I have discovered through my local bulk bins a really cheap way to keep food in the house, that's even cheaper than canned goods.
I bought a small paper bag full of dehydrated split pea soup mix, and just sauteed 1/4 of an onion in oil before adding the water, brought it to a boil and added all the split peas. It actually tasted pretty good, just as good as the canned Anderson's that is accidentally vegan. I didn't have to add any spices, and it was super quick. You could add salt and/or accidentally vegan bacon bits (McCormicks) if you wanted.
I also picked up some TVP and dehydrated black beans. I took a can of Progresso tomato soup (you could just use a little can of tomato paste) and added extra water, and one of those 99 cent packets of chili spices. I brought this to a boil and packed it with the black beans and TVP. I have a super thick vegan chili that's adequately spiced that I could eat over rice, on a tortilla, or alone.
Another awesome thing I found was adding powdered coconut milk and vanilla vegan protein powder on top of granola with dried fruit and nuts and then just pouring hot water over it and stirring.
I got inspired to do all of these things from a recent backpacking trip, but realistically this is a cheap way to eat tasty staples and would be great for students who live in a dorm where they can only boil water or use a microwave, or for someone who doesn't want to cook too much in a kitchen with meat eaters.
I bought a small paper bag full of dehydrated split pea soup mix, and just sauteed 1/4 of an onion in oil before adding the water, brought it to a boil and added all the split peas. It actually tasted pretty good, just as good as the canned Anderson's that is accidentally vegan. I didn't have to add any spices, and it was super quick. You could add salt and/or accidentally vegan bacon bits (McCormicks) if you wanted.
I also picked up some TVP and dehydrated black beans. I took a can of Progresso tomato soup (you could just use a little can of tomato paste) and added extra water, and one of those 99 cent packets of chili spices. I brought this to a boil and packed it with the black beans and TVP. I have a super thick vegan chili that's adequately spiced that I could eat over rice, on a tortilla, or alone.
Another awesome thing I found was adding powdered coconut milk and vanilla vegan protein powder on top of granola with dried fruit and nuts and then just pouring hot water over it and stirring.
I got inspired to do all of these things from a recent backpacking trip, but realistically this is a cheap way to eat tasty staples and would be great for students who live in a dorm where they can only boil water or use a microwave, or for someone who doesn't want to cook too much in a kitchen with meat eaters.