Budget-Friendly Indian Dal Soup

Indian Dal Soup is one of my favorite dishes, but I always thought

it so complex to make. I started experimenting around and came up

with a recipe that is not only delicious and simple to make, but also

budget friendly, as it has very few ingredients!

Ingredients:

1 cup red split lentils

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3/4 tsp red chili powder

½ tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Soak the lentils in water for 15-20 minutes.

2. Transfer to a pot and add all other ingredients.

3. Cook on medium high heat for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Affordable White Cake

This white cake recipe is an amazing staple that you can add any

mix-in or decorate any way you like to be perfect for any occasion.

The best part about this recipe is that it is an affordable option

because it only uses 7 ingredients, so that you can save money

while making delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter

2 egg substitutes

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ cup almond milk

Instructions:

1. Cream together the butter and sugar.

2. Mix in the egg substitutes and vanilla.

3. Whisk together the flour and baking powder.

4. Alternate adding in the dry mixture and almond milk to the

butter mixture.

5. Pour into 2 greased cake pans and bake for 30 minutes

at 350 degrees F. Enjoy!

Budget-Friendly Curry Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe for Curry Roasted Cauliflower is an amazing option for

dinner because, besides being delicious, it is easy to make and

budget-friendly when the ingredients are bought in season.

When shopping at the correct times and places, this can be a super

cheap alternative and great for both dinners and lunches.

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower

½ red onion

2 tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp curry powder

½ cup frozen peas

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1.Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and slice the onion

into strips.

2. Spread them on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil

and spices.

3. Cook at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes, tossing half way through.

4. Add the peas during the last five minutes. Enjoy!

Affordable Peanut Butter Cookies

These three ingredient peanut butter cookies are an amazing deal

because they are so affordable as well as easy to make. They are

perfect for anybody looking to save their budget but still make

delicious desserts.

Ingredients:

⅓ cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg substitute

Instructions:

1. Mix the ingredients together until smooth.

2. Roll dough into cookie balls, place on a baking sheet, flatten with

the bottom of a glass, and then press a criss-cross pattern into each

with the back of a fork.

3. Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. Enjoy!

Zero-Waste, Healthy French Fries

People traditionally think of french fries as an unhealthy and wasteful

food (because traditional fries waste the potato skin). This vegan and

zero-waste recipe for french fries proves both these false. By buying 

the spices in bulk bins and keeping the skin on the potatoes, you are

able to eliminate waste. The limited amount of a healthy oil and the

fact that these are baked helps make them a much healthier 

alternative to traditional fries too. The spices this recipe uses help

give them a delicious flavor so you don’t even realize they are 

so much healthier!

Ingredients:

4 russet potatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients:

1. Cut the potatoes (skin-on) into traditionally sized fry strips.

2. Mix them in a bowl with the oil and spices.

3. Bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Zero-Waste Pecan Muffins

Zero-Waste and Vegan Pecan Muffins! These taste great and are

such a versatile food to have in your pantry, whether for dessert,

a snack, or even breakfast. They are super fast to make, only 10 

minutes!

To make the recipe zero-waste, buy the dry ingredients in bulk bins

and use homemade almond milk (recipe in previous post).

Ingredients:

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup almond milk

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup pecans

Instructions:

1. Mix together the sugar and oil.

2. Combine with the almond milk and vanilla.

3. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

4. Fold in the pecans and pour batter into muffin tins.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Zero-Waste Pea Soup

This Zero- Waste Pea Soup is personally one of my favorite recipes

because it requires so few ingredients that it is extremely simple to

make but the result is a delicious product. This recipe is also 100%

vegan and waste-free. I bought my peas from the vegetable

department of my local grocery store and put them in a reusable

bag, as to not waste plastic. The spices were from bulk bins.

Ingredients:

4 cups peas

2 cups water

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil the peas in the water and spices for about 10 minutes.

2. Transfer both the peas and liquid to a blender. Blend until

it reaches the perfect soup consistency. Enjoy!

Zero-Waste Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zero-Waste and Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies! These take less than

10 minutes to put together so are very fast and simple. They taste

delicious too.

