Extremely cheap fast vegan meal - quesadilla
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Vegan food can be very low-cost. Simple plant based meals can be made in just minutes. Here is an example of a budget-friendly quick quesadilla.
You could meal-prep the filling to enjoy during the week. Put it in a tortilla with avocado and then heat this meal in a sandwich press or on a pan (ideally non-stick).
It’s so cheap and can be made in bulk, you could even make this for a group of mates.
Frozen and canned vegetables put into a frying pan to make Mexican food. Image by MSW.
Frozen spinach
A pack of frozen spinach will generally cost between 95 cents and $1.67, depending on the brand. You might use 1/4 of a pack. Or more. It melts and cooks into the batch with soft texture.
Ready to take this to the next level? Wilt your own fresh spinach. Or grow and cook your own leafy greens of any sort.
Frozen corn
Aussies can get a whole kilo of corn kernels for $3.20. I would be surprised in a batch of mixture would need an entire kg. Only a portion is this is likely to be needed.
Canned or frozen black beans
If you have dry beans, feel free to soak and boil them. I got my current bags of black beans for $4 per kilo. I could only guess the spare change that my little portion of beans would cost. If you don’t have dry black beans, it’s ok. Get a can from the supermarket for around 80 cents.
Tomato paste
I like how the tomato paste made this mixture thick but saucy. I don’t want a soggy quesadilla! I spotted a brand called “La Gina” at $1.50 for 680 grams. I use a few tablespoons of this sauce in this frugal Mexican style meal.
Sriracha sauce or taco seasoning
Use what you have. I could have mixed some spices together for a DIY taco mix. Sriracha was quicker. Flavour it how you want, basically.
Tortillas
These can either be completely natural or not entirely. Do what feels right. Woolies has a pack of 15 burrito tortillas for $4. Mission brand wraps only cost a bit more than that. If you feel like trying organic wraps, go for it. I struggled to find some that actually wrap without breaking. Anyway, just pick something.
Avocado
Right now where I am located, avocados are $1 each. I remember reading about an excess of avo is Australia. People are urged to eat plenty of the stuff. Cool. Abundance.
Vegan mayo for topping
I like a bit of vegan mayonnaise atop my spicy food because it add a creaminess. If we were going less cheap and more fancy, I would pick a garlic cashew cheese. Maybe you could make some? Depending on the brand, a veg mayo will cost around $5. It’s such an optional extra. And there are ways to make your own.
A squeeze of lime
Squeeze fresh citrus onto your toasted quesadilla to bring a zing! A lime should cost around $1 at the supermarket. See any limes are growing and available locally.
Mexican homemade quesadilla. Image by MSW.
