I never posted anything here before only here reading, but being vegan is really easy so I hope thisll help you.
I spend next to nothing on food, maybe 50 a month, which is usually when I'm desperate to eat.
With cans of beans, or refried beans which are good on weight as not filled with water, chickpeas, corn, peppers fry it in pan add salt and any spices and eat with bread or tortilla style flatbreads salsa. Those cans with water in are good, because you don't need to soak the beans or whatever, but that water is dead weight, so I usually stab a hole in the can and let it all drain out then put it in a plastic bag to carry (would make your pack smell like death). It's not gonna last so well like this either.
Pasta is easy, add sauce seeds and nuts cause they're easy to fit in your pocket and are superfoods so great weight/nutrition ratio, plus good for snacking on. Cold pasta is really good also, so make as much as you can. Instead of tomato you can let it go cold and add salad dressing (or just oil), nuts, sweetcorn, beans or chickpeas.
With soy sauce and noodles or rice, you can make delicious stir-fry with whatever vegetables you've got, oil, soy sauce and garlic. Cook loads of rice, you can also eat it cold, with fried vegetables, or sweet corn, mushrooms.
I made these, enough for 10 people easy with one pack of cereal, pack of oats and a bottle of maple syrup, peanut butter, vegan butter or vegetable oil, nuts. Mix it all together, put in cold place. Add oats until the texture is right, like it's not wet and falling apart but not dry. Go down really well. Wrap in greaseproof paper or plastic to store. Last forever, wont go bad. Speaking of, theres some nice mixed cereals you can get that arent just one thing, you can eat with soya/rice/whatever milk or without.
Peanut butter, you can eat it with anything.
Humous is good and easy, you can make your own for next to nothing from chickpeas, oil, salt, and garlic if you like. You make it in the can with only a spoon. Eat with bread, nuts, salad leaves, anything.
Fry onions in oil and add tomato (with chunks, in a can) and spices, whatever vegetables you've got chopped, beans/chickpeas/sweet corn, and you've got chilli. Mash it all a bit. Finer you cut the vegetables the less time it takes to cook.
You can make really good breads over a fire, with flour, mixed nuts and seeds, peanut butter, oil and water. Mix all together until you've got dough. The thinner you make it the better i find it cooks and tastes. i usually do it on a tiny grill kind of thing i've got and flip it halfway, but yeah improvise. I make these pancake thickness. The thinner the better. They keep as well just reheat, or eat cold.
You can probably get way more food made for vegans over there, like ready made burgers and mixes and such. But you can make burgers yourself as well, vegetables, beans, cut finely and mash beans, mix with some oats or/and flour and seeds until you've got a good consistency, a little sticky but not wet feeling. Or mash almost any vegetable, (boiled) sweet potato works nice but mix it up, mix with oats, seeds, seasoning, cook. This one takes some time though.
You can eat most stuff raw, it's better for you.
Cook potatoes rub oil and salt cook on the edge of a fire in foil.
Make soups with vegetable stock cubes and cut up vegetables.
Instant noodles, potato chips, popcorn, dried fruit, trail mix. Etc..!
Recently where I am for fruit and vegetables i've been hitting market stalls at closing and they'll give you what they are going to throw away. Not sure if they have so many markets in the USA. But great source of fresh free fruits and vegetables. Then of course you can dive for food, here they don't lock the bins and put them outside where everyone waits, much cooler than some places. And you can lift food, I just go for small higher value stuff you wont usually get in bins, nuts, seeds, soy sauce, expensive things.
The first time you make anything, like everything, you're gonna fuck it up and it isn't going to taste that good, it's so annoying fucking up while cooking your only food. But just eat it and try again until you get it right.
I haven't had food poisoning or been sick from food while being vegan (5+ years). I get sick way less often as well. I've never been healthier, seriously. I'm so happy with my diet, it's the best thing I ever did in my life, no exaggeration. It's hard at first but it passes quick and becomes easy.
Everything I wrote takes easily under an hour to cook and is easy to do with one pan, mines tiny and light, a spirits (alcohol) stove and maybe a bowl or container. I cook for tons of other people and even skeptics love the food.
It's worth cutting meat and dairy out from your diet just to feel better. Though I also think those industries are massively cruel, unnatural and dangerous.
