Reddit reviews Dixie Diners' Club - Beef (Not!) Ground, 1 lb bag (Pack of 2)

The reason they found it expensive is because they looked for easy replacements for their Standard American Diet Foods.
If you get a box of corndogs for $6 every month, then find it's the same price for half as many vegan corn dogs, you're gonna have a hard time. If you want junk food, think onion rings or tater tots instead, which are $2-3 for a huge bag.
If you are used to getting a Krispy Creme dozen for $10, finding a single vegan donut costing $3.50 is going to shock you. Instead, buy a box of Oreos for $3.


A lot of vegans will just be like "expensive? lolol rice and beans." But no one (or most people) don't want to eat bland sadness every day. As a new vegan, you just don't understand the "accidentally" vegan foods. You don't know the cheap vegan. You just know that Daiya Cheese costs more than regular cheese- I totally get that.


junk food that is vegan:

https://www.peta.org/living/food/accidentally-vegan/
https://www.peta.org/living/food/top-accidentally-vegan-foods/
https://vegnews.com/2018/7/25-accidentally-vegan-snacks-that-you-can-find-at-a-convenience-store
https://www.buzzfeed.com/whitneyjefferson/foods-you-wont-believe-are-actually-vegan?utm_term=.itjGe7dB4#.yyP47Xb9G


Some (kinda expensive but lasts a LONG time) vegan staples:
https://www.amazon.com/Dixie-Diners-Club-Beef-Ground/dp/B00T3LW20I/ref=sr_1_8_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535965270&sr=1-8&keywords=dixie+diner (rehydrates to 3.4lbs of ground 'beef' for $10. Add to pasta sauce, or a packet of taco seasoning and use in taco/burrito/etc.)
https://www.amazon.com/Anthonys-Premium-Nutritional-Flakes-Verified/dp/B06Y1JPZ4F/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1535964474&sr=8-5&keywords=vegan+nutritional+yeast (Used in TONS of vegan recipes to make cheesy sauce, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, etc., or to add a cheesy-nutty nuance to many dishes. Top popcorn or pasta with it. $13 for MONTHS worth of servings.)
https://www.amazon.com/Planters-Fancy-Whole-Cashews-Salted/dp/B00ADX5WZ2/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1535964626&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=cashews&psc=1 (you'll find the bulk of vegan pasta sauces, dips, sour cream, cream cheese, lasagna, and tons of other shit require soaked cashews. $16 is again, months worth.)
https://www.amazon.com/DEEP-Black-Salt-3-5-oz/dp/B003WLZXBU/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_lp_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YPJCRC11RX5ZJBTKHCEP&dpID=51EigfPKPIL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail Kala Namak/black salt. It adds a sulfur-eggy flavor to anything (i.e., tofu egg scrambles, ramen.) It's a giant bag of salt for $4. Almost as cheap as regular salt.


Easy cheap vegan meals:
Biscuits and gravy (Bisquick is vegan.)
Pancakes (Again, Bisquick. Also maple syrup and margarine.)
Burrito (rice, beans, the vegan beef I mentioned above, gauc/salsa/fake sour cream/corn/onions or wtf ever you like on burrito.)
Spaghetti + garlic bread (use margarine instead of butter, that's it.)
PB+J
Grain bowls (they are super easy and cheap and have a million varieties, you'll find one to your taste.)
Curries (use tofu instead of chicken. Simply Balanced by Target has a few different good, cheap vegan curry sauces if you don't like to make your own.)
Tofu scramble (tons of different varieties if you google for recipes.)
Falafel (almost all falafel mixes are vegan.)
Salad (Italian dressing is usually vegan. Bac'n Pieces are vegan.)
Veggie stir fries
Pesto pasta
Oatmeal (top with nuts, PB, fruit, cinnamon, maple syrup, raisins, whatever.)
Pasta salad, omit the salami/pepperoni.
potato salad, vegannaise instead of mayo.
Anything you can imagine with potatoes + sweet potatoes - grilled, hashbrowns, fries, hassleback, baked, tots, mashed.
Smoothies (vegan flavored protein powder is more expensive than whey, I know. But soy and pea protein isolate are very cheap. Add plain protein, banana, ice, plant milk, peanut butter, cocoa powder and sweetener/sugar.)
Chili
Caramel rice cakes topped with coconut/almond reddi-whip and nuts.





Here's some more outside of the box but cheap meals:
Jackfruit pulled pork (I just use slowcooked jackfruit and storebought BBQ sauce.)
Fried plantains
Fried zucchini
Tempura veggies
Baked acorn or butternut squash with margarine + brown sugar
Zucchini fritters (there's recipes everywhere and they're amazing.)
Chow mein
Pan fried bean sprouts
Chia pudding
Ceviche omit the shrimp/fish
Roasted eggplant
Mujaddara
Mushroom shawarma


Plant milk is more expensive than cow's milk, but you can make cheap-ass oatmillk at home*. There's tons of baking egg replacers (banana, applesauce, etc,) but I highly recommend flax egg** for some easy omega-3s.


Some life-saving cheap recipes:
https://avirtualvegan.com/oat-milk/ *
https://lovingitvegan.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/ **
https://ohsheglows.com/2017/11/08/all-purpose-vegan-cheese-sauce/
https://cookieandkate.com/2018/vegan-sour-cream-recipe/
https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/cashew-cream-cheese/
https://www.cearaskitchen.com/vegan-yogurt/
https://www.joyfulhealthyeats.com/vegan-chickpea-cookie-dough/ (the semi-sweet chocochips at Trader Joes are vegan, so are their marshmallows. I recommend adding both.)



I realize how big my post is now that I'm finished.. Hope you find it helpful haha.