Vegetarian Pantry
Posted by Marie Ann on Apr 10, 2007 · Member since Apr 2005 · 4 posts
I have been a vegetarian for about 3 months now but I have not really stocked up on the
essentials.
I would appreciate it if anyone can tell me what essentials I need to stock up on to make a
good practical vegetarian pantry ie, herbs, spices anything for my frig and freezer and cabinets.
PS: I have been buying what I need as I cook and bake here and there.
I really need to have the essentials on hand.
Thank You,
Marie Ann
I think veg*ns tend to spice there food much more than omnis.
So, I would say tons of spices in general! (FYI, poultry spice has no poultry in it ;) and can make things taste chickeny)
I'll just list some common items in recipes here on vegweb (that are not so common in an omni kitchen)
Flaxseed (I buy it pre-ground)
Nutritional Yeast (Red Star)
Ener-G egg Replacer
Tofu (silken) soft, firm, extra firm etc.
Tofu (regular, in the produce or refrigerated section) soft, firm, extra firm etc.
Um... that's all I can think of LOL sorry!
Hi Marie Ann! I have noticed my pantry getting fuller and fuller since going veg! Here are some of my favorite staples:
Brown rice
Basmati rice
pasta
rice noodles
nutritional yeast
Veg broth and/or un-chicken broth. I buy cans, cartons and cubes
beans (black, pinto, chili, northern, navy, kidney, etc)
Lentils (red and green)
Garlic
Ginger
plum sauce
canned tomatoes
tomato sauce
bags of frozen veggies (broccoli, peppers, asian mixes)
Spices: cumin, cilantro, lemon pepper, red pepper, basil, oregano
raw sugar
coconut milk
tortillas
enchilada sauce
white vinegar (used in a lot of vegan baked goods)
Whew! That's all I can think of for now :)
There was a thread on this a while back.
Here is the link;
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14180.0
Here are some ideas that might be helpful too.
http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=14751.0
Hope this helps :)
Thank you,
Jenniferhughes, Deuce0 and Tanevab for your inputs they were all very
helpful.
Also, thank you for the links Tanevab.
I will now stock up on the essentials/staples that all of you have suggested.
Thanks again,
Marie Ann
vegan ice cream
spoon
Vegan Ice-Cream and a spoon....but of course.....can't pass that up :)
Any recommendations for vegan ice-cream?
I have never tried that before.
Thanks, K browne 3
Marie
i don't know about vegan ice creams, but you should definatly keep some vegan milks on hand for smoothies, etc. i really like unsweetend almond milk.
i also always keep whole wheat flour in the freezer and nori sheets for making veggie wraps. you don't even need to make rice for veggie sushi - i just use sprouts and whatever raw veggies i have around. yum! :D get some celtic sea salt while you're at it and some good miso.
what do you use plum sauce for???
Any recommendations for vegan ice-cream?
I've had occassion to buy lots of ice cream for birthday celebrations and have experimented across brands. The best (by like 10,000%) is Toffuti ice cream. A real ice cream eater wouldn't know the vanilla variety is soy, but stay away from the chocolate flavor, it's disappointing.
I forgot the reason for my original post. ::)
If you want to include some "ready to go" foods, I have the heat and serve Indian food that comes in the metal pouches. About 2/3s of the options have some sort of butter, so you have to read the labels carefully. It's great, because they're flavorful pre-prepared garbanzo and lentil beans in delicious sauces. You can get them for $4 at a HFS or $2.50 at an Indian food market. I use them when I go group camping with omnis and they work out well.
I haven't found a vegan ice cream that tastes like omni ice cream yet, but I haven't experimented much.
However, like soymilk, I enjoy them for what they are, not what I am trying to compare them to.
Tofutti chocolate supreme was yucky to me until I thought of it as frozen chocolate mouse. Now I like it! It still has a tad of an aftertaste but i'm okay with it now.
I like a scoop of soy delicious vanilla in my coffee as a creamer but I don't usually eat a bowl of it.
I used to eat Tofutti cuties when I wasn't even vegan becuz they are a great size! I wish I could get those where I live now! I know my son would love them.
I really want to try the mint chocolate chip ones!
I can't get many flavors of vegan ice cream here (pretty much just the two I mentioned above LOL) but when I go back to CA I'm gonna have an ice cream party with a tons of flavors (every single one I can get my hands on!) and all kinds of vegan toppings and organic sprinkles! All for research purposes. LOL! You're all invited! ;D ;D
Tofutti vanilla is lush ... whilst not vegan alot of indian ice creams are veggie and tasty particularly the pistachio, oh yes and coconut kulfi, who could forget coconut kulfi ...
Jenniferhughes - ice cream par-tay? I'll fight for that right to par-tay ;)
Geez, you have GOT to stop talking about ice cream. I can feel my hips and butt spreading as I read your posts. Ice cream is one of those things I cannot control myself with so I don't eat it any more. :'(
But back to the subject...whole wheat flour, spelt flour, extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, basalmic vinegar. Those are some of the things I didn't see mentioned that I keep on hand. I'm sure there are others. I've been up since 4:00 so I'm not thinking too clearly. :D
what do you use plum sauce for???
Indian/Thai recipes sometimes call for it. Ever been to an Indian buffet and they've got the sauces sitting out? I dip naan and samsos in it. Or thai corn patties. Mmmmmm :)