Vegan Jobs Ireland

One of the most common misconceptions about a vegan lifestyle is that it is expensive. This can be the case for any diet, there are luxury items available to everyone.

For this series, I am going to take €10 to purchase groceries for a week of dinners. I will also be breaking down what I plan to make with the groceries purchased. This budget will be aimed at single servings, however they can be easily modified to accommodate larger groups.

This week Tesco is in the spotlight. I took the trip on a Sunday resulting in fewer staples in stock, but that’s how grocery shopping can be, it’s important to still make the most of the options available to you. Out of the €10 I had 30c to spare. An issue frequently faced when shopping for one is perishables going off before they can be consumed. This can lead to repeating a meal two even three days in a row to avoid food waste, which can take the joy out of cooking. With this in mind, I hope to demonstrate versatility, creativity and simplicity with these recipes. 

*Disclaimer, I will not be including store cupboard staples in the budget such as; salt, pepper, oil, and flour/cornflour. I’d also like to add I am by no means a chef! 

Ingredient break down

Vegetables

• Broccoli (*f) 
• Onions (*f)
• Peppers (*f)

Protein

• Chickpeas
• Kidney Beans
• Tofu

Carbohydrates

• Bread
• Noodles
• Rice

Misc

• Soy Milk
• Salsa
• Pre-made sauce
• Seasonings

*(f) – Frozen veg.

On a budget can be a cheap way of getting important nutrients into the diet without that race to beat the expiration date. To kick off the week I’ll be making a chilli inspired dish. 

1) Vegan “Chilli”. 

• Start by throwing all the frozen veg into a pan. (Sometimes I’ll put the broccoli into the microwave to defrost it a little.) While they’re defrosting start cooking your rice.
• Drizzle with oil and add some water to the pan. Once the veg has thawed add the kidney beans and seasoning to the pan. If you have some add in tomato paste but not essential. 
• As these are cooking season your rice with lemon and coriander.
• Plate and serve with a side of salsa.
• Put leftovers in the freezer.

2) Tofu Fried Rice

One of my favourite things to do with leftover rice is to make “egg” fried rice with tofu.

• Take 1/3 of a firm block of tofu and crumble into a pan. Add a teaspoon of oil and begin to fry, for a creamier texture add some dairy-free milk until your desired 
• As it cooks add in your seasonings such as turmeric (for colour), garlic, black salt (Kala namak), five-spice. 
• Cover and lower the heat for 5-10mins so the tofu absorbs all age flavours.
• In a second pan start cooling off the veg, add peppers, broccoli and onions. (Cook with water or sesame oil) Add soy sauce for colour and taste, this part is a personal preference.
• Once the tofu has reached the desired flavour and colour add in your the rice, and vegetables, drizzle a little sesame oil and mix all components together until the rice is hot all the way through.*

3) Tofu Schezwan

All though all these ‘recipes’ are very simple this one even has a cheat code getting to use a preprepared sauce, obviously I chose Schezaun but any sauce will do, Tesco (where I did this shop) has a plethora of vegan and budget-friendly preprepared sauces.

• Take 1/3 a block of tofu and slice it into cubes and dredge in cornflour & five-spice.
• Once fully dredged the tofu can be cooked in a number of ways, my preference is air-fry, however, it can be cooked in an oven, deep fry or shallow fry whichever is your personal preference.
• Although the sauce I picked had vegetables, there’s no harm in getting extra nutrients in thereby adding in some of the frozen veg. For a slightly different texture, these can be tossed in five spice and roasted in the oven, alternatively, they can be cooked in the sauce on the pan.
• As the sauce is simmering add in the straight to wok noodles and have them cook in the vegetables and sauce, cover the pan and lower the heat.
• Once heated through plate and add the tofu on top.

4) Tofu Scramble

Tofu is such a versatile food, full of protein, one of my go-to meals for any time of day is a hearty tofu scramble. The process is very similar to how the tofu was cooked and seasoned for the “egg” fried rice.

• Crumble into a pan.
• Add milk, turmeric and preferred seasonings. 
• Add some frozen peppers & onions, for more flavour and needed colour. 
• Throw on some toast and you’re good to go!

It’s a quick, simple and filling meal that can be thrown together in minutes or thrown into a lunch box for an office lunch.

5) Schezwan Chickpeas

We’re getting into leftover territory now, but that doesn’t mean losing flavour or nutrients.

• Step one Drain and rinse your chickpeas. Once clean toss in seasoning and place on a baking tray. Cook for about 20mins at 180 degrees fan. (Similar to the tofu dish feel free to add in broccoli to bulk up the dish and add more nutrients.
• Get to cooking your rice while these are in the oven.
• heatsauce on a pan and add in your cooked veg & chickpeas as that’s that. 

6) Chilli Reheat

Remember that chilli from the start of the week? Take that out of the fridge/freezer, heat thoroughly and serve with yesterdays rice. (Ensure rice is piping hot all the way through.) This one is definitely for an evening of complete ease, reheat and put your feet up!

7) Chickpea Soup

Now that the evenings are getting darker and colder this one is a perfect hearty meal coming into winter.

• Start by preparing a vegetable broth with a stock cube.
• Add noodles to your vegetable broth
• Cook off the vegetables you have available with seasoning in a pan and add your chickpeas just at the end to provide some more flavour.
• Add your veg and chickpeas to your noodle broth and voila! Nutritious and filling soup that can just be thrown together in no time.

These were just some meals I could throw together with a €10 budget in my local Tesco. If you have any suggestions for what to add to the list of recipes you find are your go to’s on a budget, get in touch with us on our social media platforms! 

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Tags: budget vegan, euro, groceries, ireland, meal prep, meals, plantbased, recipe, tesco, tofu, vegan