Our On-A-Budget Vegan Meal Plan: 5 Days for Under AED 200

Print or save this shopping list and get to the supermarket! The contents of this list will cost around AED 180 depending on where you shop which evens out at around AED 40 a day for 3 meals plus snacks! Tip: Make sure to grab the store brand versions whenever possible.

This vegan meal plan will assume you have the following already at home:
Any kind of sugar, syrup or natural sweetener; soy sauce; some type of flour (white all-purpose, wholewheat, almond, chickpea etc), some type of oil (coconut, olive etc), some type of vinegar (apple cider vinegar or balsamic) basic spices (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, curry powder etc).

Day 1 - Sunday

Breakfast - oatmeal with banana, non-dairy milk and peanut butter

• Bring 1/2 cup of oats to a boil with 1 cup of non-dairy milk then reduce heat to medium, cook for 1 minute until thickened.
• Top with 1 banana thinly sliced and a tablespoon of peanut butter (optional: some sugar/syrup to sweeten).

Lunch - Black bean, edamame and hummus dressing salad with tortilla chips

• Bring water to the boil and add 1/2 cup frozen edamame. Simmer for 5 minutes until cooked but still firm.
• Combine with 1 tin (drained) black beans, 1/2 finely chopped cucumber, 1 finely chopped tomato in a bowl.
• Cut tortilla wraps into triangle shapes and put them into toaster or under grill until crispy.
• Make dressing: mix 3 tbsp hummus, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 slice fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix dressing into salad and eat with chips.

Dinner - Chickpea and Sweetcorn Veggie Burgers with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

• Preheat oven to 204°C/400°F. Chop one sweet potato in thick stick shapes, coat with 1tbsp oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper and 1 tsp paprika
• Chop one sweet potato in thick stick shapes, coat with 1tbsp oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper and 1 tsp paprika. Bake fries for 30-45 minutes, until starting to crisp.
• While fries are cooking, blend (or mash by hand), 1 tin chickpeas, 1 tin sweetcorn, 1 handful chopped coriander, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp flour (any type) and salt and pepper to taste.
• Form into 4 large or 6 medium-sized burgers by rolling into ball in hand, then flattening on floured surface.
• Flash fry in 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil over medium-to-high heat until outside is crispy.
• Serve in wholemeal bread with tomato slices, lettuce and vegan mayonnaise and fries on the side.

Snacks - 1 Apple, 1 carrot cut into sticks with 2 tablespoons hummus

Day 2 - Monday

Breakfast - Avocado on toast

• Mash 1/2 avocado on top of two slices of toasted wholemeal bread.
• Squeeze a little some lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Lunch - "Eggless" salad sandwich

• Take 1/2 of the pack of tofu and cut into 6 slabs, press with paper towels until liquid is mostly absorbed. Take other half of tofu pack and place in freezer.
• In a mixing bowl, mash well with a large fork or potato masher. Add 1/2 diced red onion.
• In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon curry powder (add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast if you have it but it is not necessary) and salt and pepper to taste.
• Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the tofu mixture and stir to combine.
• Assemble between bread with chopped cucumber and tomato slices.

Dinner - Kidney bean balls with rice and tomato sauce

• Bring 1/2 cup of uncooked rice, 3/4 cup of vegetable broth, 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes and 1/2 finely chopped zucchini to a boil.
• Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Make bean balls and tomato sauce according to above video and serve on top of vegetable rice.

Snack: 1 carrot chopped into sticks and 2tbsp hummus.

Day 3 - Tuesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with banana and non-dairy milk

Lunch - Black bean and roasted sweet potato tacos (Happy Taco Tuesday!)

• Preheat oven to 204°C/400°F.
• Chop one medium sweet potato into cubes, drizzle with coconut or oil olive, salt and pepper and place in the oven for  30-45 minutes, until cooked through and crispy on outside.
• In a saucepan, bring one tin of black beans to boil and let simmer for 10 minutes, until soft.
• Spray two wholemeal tortilla wraps with cooking oil and place in oven, facing down over the rack in a 'taco shape' for 5-7 minutes (until hard and crispy like a taco shell). 

