Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy: 100 Fast, Healthy, Meal-Prep, Freezer-Friendly, and One-Pot Vegan Recipes

I was so excited to find out that Toni had written another cookbook! Her first cookbook, Plant Based on a Budget, is one of my go-tos to feed my family of 5. I love how this cookbook has the same vibe as her other one - a beautiful, color photo for every recipe, with space set aside to write your own notes and personalizations. I've written all over Plant Based on a Budget, and can't wait to add my own personal touches to this book as well. :) Her recipes include instructions for basics like cooking beans from scratch and making your own salad dressings as well as more in-depth recipes, but everything looks doable. How often do you look through a beautiful cookbook and only find one or two recipes that you would actually make? I have so many cookbooks like that on my shelf and they stay nice and pristine because I so rarely cook from them. Her ingredients are accessible - nothing I couldn't find at my local Walmart grocery store down the street - with options to add in some vegan convenience foods or more pricey ingredients if you want to zhuzh it up and have some extra money in your budget. Cooking instructions are numbered step by step and are very clear and easy to read. She adds her own tips, tips from her recipe testers, and gives you room to write in your own tips or tweaks. I'm sharing a couple photos of the sheet-pan nachos that we made last night. They truly came out just like the picture, and I kid you not - they actually only go in the oven for 8 minutes as advertised! I spent about 10 minutes to prep my ingredients before putting them in the oven, and that's only because I added all the optional add-ons and I chopped my own tomatoes instead of using canned. FYI - I did add in pretty much all the optional ingredients because it was grocery day and my son was home from college and I really wanted to splurge! Even so, I bought everything - even the Daiya cheese and Morningstar farms chorizo - at my local Walmart. Also on my meal plan for this week: Sopa de Fideo, Chili Cornbread Casserole, and pancakes for dinner. On the other nights, we'll eat up the leftovers. If the leftovers don't stretch, we always stock plenty of pantry staples like lentils and other dry beans, rice, pasta, and canned tomato products. There are so many soup or pasta recipes in this cookbook that I could probably make from my pantry without having to take another trip to the store. If you're struggling to keep grocery costs down, I highly recommend reading Toni's great intro and meal planning tips! Meal planning will save you so much money, as will basing your meals on plant-based staples like legumes and grains.

I've been a fan of Toni's for a long time and own her first Plant Based on a Budget cookbook as well as the Friendly Vegan. While I will gladly spend a leisurely weekend after in the kitchen making complicated meals for fun, most days I am too busy for those kinds of recipes, yet do not want to sacrifice on health or flavor. Therefore, I was elated when I saw she was coming out with a new book focused on just this. When my preordered copy arrived, I was already able to make the following recipes with ingredients I had on hand: - hummus pizza (used her hummus and dough recipe from her second book and added things on top that I needed to use up from the fridge) - calabacitas - balsamic vinaigrette (love the use of garlic powder for ease) - banana and strawberry banana nice cream - chocolate banana (my fav), apple walnut, blueberry chia, PB and J and pumpkin overnight oats - sopa de fideos - blueberry bread (too sweet and rich for my palate, but family loooved it) - arroz con leche Pros: - easily attainable ingredients, many of which I already have on hand - the biscuit recipe I desired in the Friendly Vegan :) - no fake cheese or meat analogs necessary - beautiful pics for every recipe - only a few repeats from previous books, but even these are done differently - great mix of everything from bfast to mains to dessert - I love that she tested and almost every recipe is freezer friendly - The "fried" tofu is worth the cost of the book alone. Cons: - not actually a con, but if you do like to make *everything* from scratch I recommend getting her Plant Based on a Budget cookbook as well (see my pizza review above) - I wish the baking recipes had weights in addition to volumes; also wish there was a little more info (eg what is considered a "standard" loaf pan - I used 9x5, which was clearly too large) One of the negative reviews commented on the use of vegan butter (a total of 10 recipes), white flour (I think you could sub whole wheat for most of these) and sugar. Yes, there are a few recipes that include these ingredients but the majority have no sugar, many are naturally gluten-free and most have oil-free options. Of note, I almost always require more salt than what she recommends. E.g. I think a pound of dried beans needs at least 1.5 tsp salt, and ideally 2, to be delicious and that overnight oats benefit from at least a small pinch. This is not really a con, just something novice cooks should learn to adjust for their own tastes for her cookbooks and every other! I can't wait to try more and to update as I do. Updates: - I've made almost 40 recipes and they have all been quick, cheap and tasty, as advertised. - I served a group of 13 non-vegans her nachos (using Gena Hamshaw cheese sauce from the Vegan Week) and tot casserole, as well as her vanilla frosting (on a cake from Sam Turnbull), and they were all big hits. People kept asking if the casserole had eggs, even though they know me better.

Almost all of these recipes are easy and quick to make. Yes, there is an element of "basic" here but I honestly think this is the perfect book to give to someone who is just starting out on a plant based journey. It's a great book to bridge that gap. She uses regular ingredients you can get at a regular grocery store and givea great tips for saving money. I often make "whatever" I have on hand, and sometimes I just thumb through this book for ideas or ratios and invent my own meals, based loosely on her recipes. It's a great "starting out" book. Not all the receipes are especially "healthful" but I feel like she offers alternative ideas if you want to substitute stuff. This an excellent book. Especially if you're new to plant based eating and it feels overwhelming. I often find with vegan cookbooks that they call for ingredients I need to hit a specialty store for or the recipes are difficult to make with a million steps. Her recipes are simple and easy and affordable. I highly recommend this book.

Great selection of affordable and uncomplicated recipes.

Great book. Doet wat het zegt te doen. Snelle gezonde lekkere maaltijden… die bovendien niet eens duur zijn.

great cook book ,easy recipes that don't cost the earth to make ,mostly simple ,easy to find ingredients .and quick to prepare ,I know I will use this book a lot

Looks fine and great receiptsi

Quick, easy and affordable, what’s not to love. Received my copy yesterday and just like Plant-based on a Budget is my go to when I have a lot of time, this will be my go to when I don’t have a great deal of time to hand out in the kitchen. Aside from the many and yummy recipes, the photos are beautiful and this cookbook is user friendly. Not only will you find all ingredients in your pantry, spice drawer and fridge, but the recipes cater to all levels of cooks and encourage you to make use of that instant pot that’s been tucked away in its box. Toni’s tips, tester’s tips and a space for your own tips are an added bonus. Whoever thought meal planning could be so much fun and allow you to spend more time with family, friends and fur babies. Ever so grateful for Toni’s contributions to the kind hearted vegan community and more. Do yourself a favour and invest in a copy, gift one to loved ones and all will discover, Toni is the bomb!💚💚💚