Meal Stretcher Monday - Chili

We're on an increasing trend toward vegetarian meals in this house. I am a vegetarian, but I am willing to cook meat for my family if they wish. So why all the extra plant-based meals? I would love to say that it all comes down to health and making better choices for our bodies. I would be lying. It all comes down to cost.
Here's some ground beef I saw in the store today. At $3.38/lb, it's actually even a little cheaper than the national average, which I last saw hovering around $3.80. Remember, depending on where you are shopping, some of what is in this package isn't pure beef (remember pink slime?)

I'm not going to force anyone to stop eating meat. If vegetarianism is for you, you'll get to it. That being said, stretch your meal budget. Stop putting meat where you don't really taste it. A steak dinner? Yeah, you'll taste the meat. Chili? Not so much.

I make a good vegetarian chili. I mean, GOOD. You'll love it. Trust me. And of course, you know it's cheap.
Side note: When I have brought my chili to functions, people have often thought that it was mislabeled as 'vegetarian'. At one point someone moved my 'vegetarian' sign and stuck it on a salad bowl. Poor guy didn't realize that plant-based foods are not all salad.

Ordinarily, I make this with something like MorningStar Farms Meal Starters. While this is certainly healthier than meat, it's just about as expensive right now.

This time, I'm using straight up TVP (textured vegetable protein).

TVP is a soy product. It is a good source of protein, has no fat, 80 calories per serving, and is REALLY CHEAP. The bag in the picture cost me $2.50 at Job Lot, and makes the equivalent of over two pounds of meat.

Today, I'm making a double batch of chili. Let's compare:
4 cups of ground beef (cooked) = $6.72
4 cups of TVP (cooked = $2.50

Yep.

Let's get started!

Vegan Chili Recipe (double batch)
Ingredients
2 cups TVP (dry)
2 medium onions (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 small cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans beans of your choice (rinsed and drained)

Put the TVP in a large bowl. Over top of it, pour 1 3/4 cups boiling water or vegetable broth. (I used broth made from a vegetable bullion, so I left the salt out of the recipe). Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

While you are waiting, cook the onions on medium heat until tender.

Add the rehydrated TVP and stir. Cook for about a minute.

Add the tomatoes and spices. Cover and cook on low for about 40 minutes.

Add the beans and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with cheese, or sour cream, or whatever you would usually choose to serve chili with.

My carnivore Husband just polished off a big bowl of it - and he has a deep and abiding suspicion of soy. Believe me; if he doesn't miss the meat, you won't either.

Cheaper than Chinese

When we lived in New York City, husband and I used to go out every Friday night for a date. A typical Friday found us at Ollie's (a Chinese food restaurant) then a movie. This type of evening averaged around $50.

I giggle now thinking that this used to be a small sum of money.

Now that we are older, with a mortgage, car payments, kids, retirement savings, and a thousand other things, 50 bucks seems enormous. No more dates like this.

For a while after the whole parenting thing took hold we would order Chinese food pretty regularly. I'm a vegetarian, and my very favorite dish to order is tofu and vegetable stir fry. At the local take out place, one order of that is $7.50.

I can do this cheaper. I'll prove it.

Here's all I need:


Frozen stir fry veggies = $1.50
Sauce = $3.00
Tofu = $4.00

"But, Amy Sarah!", you exclaim to your computer screen. "That equals $8.50, which is actually a dollar MORE than the take out!"
Have no fear, friends. I know what I am doing. The power of unabashed cheapness will not fail me.

First, drain the tofu and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat, with just a spray or two of cooking spray (or olive oil). Cook the cubes until just starting to brown. (While they cook, keep them moving with a wooden spoon or spatula so they don't stick).


Transfer the tofu to a bowl, then dump the veggies into a frying pan. You don't need any oil. There is plenty of water in the frozen veggies to keep them from sticking to the pan. Cook them until they are tender and most of the water has evaporated.

Next, pour in about a third of the sauce. Mix until everything is coated. Cook about a minute more, then remove from heat.

Serve over some rice.

Beautiful, right? It's also better for you than the oil-filled take out version. But is it cheaper? Let's break this down.

The total that we bought was $8.50, but the ingredients make much more than we get from the Chinese food restaurant.

The entire bag of veggies ($1.50), one third of the sauce ($1.00) and about half of the tofu ($2.00) make about twice as much as I get in the take out container.

So that's $4.50 for twice as much food as is in the $7.50 take out.

BEHOLD THE CHEAP!

Looking for some good reading? Come check out Mostly Homemade Monday!