Video summary

VEGAN BUDGET CHALLENGE » €1/$1 meals for 5 days (+ grocery list)

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Cooking

Presenter / Channel

Pick Up Limes (YouTube) — vegan budget meal challenge (about €1/$1 meals; partnership with Skillshare).

Budget Meal Plan Overview

5 dinners, roughly 4 servings each. Ingredients are generally assumed to include pantry staples (e.g., oil, salt, pepper).

Chef strategy & tips

  • Use in-season/perishable vegetables earlier in the week (this week: spinach).
  • Budget shopping tips
    • Pick store house brands when possible.
    • Check shelf positions: eye-level items can be more expensive.
  • Build each meal using:
    • Vegetables + grain + plant-based protein
  • Keep spice variety cheap by relying on pre-made spice mixes:
    • taco/burrito
    • roti masala
  • Assume oil/salt/pepper are already at home.

Recipe 1: Roasted Vegetable Salad + Roasted Chickpeas + Pea-Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Equipment / Prep

  • Oven baking trays (lined)
  • Bowls for sauce and assembly
  • Optional: immersion blender (not required)

Ingredients

  • Cooked chickpeas: 1½ cups
  • Potatoes: 4 medium, cut into ~1 cm cubes
  • Carrots: 4, chopped
  • Garlic: 6 cloves, unpeeled (mash/peel later)
  • Onions: 2, cut into wedges (added mid-roast)
  • Spinach: fresh, generous amount for serving
  • Oil: drizzle (amount not specified)
  • Taco/burrito spice mix:
    • ~1 tbsp for chickpeas
    • ~1 tbsp for potatoes/carrots

Pea-garlic yogurt sauce

  • Frozen peas: 1 cup
  • Unsweetened plant-based yogurt: 1 cup
  • Salt: ¼ tsp
  • Black pepper: generous amount
  • Boiling water: to thaw peas (quantity not specified)

Method

  1. Roast chickpeas + season
    • Toss chickpeas with oil and 1 tbsp taco/burrito spice mix; spread on a baking tray.
  2. Roast vegetables together
    • Toss potatoes + carrots + whole garlic with oil and ~1 tbsp spice mix.
    • Bake at 430°F / 220°C for 20 minutes.
  3. Add onions mid-roast
    • Remove trays, add onion wedges, toss quickly, then roast again 25–30 minutes.
    • Target: potatoes/carrots cooked through; chickpeas golden.
  4. Make sauce while roasting
    • Thaw peas with boiling water; wait 10 minutes, drain, then mash.
    • Peel and mash garlic into peas for a caramelized garlicky flavor.
    • Stir in yogurt, ¼ tsp salt, and black pepper.
    • Optional: blend smooth; mashing is fine.
  5. Assemble
    • Add spinach to a bowl.
    • Top with roasted veggies + crunchy chickpeas.
    • Serve with a generous dollop of sauce.

Tips / Serving

  • “Crouton hack”: use roasted chickpeas as a crunchy topping.
  • Warm, filling meal.

Recipe 2: Baked Lentil & Potato Patty Wraps (Garlic Yogurt + Sautéed Carrots/Onion)

Equipment / Prep

  • Large pot (potatoes/lentils)
  • Baking tray
  • Pan/skillet
  • Optional: warm wraps

Ingredients

  • Potatoes: 2, peeled and chopped (~2 cm cubes)
  • Lentils: ½ cup uncooked green lentils (brown works too)
  • Water: plenty (for boiling)
  • Roti masala: 1 tbsp
  • Salt: ½ tsp
  • Black pepper: ¼ tsp

Garlic yogurt sauce

  • Yogurt: 1 cup
  • Garlic: 1 crushed clove
  • Salt: ½ tsp
  • Black pepper: ¼ tsp

Carrot-onion topping

  • Carrots: ~3, thinly sliced
  • Onion: 1, thinly sliced
  • Oil: a little (for pan)

Optional

  • Fresh spinach
  • Wraps/tortillas: “warm up” (type not specified)

Method

  1. Boil potatoes + lentils
    • Cook in plenty of water for 15–20 minutes until fully cooked.
  2. Mash & season
    • Drain; mix with roti masala, salt, pepper.
    • Mash until mostly pureed (small chunks OK).
  3. Shape patties
    • Flatten into small patties (~2 tbsp mixture each).
  4. Bake
    • Bake at 430°F / 220°C for 25–30 minutes, until golden.
  5. Sauté carrot-onion
    • Sauté carrots in a little oil 3–4 minutes.
    • Add onion; cook another 3–4 minutes until softened.
  6. Make garlic yogurt sauce
    • Mix yogurt + crushed garlic + salt + black pepper.
  7. Assemble wraps
    • Add garlic yogurt to warmed wraps.
    • Top with spinach, carrot/onion mixture, then patties.

Storage Note

  • Components keep well in the fridge; leftover lunch is suggested.

Spice Substitution

  • If no roti masala: use curry powder.

