Reddit reviews The Starving Students' Vegetarian Cookbook

A good place to start for you might be The Starving Students' Vegetarian Cookbook which has a lot of very "normal" and easy to make food containing easily obtainable ingredients. It isn't the healthiest cookbook ever, but for someone who is poor and trying to go vegetarian it's a good way to ease into it without having to subsist on fried food and cheese or learn how to make a bunch of weird new food.

And that's the thing: You don't have to completely overhaul your diet all at once. I think a lot of people look at all the options out there and get overwhelmed and discouraged. If seitan and tempeh and quinoa and amaranth sound weird and confusing to you then don't pressure yourself to start using them all at once. First figure out how to make a decent cup of rice and steamed veggies, then learn to read the labels of meat substitutes and compare them to make sure you are getting enough protein for your money. Hint: 4 grams of protein for a burger patty is not a meat "substitute"; it's a light snack.

All the weird food can come later when you feel more confident and want to branch out.

This book has lots of cheap easy veggie meals.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Starving-Students-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/0446676756

My go-to is always stir-fry with various sauces, or tofu hash:
1 package firm or extra-firm tofu 1 onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, cubed ½ cubes 1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste, or Ms Dash
Cube the tofu into small ½ inch cubes. In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil to coat pan. Put in the tofu cubes, and sauté them over medium heat. You will have to turn them a lot, and may have to turn the heat down if it is cooking too fast. Add a little soy sauce for flavor. When the tofu starts to turn light brown, add the potatoes. Sauté them together, and when the potatoes start to look clear, add the rest of the vegetables, along with Ms Dash or salt and pepper (remember it will already have soy sauce on it). Sauté the whole mix together until the onions look translucent, then serve hot. Goes really well with whole grain toast.

I got my sister this and this for Christmas. She could heat the oven for pizza, make microwave quesodillas, and boil water, and that was about it at the time. The books are full of recipes that are designed for people with little to no cooking skills, small budgets, and not a lot of time. They are vegetarian, but don't have many odd ingredients. Her meat eating roommates have enjoyed many of the dishes produced using these books. She has since discovered that cooking can be fun and is finally eating well. I'm planning on getting myself a copy of these soon.