meal ideas for a college student

[magslee]

HELP! I just became a vegan and I am not sure what else to eat besides veggie hummus in a pita and veggie burgers for lunch and dinner. What are some simple meal ideas that I can do? (remember college budget) Thanks
Anne

[Erin Pavlina]

Spaghetti and marinara.

Big salads.

Vegan bologna sandwiches.

Vegan lasagna.

[Christa]

You can also try vegetable stir-fry with some rice. If you don't want to chop vegis, you could always buy the frozen mixed vegis. Tofu makes a good addition to stir-fry.

I am trying to think back to my under-grad days. I didn't eat too healthfully then, but I was vegan!

Tortilla chips or vegis with dips make good snacks/lunches - try guacamole, vegetarian refried beans heated with some salsa mixed in or hummus.

I always liked vegetable sandwiches, too. I put veganaise, mustard or vinagrette on bread, then stack it high with lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, avocados, etc.

Bean & rice burritos work, too.

Vegetable soup is another idea. I used to eat miso soup a lot in college. I would basically just heat water, add a couple spoonfuls of miso, some soy sauce, some sliced carrots, chopped kale, chunks of tofu & dried wakame seaweed. I then let it all cook until the vegis were soft & ate it. It actually doesn't take that much time to make & is pretty good.

I'm sure that some other people will have other ideas. Do you live in an apartment & have a kitchen available to do cooking for yourself? That certainly makes a difference in whether you can implement any of these suggestions!

[duckie1978]

Meals that I made as an undergrad included:

Sloppy joes with TVP
Tacos with TVP
veggie "ribs"
cereal
pancakes, french toast
tofu scrambles
bagels
soups--minestrone, some canned, lentil, etc.
stir fries-almost nightly it seemed. Just buy the frozen veggies and add tofu or whatever and toss them in a pan. It makes two or three meals easily especially with rice.
pizza
pasta, pasta bake
shepards pie
homemade chinese (I make my own garlic sauce b/c it is so easy)
Lots of steamed veggies
but I also ate: chips, fries, sweets like cookies, cakes, brownies, soy ice creams;

Eating vegan isn't too costly unless you eat a lot of the meat replacers that are perishable. I love TVP and was able to get it in bulk so I used that instead of commercial crumbles and often for veggie burgers. If you have access to a co-op or HFS then you have some better options to get bulk items which cut down on expenses. Since I have learned how to make my own seitan, we rarely buy premade stuff; we just make our own.

If you live off campus and have your own fridge and stove then you are lucky. I used to have to use a microwave and an easy bake oven to make all my food!! I only had a mini fridge too; it was a nightmare.

If you have to have a meal plan, make the cafeteria people cater to you! They *have* to have food that you can eat and usually are more than willing to work out arrangements, from small schools to very very large ones. I actually worked in my cafeteria and the manager LOVED it because I was always telling him how to modify foods and what brands to check out.

Give us some more details and we may be able to help with some more ideas.

[Jenica]

Soups are great! Even if you don't have access to a full kitchen, you can get a crock pot and plug it in in your room. Put in some broth or water in the morning along with chopped veggies (freezer veggies are fine but they can get mushier), some spices, tamari, whatever floats your boat. You can even put in some rice. Put it on low and you'll have a hot dinner waiting for you with almost no work at all. :)

[Dancer]

saute vegan "bacon" in olive oil, pour over spinach linguine...crunchy and soft...top with vegan parm cheese

carrot and raisin salad (someone from this site gave me this idea) with chunks of whole wheat loaf bread on side..

waffles w/maple syrup, fresh fruit and vegan sausage...

tempeh! saute with veggies.....as a side dish with cob corn or rice.....

Dancer

[annie7]

And if you ever DO go out.... http://www.sword2skyvegan.net/selections.html
Might help.

[Casey]

I love quick, easy, one-pot meals, like these:
Pasta and broccoli - add broccoli when pasta is almost done (last 2 minutes), drain, return to the pot and add olive oil and rosemary.
Pasta and corn - cook pasta shape of your choice with frozen corn kernels, drain, return to the pot and add salt and vegan "butter" (Earth Balance is the best!).
Soba noodles and kale - tear kale leaves from stems, cook in boiling water for about 5 minutes, add soba noodles and cook for another 5 minutes (at most), drain, return to the pot and add peanut/sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic and hot red pepper flakes/hot chili oil.

The cookbook "The Garden of Vegan" also has a section written especially for college students, with recipes like scrambled tofu, beans/lentils and rice, tamale pie, various soups, even some desserts. Actually any vegan cookbook with quick, easy recipes would probably help you a lot. Or check out some recipes online, at www.vegweb.com , for example (there are lots of other sites too).

[duckie1978]

Keep in mind if you live in the dorms. . .

Most cooking appliances are not allowed: crock pots, coffee pots, sandwich makers, George Forman grills, water heaters, the electric hot plates and portable burners.

If you have them and live in a dorm becareful. RA's and the RD's go through *every* room and look for illegal appliances over vacation breaks.

[alexis]

canned bean salads-just open cans of different beans, drain, mix and add whatever else you like.
Pasta tossed with olive oil and mixed herbs
rice cake sandwiches
dried fruit
instant oatmeal
salads

[xmysticprincessx]

Haha, having just graduated from college a year and a half ago, here's your answer: ramen noodles and mac n cheese! Top Ramen Oriental Flavor (in the blue package) is vegan. (Salty and not too healthy, but this is college! Everyone else is eating those noodles!) And, if you have a health food store near you, Roads End makes AWESOME mac n "chreese". It's about $1.75 a box.
I ate a lot of pasta, also instant mashed potatos with vegan gravy, cereal and soy milk, and my "specialty" (drum roll please) was Rice a Roni Spanish rice.
Good luck!

[sarahrose]

Doesen't the oriental ramen have anchovie in the flavor packet?

[annie7]

It depends on the name brand.