Vegan on a Budget: 125 Healthy, Wallet-Friendly, Plant-Based Recipes
Nava Atlas
Sterling Epicure
September 1, 2020
$24.95/Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1454936978
Nava Atlas has a solid track with cookbooks that combine fresh, plant-based foods with healthy shortcuts to create great recipes quickly and efficiently, such as The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, which has sold more than 100,000 copies; Vegan Holiday Kitchen, Wild About Greens, and her most recent book with Sterling, 5-Ingredient Vegan. Atlas is the creator of Vegkitchen.com, one of the web’s first food sites, which was launched in 1996, and is still going strong, decades later, as a leading resource for plant-based living.
Eating vegan on the cheap CAN be luxurious! Be kind to your wallet, your body, and the environment too with this up-to-date, plant-based cookbook from Nava Atlas, one of the most respected authors in the world of vegan cooking.
Enjoy delicious, healthy, plant-based food every meal of the day, every day of the week—even beloved burgers, pizza, and pasta. AND do it on a budget, too! Plant-based doesn’t have to break the bank, thanks to Nava Atlas’s penny wise but irresistible recipes. Atlas supplies an arsenal of tips on the best plant-based protein bargains for the buck; buying in bulk; safe and inexpensive non-organic fruits and vegetables; coupons for natural foods; saving with apps like Ibotta, Drop, and BerryCart; cheaper ready-made vegan sauces and condiments as good as made-from-scratch; and much more. Her delicious, economical recipes include hearty soups and stews, such as White Bean Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Squash; skillets and stir-fries, like Vegan Sausage Skillet with Cabbage & Potatoes; roasted and baked fare, such as Roasted Root Vegetables with Brussels Sprouts; noodle dishes, including Italian-Style Sausage & Peppers Pasta and Yellow Curry Rice Noodles; sandwiches, salads, and slaws; and breakfast and brunch options from Veggie-Filled Tofu Scrambles to Fruity Breakfast Cake. Desserts include a yummy Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake and Frozen Banana Ice Cream. Your wallet and your body will thank you!
Tofu & Broccoli with Coconut Peanut Sauce
4 servings
In the mood for Thai? Using ready-made Thai peanut satay sauce, available in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets, gives this tofu dish lots of flavor with little effort. If you prefer, of course, you can go one step further and make your own Coconut Peanut Sauce or Dressing (page 203). Serve over rice or noodles, and add a Simple Slaw (page 137) or a platter of sliced bell peppers and tomatoes.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (14-ounce) tub extra-firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon safflower or another neutral vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 large crowns broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 cup (or more) white or brown mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and sliced
- 1 cup bottled Thai peanut satay sauce or Coconut Peanut Sauce or Dressing (page 203)
- 2 scallions, sliced
- Dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste
- Hot cooked rice or noodles for serving
- Peanuts (crushed, if desired) for garnish, optional
Cut the tofu into ½-inch-thick slices and blot well between layers of paper toweling or a clean tea towel. Cut into ½-inch dice.
Heat the oil and soy sauce in a wide skillet or stir-fry pan, stirring them together. Add the tofu and stir quickly to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp on most sides, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the broccoli and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently,just until the broccoli is bright green and tender-crisp. Add a little water to keep the pan moist.
Stir in the peanut sauce, scallions, and red pepper flakes. Serve at once over cooked rice or noodles. Pass around peanuts for topping
individual servings, if desired.
Italian Pasta & Bean Soup
6 to 8 servings
Pasta e Fagioli, a classic Italian soup that’s a cousin to minestrone, is another hearty main dish in a bowl. Serve with a crusty bread and a simple salad or a platter of raw vegetables with an easy dip, like Tartar Dressing or Dip (page 199).
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large celery stalks, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted or Italian-style
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 heaping cups (uncooked) pasta (any short shape)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or pink beans, drained and rinsed, or 3 cups cooked beans
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ¼ to ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and celery, and continue to sauté until all are golden.
Add the carrots, tomatoes, bouillon cubes, Italian seasoning, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions in a separate saucepan until al dente, then drain.
When the broth mixture has simmered for 20 minutes, add the cooked pasta, along with the beans, and simmer gently for 5 minutes longer.
Adjust the consistency with a little more water if the soup is too crowded. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the parsley, and serve.
These recipes may be reproduced with the following credit:
Recipes from Vegan on a Budget: 125 Healthy, Wallet-Friendly, Plant-Based Recipes by Nava Atlas. (Sterling Epicure; September 1, 2020; $24.95/Paperback, ISBN: 978-1454936978)
Contact: Blanca Oliviery
boliviery@sterlingpublishing.com