• Roughly mash 1/2 avocado with juice of 1/4 lime, 1/4 cup coriander finely chopped, salt and pepper to taste.
• Assemble by spread a thick layer of beans on bottom of the taco shell, top with sweet potato cubes and assemble guacamole on top.

Dinner - Tofu and peanut stir-fry

• Take tofu out of freezer and place in boiling water until thawed, about 5 minutes. Remove and squeeze out extra liquid and set tofu aside. (This freeze-and-squeeze tofu trick will change the texture of the tofu, making it less spongey and more chewy when fried).
• Bring 1.5 cups rice and 3 cups water to boil, let simmer for 10-20 minutes.
• Take 2/3rds of cooked rice and store in airtight container in fridge, leave remaining third to cook with.
• Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat, add 1/2 finely chopped onion until softened, about five minutes.
• Add 1/2 chopped zucchini and 1/2 red bell pepper to pan and sauté until softened, about 7 minutes.
• To a blender or food processor, add 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 one-inch piece of fresh ginger, 1 small clove garlic and 1/3 cup water and blend.
• Remove vegetables from pan, increase heat to high and add more coconut oil.
• Flash fry tofu pieces until crispy on outside.
• Plate rice, vegetables and tofu and cover with peanut sauce and fresh coriander.

Snack: 1 carrot cut into sticks, 2 tbsp hummus

Day 4 - Wednesday

Breakfast - Oatmeal with banana and non-dairy milk

Lunch - Edamame "mash" sandwich

• Bring water to a boil and add 1 cup frozen edamame, cook for 4 minutes.
• Drain edamame and put in blender with ¼ cup cilantro, 3 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp onion powder (optional), ½ small garlic clove, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt to taste. Blend and add 1-3 tbsp water, until desired consistency is achieved. Should be a like a dip.
• Spread edamame mash onto wholemeal bread, top with 1/4 avocado (sliced), 1/4 cucumber (sliced), 1/2 tomato (sliced) and shreds of lettuce.

Dinner - Vegetable rice with homemade pesto (pesto recipe in video below)

• Take 1/3 of previously cooked rice out of fridge and gently heat in microwave or pot.
• Make homemade pesto using above video and mix into rice.

Snack - 1 banana with 2 tbsp peanut butter

Day 5 - Thursday

Breakfast - Peanut butter and banana on wholewheat bread

• Spread 1 tbsp peanut butter on 2 slices of toasted wholewheat bread and top with 1 banana, thinly sliced.

Lunch - Two hummus and black bean wraps with cucumber, red pepper and avocado-lime-cilantro dressing

• Mix (or blend) 1/2 avocado with the juice of a 1/3 of a lime and 1/4 cup of fresh coriander, finely chopped. Add sprinkle of salt and pepper and water, until smooth consistency is reached.
• Store leftover ingredients in airtight containers.
• Over two wraps, spread 2 tbsp hummus with 1/2 tin of black beans, top with thin slices of 1/2 red pepper, slices of cucumber and 1/4 tin sweetcorn. Drizzle dressing on top of both wraps.

Dinner - Chickpea and sweet potato stew

• Cut 1 sweet potato into small chunks and microwave for 5 minutes until softened.
• Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar or balsamic), 4 tsp turmeric, 4 tsp cumin, salt and pepper to a pot and heat for a few minutes.
• Add 1 tin coconut milk, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, the sweet potato, 1 chopped courgette, 1 red onion and 1 bell pepper to the pot and allow to heat until boiling.
• Reduce to simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes.
• Add 1 tin drained chickpeas and cook for 15 minutes.
• Finely chop 1/4 cup coriander.
• Serve stew on remaining brown rice and top with coriander.

Snack - 1 carrot cut into slices and 2 tbsp hummus

This meal plan was designed with the help of Chloe Elgar of Chloe's Counter Top as our holistic consulting nutritionist. For more Chloe, check out her book Living The Light as well as her podcast Conscious Conversations which touches on issues related to body image, eating and living consciously. Her upcoming Living The Light Retreat will take place over 7 days in an eco-resort in the Costa Rican jungle.