Under $25 A Week: Vegetarian Grocery List Plus Recipes Pt. 3

By Alexis Frankel on November 21, 2016

At the start of this three part series, this was a vegetarian grocery list that was $30. One list later, and the cost was cut to $25 through some minor switches from the first list. So, if you are not trying to be a good person and save innocent animals from meat grinders, you should do it to save your innocent wallet. Meat is expensive! The protein your body absorbs from meat, can be swapped for an ethical, cheaper alternative: beans. The two recipes below will show you how to make healthy alternatives to dishes normally made with meat.

You might find that these recipes will cause you to become a “flexitarian,” as rockstar legend and vegetarian, Paul McCartney describes. He encourages people to reduce their meat intake for multiple reasons.

“The UN actually produced a report in 2006 (Livestock’s Long Shadow) outlining how the livestock industry was responsible for more harmful gases than the transport industry — they said the best thing you can do is reduce your meat intake,” said McCartney in a piece he wrote for The Huffington Post.

If you do not believe me at this point that reducing your meat intake is not only tasty, but ethical as well, believe Mr. McCartney.

Chickpea Patties

Alexis Frankel

•¼ can of chickpeas

•1 egg

•salt

•pepper

•½ teaspoon of chile powder

•bread

•oil

•mayonnaise (optional)

•hot sauce (optional)

If you like hummus, you will like this recipe. Both are packed with protein and feature chickpeas. One serving tastes like a healthy hash brown and comes out to about $2. The recipe this is adapted from mentions that the recipe is kosher for those of you who follow this Jewish dietary restriction.

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. When it is heated, put three slices of bread on a baking sheet.
3. Bake them until they are browned and hard (about 30 minutes).
4. This is a great step if you need to de-stress: put the slices in a plastic bag and crush them up. Make sure there is no air in the bag or it could pop.
5. Heat a quarter inch of oil in a pan on medium heat.
6. In the meantime, blend the chickpeas, the egg, chile powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Only do it until the chickpeas barely blend or it’ll be too creamy.
7. Mix in bread crumbs until it is a consistency you can mold  (about ¼ a cup per patty).
8. Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of the mixture into the heated oil. If it starts sputtering crazily it’s too hot. It should start to fry up and brown.
9. Mold the mixture into patties about ½ inch thick.
10. When the oil is the right temperature, fry them on each side for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown.
11. Let them drain on paper towels.
12. I made a sauce for the patties using mayonnaise and Sriracha, but you can put on whatever condiment your heart desires. You can even stick these in a pita with lettuce and tomatoes for an impromptu falafel.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

Alexis Frankel

•¼ can of black beans

•1 egg

•salt

•pepper

•½ teaspoon of chile powder

•bread

•¼ a jalapeno

•oil

•barbecue sauce (optional)

Are you guys sensing how obsessed I am with making beans into a patty-shaped form at this point? Black beans are also full of protein and a can makes about 20 of these tasty meatless burgers. Red meat has carcinogens that can be avoided by making them with cruelty-free groceries.

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. While the oven heats, cut up 1/4 of a jalapeño (1/8 of a jalapeño if you are sensitive) and deseed it.
3. When the oven is heated, put three slices of bread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake them until they are browned and hard (about 30 minutes).
5. This is a great step if you need to de-stress: put the slices in a plastic bag and crush them up. Make sure there is no air in the bag or it could pop.
6. Heat a quarter inch of oil in a pan on medium heat.
7. In the meantime, blend the black beans, the jalapeño, the egg, chile powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Only barely blend the black beans or you’ll have refried beans.
8. Mix in bread crumbs until it is a consistency you can mold (about ¼ a cup per patty).
9. Test the oil by dropping a tiny piece of the mixture into the heated oil. If it starts sputtering crazily it’s too hot. It should start to fry up and brown.
10. Mold the mixture into patties that are about ½ inch thick.
11. When the oil is the right temperature, fry them on each side for 2-3 minutes or until they are crispy.
12. Let them drain on paper towels.
13. Squirt some barbeque sauce if you would like. Eat them as they are, or stick them on some slider buns with other burger toppings (anything is a burger topping with your imagination).

Below is the grocery list I used to come up with the recipes above. Each week I just swapped out ingredients to keep my taste palette from getting bored. You can choose to purchase the items separately, or use this list to have under $25 of vegetarian groceries for the whole week. Everything on the grocery list is either from Publix or Winn Dixie.

Grocery List

•Raspberries: $3.49
•1 white bread loaf: $1.00
•Tub of vanilla yogurt: $1.99
•1 jalapeño pepper: $0.22
•1 green bell pepper: $1.29
•Small sour cream: $0.99
•Avocado: $1.50
•1 can of corn: $1.00
•1 can of chickpeas: $1.00
•1 can of black beans: $1.00
•Corn tortillas: $1.19
•1 bunch of green onions: $1.00
•4 bananas: $1.06
•1 sweet potato: $1.19
•1 onion: $0.80
•3 tomatoes: $0.86
•2 limes: $0.67
•Half a dozen eggs: $0.60
•1 pack of shredded sharp cheddar cheese: $2.50
•Curry powder: $1.00
•Chile powder: $1.00
•Vegetable broth: $0.89
•Instant grits: $1.00
•Sour cream: $1.00

Total: $24.99

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format