a friend recently married a vegan and is fresh out of cheap meal ideas. 

Here is are the best ideas I can come up with, while juggling a busy six year old and laundry.

I think Quinoa can be a good jumping off place...
you can cook it, then use it to make a salad like touboulhi (sp) by adding some salad veg and garbanzo beans, with lemon & olive oil

you could cook up a big batch of garbanzo beans, make that salad,then for the next day make humus and have it with whole wheat bread as sandwiches,

the third day make a simple soup (put four roma tomatoes into a blender with 1/4 cup cilantro (which you have been using with the preceding recipes..., and onion, a small jalapeno pepper. Blend well, then put into a pot, thin a bit with water, correct seasoning, add your beans and a diced carrot, and a diced potato, cook until the carrot is tender.

fried potato & cabbage is nice and something different than the ethnic stuff vegans often eat.  par boil a couple potatoes, slice, saute with olive oil with some shredded cabbage and an oinion.  Serve with pearl barley, seasoned with dill. You may garnish with plain yogurt, and boiled egg, if you like (I like)

pearl barley baked in a casserole with whole mushrooms, garlic and dill is also fabulous,

mashed potatoes with olive oil, garlic and a cabbage salad, with sunflower seeds (shred cabbage, grate carrot, toss with garlic & lemon and oil, garnish with seeds.

layered "enchilada" casserole I am too damn lazy to roll them so I just layer, alternating with sauce, chunks of yam and shreds of kale, corn tortilla cut in half to fit into a 9X9 pan, bake until the yam is tender.

white beans with escarole or kale is another simple classic, season with garlic and dill.

I love no boil lasagna noodles too, they make having lasagna so easy, make s simple bechamel sauce using oil rather than butter, alternate seasoned tomato sauce noodle, shredded zuchini & mashed white beans, noodle, sauce, then top with white sauce bake until bubbly and browned and noodles are tender

I will keep thinking about this... and let you know.