Recipe 3: Macaroni Salad + Lentil Quesadillas (Simple Salsa)

Ingredients

Macaroni salad

  • Lentils: 1 cup, rinsed (cook per package instructions)
  • Macaroni: 1 cup (cook; add peas in last 2 minutes)
  • Frozen peas: 1 cup (last 2 minutes of pasta cook)
  • Tea drained into large bowl (for mixing)
  • Shredded carrot: 1
  • Unsweetened soy yogurt: ¾ cup
  • Minced onion: 1 tbsp
  • Taco/burrito spice mix: 2 tbsp
  • Vegetable bouillon cube: ½, crushed
  • Black pepper: “a bit” (to taste)

Lentil quesadillas

  • Cooked lentils: amount implied from cooked lentils
  • Chopped canned tomato: 3 tbsp
  • Taco/burrito spice mix: ~2 tbsp
  • Large tortillas: 4
  • Oil: for pan (amount not specified)

Simple salsa (no extra budget ingredients)

  • Chopped canned tomatoes: 1 cup
  • Minced onion: “a little”
  • Crushed garlic: 1 small clove
  • Salt and pepper: to taste

Method

Macaroni salad

  1. Cook lentils; drain.
  2. Cook macaroni; add frozen peas during the last 2 minutes.
  3. Drain pasta/peas and mix in a bowl with:
    • lentils (plus pasta + peas along with remaining ingredients)
    • shredded carrot
    • soy yogurt
    • minced onion
    • taco/burrito spice mix
    • crushed bouillon cube
    • black pepper
  4. Mix until combined (bouillon adds “herby saltiness”).

Quesadillas

  1. Mash cooked lentils with chopped canned tomato (3 tbsp) and taco/burrito spice mix (~2 tbsp).
  2. Spread the mixture on each half of ~4 large tortillas.
  3. Fold tortillas in half.
  4. Pan-cook with a little oil: 1–2 minutes per side until golden.

Salsa

  • Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Serving

  • Quesadillas can be served with salsa/guacamole, but budget salsa is the focus.
  • Macaroni salad is “ready” after mixing.
  • Tastes good hot or cold; picnic-style comfort food.

Recipe 4: Potato & Spinach Curry with Garlicky “Naan” from Tortillas

Equipment / Prep

  • Large pot
  • Optional: serve with rice
  • Skillet/grill pan for tortilla “naan”

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp (plus more for naan; “brush”)
  • Onion: 1, chopped
  • Garlic: 2 cloves minced + additional 2 crushed cloves for naan
  • Vegetable bouillon cube: 1, crushed (added early)
  • Roti masala: 3 tbsp (or curry powder alternative)
  • Potatoes: ~3, diced (~1 cm cubes)
  • Carrot: 1, diced
  • Chickpeas: 1 cup cooked
  • Chopped canned tomatoes: 1 cup
  • Water: 1 cup
  • Spinach: 2 cups fresh (added later)
  • Frozen peas: 1 cup
  • Rice: 1½ cups cooked per package instructions (while curry cooks)
  • Optional upgrade: coconut milk (added at end, if budget allows)
  • Tortillas: 2 large tortilla wraps for garlicky naan

Method

  1. Sauté base
    • In a large pot on high heat: oil + chopped onion, cook 3–4 minutes.
  2. Toast spices/garlic
    • Add minced garlic + crushed bouillon + roti masala (or curry powder).
    • Stir and cook ~1 minute.
  3. Cook vegetables + simmer
    • Add potatoes, carrot, chickpeas, tomatoes, and water.
    • Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.
    • Cover and simmer ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Cook rice in parallel
    • Cook 1½ cups rice per package instructions.
  5. Finish curry
    • Add spinach + frozen peas; cook ~1 minute until spinach wilts. Serve.
  6. Make garlicky naan from tortillas
    • Mix: 2 tsp oil + 2 crushed garlic cloves.
    • Spread on 2 tortillas.
    • Grill 1–2 minutes (bottom side), brush oil on top, flip and cook other side.

Serving

  • Curry is chef’s favorite with garlicky tortilla “naan.”
  • Optional: coconut milk at the end if budget allows.

Recipe 5: Hearty Soup with Crispy Tortilla Chips

Equipment / Prep

  • Large pot
  • Baking tray (for tortilla chips)

Ingredients

Soup

  • Vegetable oil: 1 tbsp
  • Onion: 1, finely chopped
  • Garlic: 4 cloves minced
  • Canned diced tomatoes: 2 cups
  • Taco/burrito spice mix: 2 tbsp
  • Water: 6 cups
  • Vegetable bouillon cubes: 2, crushed
  • Cooked chickpeas: 2½ cups
  • Uncooked rice: ¾ cup
  • Salt and pepper: ¼ tsp each
  • Optional garnish: cilantro

Tortilla chips

  • Tortillas: 4 large
  • Vegetable oil: ~1 tbsp drizzle
  • Salt: ~½ tsp
  • Ground black pepper: some
  • (Baking sheet; flip at least once)

Method

Soup

  1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high.
  2. Sauté onion + garlic: 2–3 minutes.
  3. Add diced tomatoes + spice mix; cook 2 more minutes.
  4. Add water + bouillon + chickpeas + rice + salt/pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
  6. Simmer 15–20 minutes until rice is tender.

Tortilla chips

  1. Cut tortillas into triangles.
  2. Toss with oil, salt, and black pepper.
  3. Spread on a baking tray.
  4. Bake at 390°F / 200°C until crispy; flip at least once halfway.
    • Chef notes checking after about 4 minutes.

Serving

  • Spoon soup into bowls.
  • Garnish with cilantro (optional).
  • Serve tortilla chips on the side for scooping.

End-of-Week Notes

  • Chef reports all 5 meals fit under €1 per serving, with some groceries left for future meals.
  • Mentions an on-website feature to enter ingredients you already have to find matching recipes.
  • References: Skillshare (video partnership) and the chef’s blog link for similar seasoning/recipe breakdowns.

Original video