5 Dinners for $5 Each | Quick & Easy Cheap Meals | Extreme Grocery Budget | Alexis Thompson #1

RECIPES:

Chickpea Casserole:
3/4 cup raw cashews
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

8 ounces uncooked pasta
1/2 yellow onion
1 bag of frozen peas and carrots
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

Instructions
Prep: preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Blend the cashews, broth, and seasonings
Mix the pasta, chickpeas, onion, carrot, and peas to the casserole dish and mix until evenly distributed
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes

Lentil Soup:
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup rinsed red lentils
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can of full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Instructions:
Sautee 1/2 onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are translucent (about 8 minutes)
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes
Add 2 tbsp tomato paste, coconut milk, lentils, and vegetable broth
Bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer and cover for 25 minutes
Carefully transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth
Optionally add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and top with leftover (about 2 tbsp) coconut milk

Sweet Potato Chili:
1 large sweet potato
1/2 yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cups vegetable broth

Instructions:
Sautee 1/2 onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until onions are translucent (about 8 minutes)
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes
Add tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, and nutritional yeast and cook for 2 more minutes while stirring
Add peeled and cubed sweet potato and (drained and rinsed) kidney beans
Add vegetable broth
Bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer and cover for 25 minutes (or until sweet potatoes are fork tender)

Spinach & Mushroom Pasta:
8 oz uncooked pasta
1 package of baby bella mushrooms (cremini mushrooms work here, too!)
2 cups of spinach
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Instructions:
Cook pasta according to box instructions

Rinse the mushrooms and slice
Mince the garlic and add to a pan with 1 tbsp of heated olive oil and cook until fragrant (about 4 minutes)
Add all of the mushrooms to the garlic and cook until the mushrooms have reduced in size
Add 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Add 1/2 cup pasta water
Add 2 cups of spinach and cook until spinach is wilted
Add rinsed pasta noodles and stir
Optionally add salt & pepper to taste


Carrot ginger soup:
1 pound carrots
1/2 yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
1 small piece of ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cashews
1 cup veggie broth
1 tbsp oil

Instructions:
Dice carrots and onion into medium sized chunks. Peel garlic
Add carrots, onions, and garlic to a bowl with oil and spices
Place all that onto a sheet pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Once carrots are done, put everything into the blender along with nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, ginger, and cashews
Blend until smooth