5 filling veggie meals at not-so-meaty prices

Just because we don’t enjoy eating a slab of steak with blood still running through it (not to mention dripping on your shirt) doesn’t mean we vegetarians should have to choose between a handful of nuts or some $40 organic tofu platter for dinner. Luckily, we live in Brooklyn, a vegetarian’s paradise where there is no shortage of restaurant choices, and where foodies come from around the world to taste our fakin’ egg and cheese sandwiches (and steal some fashion ideas). If you haven’t yet, you may consider switching over to the dark side (vegetarianism, that is) after reading about these ridiculously cheap and tasty meat-free treats. So grab $10, a date, and an extra pair of socks because these meals will be sure to knock your first pair off.

1. Tofu Teriyaki – $10 at Dao Palate
329 Flatbush Avenue (Park Slope)
Let Buddha guide you to Nirvana with this dish. You will feel one with the universe while nibbling on strips of tofu filet and broccoli in teriyaki sauce over a bed of bean sprouts & onion. Typical pan-asian cuisine served in an elegant setting, what more could a vegetarian crave?

2. Prosperity Lunch Combo – $10 at Rockin’ Raw
178 North 8 Street (Williamsburg)
Come in weekdays until 4:30 to get your tongues on this great deal. The combo includes your choice of the soup of the day or a mixed greens salad, with mint lemonade or hot tea, plus one of six go-to meals each with an unconventional twist: How about a Rosemary Rawsted Wrap with seasoned mushrooms, peppers, onions with sprouts, avocado and pumpkin-seed cheese? Just as delicious are the pizzas (with pesto, avocado, and rawmesan), the eggplant burger, the chipotle “crab cab” sandwich, the “BLT” (with zucchini bacon), and the egg salad wrap. After trying Peruvian-New Orleanian raw food, you will be inspired to broaden your horizons.

3. The Curry Supreme – $9.50 at Bliss
191 Bedford Ave (Williamsburg)
The ultimate spot for simple, healthy food. You can’t go wrong with organic tofu, brown rice and mixed vegetables sautéed with garlic and rich coconut curry sauce. Don’t forget to try Bliss’s juices. Cash only!

4. Szechuan Style Soy Seitan – $8.95 at Vegetarian Ginger
128 Montague St (Brooklyn Heights)
For those of you not familiar with veggie-lingo, seitan is the meat substitute that we feed on! When prepared just right like it is here, it gives the satisfaction and taste we crave from chicken. The spicy Kung Pao sauce, as mouth watering as it is, is only a part of the reason to try this place.  Big portions and great wait staff seal the deal; a lot of bang for your buck. With lots to choose from, this place is even great for meat eaters.  Plus, the peanut butter bomb cake is the BOMB. Still a skeptic?  I dare you to try it.

5. Veggie Specials Burrito – $7 at Los Pollitos II
148 5th Ave (Park Slope)
Good Mexican food is a MUST for vegetarians: We need those beans! We could probably live without all that sour cream and guac, but why would we when it is SO cheap and SO delicious? Each burrito is stuffed with all the necessary ingredients: rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, cheese, lettuce, and your choice of spinach or mushrooms.  The fun, laid-back atmosphere of this joint only adds to the excitement when you find out you can add pumpkin flower to your burrito!  Don’t forget to order a margarita, from 11:30am-7pm daily, they are only $5.

What’s your favorite cheap veggie dinner in Brooklyn? Tell us in the comments!