Week 3 of the 52 Weeks of Vegan Cooking challenge on Reddit. This week was Meals Under $10. This challenge was a lot harder than I expected. I had a lot of ideas and it took a while to settle on one. I ended up doing it at the very last minute, On the end I chose a simple spiced lentil soup. So here’s the recipe, which I made up, plus the (approximate) costings. Prices are in Australian dollars.

Ingredients:

1 Can of Lentils, Drained and Washed. $0.80c

1 Medium Onion, Diced. $0.25c

1 Clove of Garlic. $0.20c

1 Teaspoon of Grated Ginger. $0.30c

2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil. $0.25c

1 Teaspoon of Carraway Seeds. $0.20c

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin. $0.30c

1 Teaspoon of Ground Turmeric. $0.20c

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon. (Optional). $0.05c

1/2 Teaspoon of Chilli Powder. $0.10c

2 Medium Carrots, Diced. $0.30c

3 Sticks of Celery, Diced. $0.40c

1/4 Cup of Dry Sherry. (Optional). $1.00c

1 Vegetable Stock Cube. (I used Massel). $0.40c

1 Handfull of Spinach, Chopped. $1.00c

2 Medium Tomatoes, Diced with Seeds Removed. (I reccomend eating the seeds as you’re chopping the tomatoes. Yummy!) $0.60c

1 and a 1/2 Cups of Water.

Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Total Cost = $6.35. Serves 4 to 6 people.

I get my spices by weight from a wholefoods store, they may be more expensive for you.

Method:

Heat Olive Oil in a medium saucepan. Add diced onion, garlic and Ginger and cook until onions soften, stirring occasionally.

Add Carraway Seeds and stir through, cook for 2 minutes.

Add Tumeric, Cumin, Cinnamon and Chilli Powder. Stir through.

Add Sherry and cook until evaporated.

Add Carrot, Celery, Stock Cube, Lentils and Water. Bring to the boil and then simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Add Spinach and Tomato and simmer for a few more minutes.

Add Salt and Pepper if necessary. Remember the Stock Cube already has salt in it. Always taste first before adding any more.

Verdict: I forgot to taste before I added salt and Pepper so it was a bot too salty. Doh! I also wasn’t paying enough attention to my spices and added garam masala accidentally so the flavor was a tad off from what I’d intended. That’s the problem with buying spices from wholefoods stores. They all come unlabeled in little plastic containers. Otherwise it was nice.

Remember this is just my recipe you can add any spices, herbs or veges you like!