To make the recipe zero-waste, buy the dry ingredients in bulk bins

and make your own dairy replacements (recipe linked below).

Ingredients:

1 cup vegan butter**

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup almond milk

1 tbsp vanilla

½ tsp salt

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together.

2. Mix in the almond milk and vanilla.

3. Sift the dry ingredients on top and fold to combine.

4. Bake for 11 minutes at 350 F.

** link to make your own vegan butter:

https://nutritionrefined.com/vegan-butter/

Zero-Waste Chana Masala

Chana Masala is one of my favorite vegan dishes when I’m eating

Indian cuisine. It is a simple recipe to make but tastes amazing.

This version is a zero-waste recipe as well as being vegan.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 teaspoons ginger, peeled & minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups roasted tomatoes

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 cup water

Instructions:

1. Soak chickpeas for at least six hours or overnight. 

2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion,

 ginger, garlic, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. 

4. Add the garam masala, coriander, and turmeric and stir to coat the

 onion mixture for about one minute.

5. Stir in the tomatoes while mashing them with a spoon.

6. Stir in the chickpeas and the water. Bring to a simmer. Lower the

 heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.

Vegan Cinnamon Crunch Cake

This Cinnamon Crunch Cake is a unique twist on classic desserts.

It tastes amazing, is simple to make, and 100% vegan!

Click here (https://youtu.be/PMekoPpC_qg) to watch my video

on how to make this cake.

Cake Ingredients:

- 2 cups flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- pinch of salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- ½ cup vegan butter

- scant 1 cup sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 2 vegan egg substitutes

- 1 ¼ cup almond milk

Vanilla Frosting Ingredients:

- 2 tbsp vegan butter

- 2 cups powdered sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 3 tbsp almond milk

Cinnamon Crunch Ingredients:

- ½ cup flour

- ½ cup brown sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 3 tbsp vegan butter

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

2. Cream together the vegan butter and sugar.

3. Mix in the egg substitutes and extracts.

4. Alternate adding in dry, wet, dry, wet, dry to the butter mixture.

5. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9” baking pans. Bake at 375 

degrees F for 22 minutes.

6. Mix together the frosting ingredients and the cinnamon 

crunch (each in a separate bowl).

8. Decorate cake once it has cooled completely and enjoy!

Zero-Waste Vegan Waffles

Breakfast foods are one of the hardest things to find vegan

alternatives, let alone zero waste. This recipe below is for

amazing waffles that are perfect for a weekend breakfast. The

recipes can easily be zero-waste by buying the dry ingredients

in bulk bins in your own containers from the grocery store.

Ingredients:

2 & 1/4 Cups of Flour

1 tbsp of Baking Powder

1 tbsp of Salt

1 tbsp of Sugar

1/4 Cup Vegan Butter **

1 & 2/3 Cups of Water

Instructions:

1. Whisk together the try ingredients.

2. Cut the butter into the dry until it resembles coarse cornmeal.

3. Add in the water to make it a batter.

4. Cook in a waffle iron and enjoy!

** link to make your own vegan butter:

https://nutritionrefined.com/vegan-butter/

Zero-Waste Refried Beans

Beans are a common dinner food that serves as a great side dish

to most meals. Many find them to also be a cheap and convenient

food found in the can aisle. But the amount of cans people go

through contributes to the harm on the environment.

This zero-waste version of refried beans is a great substitute

to the typical canned type. When shopping responsibly, it can

be just as affordable. Spices and beans can be bought in

bulk bins that helps eliminate the need for wasteful wrappers.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pinto beans (about a pound)

1/4 cup vegan butter **

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans in water overnight.

2. Cook beans on the stove top for one to two hours until the

skins begin to fall off.

3. Drain the cooked beans.

4. Mash the beans and tomatoes in the pot over medium heat.

5. Add the spices and water as needed to thin it.

6. Continue to heat, stir, and mash until the beans begin to bubble.

** link to make your own vegan butter:

https://nutritionrefined.com/vegan-butter/