Stocking Your Vegan Bar

The Topic: Bringing on the booze without breaking the bank with Editorial Assistant Rashida Harmon

The Dish: If the rising popularity of the Vegan Drinks movement is any indication, vegans are no strangers to the party scene—and what better time than St. Patrick’s Day weekend to bust out the brewskies, pump up the jams, and let loose, vegan style? Most seasoned bar-hoppers are well aware that one pint too many can lead to a state of drunken dementia, wherein any attempts at frugality crumble with each gulp. To protect your pocketbook while sustaining your buzz, here are my tips for stocking your home's vegan bar on the cheap.

1. Buy Bulk
If you can tolerate astounding levels of overstimulation, wholesale and overstock stores such as Costco, Smart & Final, and Grocery Outlet can be excellent sources of quality booze—often in massive quantities. Though inventory at each store varies by location, veg-friendly beer brands such as Blue Moon, Gordon Biersch, and Pyramid Brewery can be found by the truckload at some Costcos, while Grocery Outlet and Smart & Final have a vast selection of wine and spirits. Sniffing out confirmed vegan products may require a keen eye (and a refined palate), but with comprehensive guides such as Barnivore circulating the web, you’ll be sipping on a cruelty-free drink in no time.

2. Go Generic
Vegan-friendly favorite Trader Joe’s is a veritable bastion of boozy bargains if you steer clear of brand names. Its beloved Charles Shaw reds—known in many circles as "Two Buck Chuck" due to their $1.99 pricetags—have received the vegan seal of approval, as have many of its generic microbrews. The store's summery beers, such as the Mission St. Hefeweizen and Simpler Times Lager, are refreshingly cheap compared to corner-store counterparts. If you’ve got partying on the brain, load up your cart with the aptly named Frugal Joe’s Ordinary Beer, as low as $3.99 for a six pack.

3. Get Crafty
What’s a cocktail without a few fancy flourishes? Specialty drink mixes, infused liquors, and other alcoholic accoutrements can set you back a pretty penny, but with a little bit of creativity—and a healthy dose of patience—you can DIY your way into a bar display that’ll have your guests green with envy long after St. Patrick’s Day is over. Whip up your own simple syrup by dissolving two cups of your favorite granulated sweetener into one cup of boiling water, then add lemon and lime juice for a homemade sour mix that'll kick up your margarita an extra notch. Slightly more adventurous mixologists can try their hand at DIY bitters by steeping aromatic herbs and spices in grain alcohol for two weeks. You’ll save at least $10 and finally have an excuse to use up the extra stuff on hand in your pantry!

The Final Word: Whether you like your drinks shaken or stirred, or prefer a fine glass of Merlot, your days of doling out big bucks for booze are over. If your well-stocked vegan bar is slow going, or you’re finding yourself flush with cabin fever, you can always venture out to happy hour at a local vegan-friendly bar to get your drink on at a discount. No matter where you are, grab a buddy, keep some H20 handy, and leave your big bills at home!

Stocking Your Vegan Pantry

The Topic: Stocking your pantry with vegan essentials with Associate Editor Jennifer Chen

The Dish: At the end of a long work day, cooking dinner is one of my favorite ways to relax. Lately, I've been really into making my own beans and seitan, and stocking up my pantry so that during the week most of the prep is already done. Here are my suggestions for keeping your vegan pantry ready to go for effortless weekday meals on the cheap.

Beans. I used to buy canned beans for convenience, but lately, I've been prepping my own beans. I personally love chickpeas and black beans, which are both so versatile in the kitchen. By buying dried beans in bulk, I can make cups and cups of beans versus one canned container. Soak your favorite beans overnight in two to three inches of water. Cook over low heat for an hour-and-a-half or longer, depending on the bean. Approximately one cup of dried beans will give you three cups cooked. If you have a copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction cookbook, she has a great chart of bean cooking times. And if you love chickpeas, you have to try her Chickpea Piccata.

