I eat mostly vegetarian on a small grocery budget. Here are some of the things I make on a regular basis.
Tortilla wraps with your favorite ingredient combinations:
- Beans, leafy greens, onion, sauce
- Baked beans, potato salad
- Eggs, cheese, onion, green pepper, mushroom
- Tomato sauce, cheese, onion, mushroom, green pepper, olives (bake 7 minutes at 400 in oven as flat pizzas or rolled up and held with a toothpick)
Soups:
- Quick chili: tomato sauce, beans, onion, spices, veggie burger, broth/bouillon (if desired)
- I have also used sweet potato in chili with good results. I saw canned pumpkin in one recipe that I want to try.
- Bean soup: dry beans, smoked paprika/liquid smoke, spices, onion, broth/bouillon
- I also add potatoes and cabbage sometimes.
- Veggie soup: tomato juice/tomatoes, cabbage, onion, carrots, celery, corn, broth/bouillon
- Potato soup: milk, butter, potato, onion or leaks, seasonings, broth/bouillon
- Lentil soup: dry lentils or canned, any ingredients you love in soup, broth/bouillon
- Taco soup: anything and everything taco (except lettuce), taco seasoning mix, broth/bouillon
- Beans and rice: beans, rice, onion, seasoning mix, broth/bouillon
Casseroles:
Cottage Cheese Loaf
1 quart cottage cheese (32 ounces; 1 and 1/3 24 oz containers)
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 large onion, chopped
3 bouillon cubes
or tsp chicken style seasoning in 1 cup hot water
or 1 package onion soup mix
Bake in greased casserole for 1 hour at 350.
Supreme Lentil Loaf
1 cup uncooked lentils
2 eggs, beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
Cook lentils until soft and use 2 1/2 cups. Mix ingredients together and pour in an oiled casserole. Bake 45 minutes at 350.
Enchilada Casserole (the quick version)
Note that these ingredients are approximate.
1lb veggie burger or ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
taco seasoning
2 tbsp oil
Brown burger and onion in oil, season with taco seasoning. Set aside.
1 10pc package of corn tortillas
2 cans red enchilada sauce
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans green chilis
1-2 8 oz shredded cheese
In a crock pot, layer as follows: a thin layer of enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, burger mixture (I prefer to layer my onion in here instead of frying it with the burger), green chilis, kidney beans, shredded cheese. Repeat the order until you reach the top of the crock pot. Cook until you consider it to be done. I don't think I ever timed mine. 2-4 hours on high, I think it was.
If you choose to bake in a pan, the layering is the same. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
Note that this is a recipe I threw together, based on a much more lengthy recipe that had you making your own enchilada sauce. Since making enchilada sauce from scratch is labor intensive, I decided to make this instead. There isn't much of a difference. The homemade sauce might have more depth of flavor, but it's close enough for me.
Oatmeal Mushroom Steaks
Steaks
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 4 oz can mushrooms
2 1/4 cups uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sage
Saute onions in butter until clear. Combine all ingredients. Mix well and let stand in a bowl for 45 minutes. Mold into patties and fry until brown. (Note, these are great alone as burger substitutes.)
Mushroom Gravy
1 can mushroom soup
2 cans hot water
(optional) 1 tsp Vegex (or marmite/vegemite) dissolved in 1/2 cup of water
Combine soup, water and Vegex, ensure mixed well. Arrange steaks in a baking dish and cover with gravy. Bake at 350 for about an hour.
Patties/Burgers:
Wheat Germ Oatmeal Burgers
Onion
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp oil
Saute onion in oil.
Burgers
1 1/2 cups dry oatmeal
1 cup wheat germ
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts
13 oz can evaporated milk
Mix the onion and burger ingredients and set aside.
Binder for burgers:
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk
Blend ingredients and cook until thick. Add to the burger mix and combine.
Drop burger mix by tablespoons in hot oil and form patties. Brown on both sides. Serve with your favorite gravy, or as patties on sandwiches.
Salads:
Mexican Salad
1 can chili beans, undrained
or 1 can kidney beans, drained (and chili powder)
chopped lettuce or your favorite salad greens
chopped tomato
chopped onion
shredded cheese
Frito's
zesty Italian dressing
If you decided to use kidney beans instead of chili beans, be sure to dash chili powder on the beans and mix well first. Layer ingredients in this order in a flat dish: beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, grated cheese. Dish out the salad and serve topped with Frito's and Italian dressing.
This was a favorite at church potluck. Only add the Frito's and salad dressing at serving time as they will make the salad and chips soggy in the refrigerator.
Spice Mixes:
Red Beans and Rice
I use this for beans and rice, but I will also add it to a small pot of canned beans to give it some flavor.
Small batch:
.5 tbsp onion powder
.5 tbsp garlic powder
.5 tbsp dried oregano
.25 tbsp dried thyme
.25 tbsp black pepper
.75 tsp cayenne
.75 tbsp smoked paprika
.75 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
Poultry Seasoning
I have used this for soups and what not. The flavor is like what you would expect with stuffing.
4 tsp dried sage
3 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg