So just like in my previous meal posts, I never really have a plan when going to the grocery store. (Working on getting better at planning my meals and what not, the best method for optimal health and weight loss, my two main goals) Being a college student with a very limited income, I aim for low-cost vegan items and figure out what to make with them on the fly! Its like my mini, less high stakes version of Chopped.

Anyway, while in the store I saw these fun rice noodles, and was inspired to make some Pho, or something that sort of resembled it. I have never made or even had Pho before, but I decided to give it a whirl.

Stuff I Bought:

Rice Noodles......................................$1.89
Chopped Collard Greens.....................$1.49 (Clearance price woo!)
Frozen Onions & Bell Peppers.............$1.39
Frozen Broccoli & Cauliflower.............$1.39

Stuff I had at home (Guesses on Prices):

Low Sodium Veggie Broth..................$1.50
Frozen Mushrooms...........................$1.39/2 (I already used half the bag) =$0.70
Tempeh............................................$2.50 (My brand was not gluten free, but there are many GF varieties)

Specific Brands of the ingredients used

Seasonings Used (I don't put a price on these since you can have them for months)

Low Sodium Teriyaki Sauce
Gluten Free Low Sodium Tamari
Chili Powder
Poultry Seasoning
Garlic
Sriracha (As a topper)

Specific Brands of Seasonings Used (Sriracha Not Pictured)

I started off by sautéing the frozen onions and bell peppers as well as the mushrooms until thawed. The water from the veggies makes it so you don't need to use any oil, avoiding added calories. Because the broccoli cauliflower mix was in a microwave steam bag, those were steamed in the microwave. Once thawed, I added collard greens and chili powder, poultry seasoning, garlic and a mix of teriyaki and tamari sauces.

The veggies in the sauté pan! (Note to self: Use a bigger pan next time!)

During this time, I had a pot of vegetable broth starting to boil. Once it was boiling, I threw the rice noodles in. They only took about 4 minutes to cook so once they were cooked, I removed the noodles and added the vegetables and more seasoning to the broth to simmer for about 5 minutes.

While the veggies and broth simmered together for more flavor, I cut the block of tempeh into cubes and coated it with teriyaki sauce and then pan fried it. I didn't use any oil, just some of the broth and the teriyaki sauce. Because tempeh is already fully cooked, this process was mostly just to get it warm.

Next I added the noodles back into the broth. I pulled out a big soup bowl and filled it with the noodle/vegetable/broth mixture and topped it with some tempeh cubes.

Here's a picture of the final result!!

Overall, this made two big bowls with a tempeh topper and another two bowls without the tempeh. (I ended up cooking another block to top the other two servings because I am a big tempeh fan)

With adding the additional block of tempeh, the total for the whole batch comes to ...... $13.36

Meaning the cost per meal is $3.34, PERFECT for the college student budget.