Seitan. At first, I was intimidated to make my own seitan until I tried Robin Robertson's recipe for basic seitan from 1,000 Vegan Recipes. It's so easy! Really. The main ingredient is vital wheat gluten, which you can find in the bulk section of a health food store or online from Bob's Red Mill. You can flavor it with anything you like. I stick to Robertson's simple additions of nutritional yeast and tamari for a juicy seitan "steak." I make about four pieces of seitan and freeze half for recipes to make later. Here's a basic homemade seitan recipe from Isa.

Tofu. I grew up eating plain tofu with a little bit of soy sauce on it so I love tofu in all forms. If you can get freshly made tofu, I urge you to buy it (such as local brands Hodo Soy and Tofu Yu)—the taste is entirely different. But if you can't, here are my tips for getting the most tofu for your buck. For vegan desserts such as Chocolate Mousse, buy silken tofu in Tetra Paks from a local Asian market. I bought 6 packs for 79 cents each since they have a long shelf life. For firm or extra-firm tofu, buy the packaged kind with two bricks of tofu in one pack so you can use one and save the other. 

Rice and grains. I always buy a huge bag of brown rice from Ranch 99, my local Asian grocery store. And by huge, I mean, it looks like a bag of dog food. While I don't eat rice at every meal, a large bag can cost about $20 and last me at least six months. For grains such as quinoa or millet, I frequent the bulk bins. Quinoa is actually a seed, and this little powerhouse packs protein like nobody's business and magnesium, which helps alleviate headaches by relaxing blood vessels. This little tidbit is especially helpful for someone like me who is deadly allergic to aspirin, or anyone who suffers from migraines.

Nuts. The bulk bin is the best bet for stocking up on almonds, walnuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts. It's certainly not cheap to buy macadamia nuts ($17 a pound!), but for select recipes such as the Luscious Lasagna (Veganize It! November+December 2011), which calls for a macadamia-nut ricotta, the bulk bin is your friend. I've spent ample time buying nuts from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and here are my top choices. Buy pine nuts from Trader Joe's rather than in bulk at Whole Foods since it's at least a dollar or two cheaper. The pre-packaged almonds and walnuts from the Whole Foods generic brand are cheaper than the bulk bin prices. Lastly, store your nuts in the freezer so they can last longer. The oils from nuts can turn rancid if left on a cabinet shelf, so your freezer is your best bet for fresh nuts.

The Final Word: By making some of your own ingredients and stocking up on vegan essentials, you can save big on your final grocery bill. The time and effort to make your own beans or seitan may outweigh the convenience of already prepared goods, but sometimes a splatter of elbow grease and DIY pluck can help you enjoy your home cooking just a little more.

Twitter Deals

The Topic: Tech Tips

The Dish: When you're on a tight budget, saving money can feel like a full-time job. Frugal living shouldn't be a constant worry, and I'm working on making my methods habit rather than chore (Yes, even I succumb to convenience-store snacking and weeknight events more than I should.) Thanks to fancy modern technology, finding a network of like-minded people is easier than ever. If you're a Twitter fan, like millions of other people, near-constant updates on hot deals and useful coupons has never been easier. I've briefly mentioned the benefits of Twitter before, but now I have to share a few great sources.

In addition to keeping up with the dribble of your favorite celebs and, more importantly, the latest news in veganism (from VN's lovely tweets to your favorite veg companies), there are a number of accounts devoted to tweeting savvy steals. Vegancoupons is a great place to start, doing the dirty work of weeding out the irrelevant, non-veg updates. Mambosprouts isn't exclusively veg, but for natural food products, it's a great resource. Ever seen those little coupon books at your local health food store? That's Mambo Sprouts, and they put out some great discounts on delicious veg products. HealthyLifeDeal also focuses on whole foods, including Trader Joe's tips, free Rice Dream, and more. Sign me up.

The Final Word: Frugal tweets are many on Twitter, on everything from travel deals to grocery steals. A little digging can help you find lots of amazing resources, and a quick "follow" guarantees reliable updates. Just remember to check it daily! And by daily, I mean every five minutes, because it's crazy addictive. Are you a twitter fiend? Who are your favorite tweeters?