Desperate times call for delicious food!

Since it’s almost the end of the month, I have depleted my funds until payday on the first.  This means I’m unable to splurge on new food, and I’m forced to get creative with leftovers and whatever I can find in my pantry.

I used the leftover vegetable toppings from my birthday pizza, a few veggies from my garden, and some leftover rice I had in the fridge to make a cheesy vegetable stir-fry over rice.

I sauteed:

sliced zucchini
black olives
sliced sweet peppers
one tomato diced
mushrooms
frozen and diced onions and bell peppers (from Kroger)

While the veggies were in the pan over medium heat, I seasoned it with:

nutritional yeast (about 1/4 cup)
salt
black pepper
garlic powder
chili powder (less than a teaspoon)
red pepper flakes (a tiny amount just for some heat)

I served the veggies over leftover rice which was cooked in vegan “chicken” broth (try Edward and Sons Not Chik’n brand bouillon cubes, available at Kroger and Earthfare).

Being a broke vegan doesn’t mean you are doomed to eating canned beans and rice, you just need to be innovative and use up all your leftovers!

Quick and easy vegan stir-fry

Sorry y’all, I’ve been slacking on the blog because my allergies are really bad lately   I’ve been in a Benadryl “coma” for a few days.

An allergy coma means I don’t leave the house unless I absolutely need to.  So I looked in my freezer and pantry for a quick and easy meal.  Fortunately, you can whip up a stir-fry in a few minutes, with no prep work!  Sometimes I cook it with crumbled tofu for extra protein.  Bags of frozen veggies are available at Kroger, usually priced at 10 bags for $10.00.  I cook one bag of veggies with a few servings of rice.  One cup of dry rice equals approximately 4 servings (or 2 if you are extra hungry).

To give the rice more flavor, I add one vegan “chicken-flavored” bouillon cube to the water while it boils the rice.  The “Not Chick’n” brand is available at Kroger in the natural foods section, and at Earthfare near the canned soups.  A beef-flavor is also available, but the chicken is my favorite.

Ingredients:

a bag of frozen stir fry veggies (available at Kroger for 10 bags for $10 usually)

any extra veggies you have in your fridge (mushrooms, onions, etc.)

at least 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast (purchase at Earthfare in the bulk bins)

1 cup of rice (uncooked.  cook according to package directions.  usually 1 cup of dry rice needs 2 1/3 cup of water)

1 vegan bouillon cube

spices: black pepper, garlic, and cayenne, to your taste preference

a little canola oil for frying

1/4 cup of soy sauce (Use La Choy brand of soy sauce if you are allergic to wheat.  You can find it at all grocery stores in the asian food section.)

Preparation:

1.  Cook rice according to package directions.  Don’t forget to throw in the bouillon cube into the water while the rice boils.

2.  As the rice cooks, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Once the pan is warm, pour in a tiny amount of oil.  If you have extra veggies which aren’t frozen, fry these first.  I especially like to fry mushrooms first, since I like them cooked thoroughly.  Then add the bagged veggies and stir.

3.  Add in the soy sauce, nutritional yeast, and any spices you like.  Keep an eye on the veggies and stir, because you don’t want them to burn.  The excess water from the frozen veggies makes a nice sauce when combined with the soy sauce and nutritional yeast.

4.  Once the rice is finished, add the rice to the frying pan with the veggies and stir, making sure all the rice is covered in the sauce.

This picture isn’t very good, but the stir fry was delicious!  And WAY too spicy.  Don’t add a whole tablespoon of cayenne, and a tablespoon of black pepper, unless you want to clear your sinuses