It may be lame to say, but my food processor is definitely my most prized possession out of all of my kitchen gadgets. I highly considered bringing it along with me to college. I only decided against it because I was afraid my roommate would think I am weird (but too late, she already does).
Food processors are used heavily by vegans because of their versatility and ability to make a million sides, dips, smoothies, and flours. Literally the fastest way to blend just about anything.
However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t an amazing tool that can be used by everyone who enjoys a little mixin’.
This super handy kitchen tool not only boasts numerous amounts of ways to make your favorites, but it reduces the price of store bought products tremendously. Gotta stick to that college budget somehow.
Smoothies
Photo by Rachel Piorko
Everyone loves a good smoothie. The easier the better.
Nut Butters
Photo courtesy of naturallysassy.co.uk
Compare the price of 1 cup of homemade almond butter at $6 versus one 16oz jar at $10 bought at a store. Here is a simple homemade almond butter recipe that won’t take a bite out of your wallet.
Coconut Butter
Photo courtesy of nomnompaleo.com
It’s delicious spreading over rice cakes, waffles, pancakes, drizzled on fruit and ice cream. Here’s an easy recipe.
Roasted Beet Hummus
Photo courtesy of minimalistbaker.com
Spice up the typical store-bought hummus and adjust the flavors to your liking. Need some help? Check out this recipe for unique roasted beet hummus.
Pesto
Photo by Kristine Mahan
More bang for your buck when it’s homemade than bought in stores. Easily make a vegan pesto too with just a few ingredients.
Cashew Cheese
Photo courtesy of minimalistbaker.com
For the vegans out there that miss their cheese; nutritional yeast in these recipes creates a similar flavor to cheese and adds a lot of protein. Find loads of variations, here, or here for basic vegan parmesan cheese.
Cauliflower Rice
Photo courtesy of hostthetoast.com
For all those low carb dieters who cut out rice and pasta, and miss the sweet consistency. Here is a recipe for Cauliflower “fried rice”. Tested and approved.
Banana Ice Cream
Photo by Nick Schmidt
All of the flavor, and none of the dairy. All you need is frozen bananas and your choice of toppings. Don’t get too excited before trying banana ice-cream.