based meal. Jody adds, “I make my own vegetable stock with veg scraps that I store in the freezer. (No cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower.) The strained-out veg scraps go into the compost. No waste!”

1 cup brown rice

1¾-2 cups vegetable stock

1½ cups cooked black eyed peas (One 15-oz. can, drained and rinsed)

2 cups chopped kale

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 tablespoons olive oil, opt.

Cook rice in vegetable stock until stock is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-40 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. 4 servings.

Did you know?

A study published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition found that even an economical version of MyPlate standard American diet cost $746.46 more per year than a plant-based diet, and MyPlate provided fewer vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Bonnie Ambrosi lives in Duluth and is an organizer of The Vegan Cookbook Club, which meets at 11:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of every month at Mount Royal Branch Library. Contact Ambrosi at bonnieambrosi@gmail.com.

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