Here’s a table I put together to give you ideas about how to stock your kitchen so you’ll be ready to prepare many vegan meals. I hope you find it useful.
| Grains and Starchy Vegetables | Rice, potatoes, yams, pasta, quinoa, noodles, cereal, and your other favorites. Choose whole grains as often as possible.High protein “grain meats” such as seitan and convenience foods based on seitan also are useful to have on hand. |
| Legumes | Lentils, beans, peas, tempeh, tofu, and prepared veggie meats can form the center of numerous meals. Keep cans of chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, cannellinis and other favorites on hand. You may also like to keeps some dry and frozen on hand. |
| Vegetables | Keep a wide variety of both fresh and frozen on hand. Include leafy greens such as kale, romaine, and chard, as well as lots of different color vegetables. Frozen are especially convenient when you want to prepare a super quick & easy stir fry. |
| Fruits | Keep a wide variety of both fresh and frozen on hand. Canned fruits, especially pineapples, pears, orange slices, also come in handy for cooking and salads. Be sure to buy those packed only in juice. You may also like to use spreadable fruits and dry fruits.Canned tomato products – diced, crushed, puree, paste – are essential. And canned coconut milk is another great pantry staple. |
| Nuts, Seeds | Cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and any others you like.Nut butters, including peanut (which technically is a legume). |
| Fats and Condiments | Olive oil, canola oil, eggless mayonnaise, Dijon and other mustards, and any other favorites. |
| Herbs & Spices | Some basic herbs & spices to keep on hand include: basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, cayenne pepper ground, cumin ground, curry powders, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, black pepper corns, ground ginger, and garlic powder.Ground powders are good to keep on hand, but nothing beats fresh ginger, garlic, basil, and parsley. |
| Wines, Vinegars, Marinades | Cooking with wines – red, white, marsala, rice wine/mirin – can make food taste gourmet. You don’t need to buy expensive wines.Balsamic, apple cider, and red wine vinegar are a few staple vinegars. (A few drops of balsamic go a long way in flavoring food.)Tamari soy sauce (or Braggs Liquid Aminos), vegan Worcestershire sauce (i.e. no anchovies), liquid smoke, and a few pre-made marinades – peanut sauce, soy ginger, BBQ – are useful to keep on handsVegetable broth and/or bouillon cubes are great for soups and many other recipes. |
| Sweeteners | Unrefined sugar (sucanat), pure maple syrup, brown rice syrup, black strap molasses, molasses, and stevia. Of course fruits also make excellent sweeteners, especially dates. |
| Plant-based Milks | Instead of cow’s milk, use plant-based milks (and creams), such as: soy, almond, hemp, rice, oat, and coconut. Find one or more that you like. |
| Other | Nutritional Yeast is a fantastic ingredient to keep on hand. (Do NOT confuse it with bitter tasting Brewer’s yeast.) Sprinkle nutritional yeast on pasta and popcorn in place of parmesan cheese. It’s also wonderful to cook with as well, as you’ll see it in many recipes. It’s often a key ingredient in vegan cheeses and cheese sauces. |