New and in need of help!
Hi! I'm new here. I'm 19, live in California.. I've recently chose the vegan path but have abstained from meat for a while. I'm somewhat familiar with some vegan products because I did a project in high school and measured the health effects of a vegan diet and thus I was vegan for 6 weeks so -- I know about some products such as earth balance 'butter' spread and all the variations of milk and cream cheese and fake meats and everything.. But now that I'm choosing to do this for real, I need some help! I was wondering if you all could give me an idea of some key things I should keep in my fridge and cupboards at all times, kindof STAPLE foods that I can usually make anything out of. Obviously a wide array of fruits and veggies but what else? I've never really had to cook for myself so this is going to be an adventure, being vegan and cooking vegan.
Nice to meet you all and thanks in advance for all your tips!
canned beans (black and garbanzo for sure), frozen and fresh veggies, nut yeast, flour, pasta, rice, tofu, vital wheat gluten (maybe after a year of being vegan get this for making seitan), veggie broth cubes or powder, Braggs or soy sauce... to name a few
my personal recommendation is that you pick out 5 recipes you wanna try, write them down along with all the stuff you'll need... and make em!... that's what i do... eventually you will see what you need to most of and you can start to stockpile
Hi linsey,
Being in California (like myself) you have access to a lot of fresh veggies and fruit of all different kinds. I cook every day and shop frequently to keep fresh veggies available. I'm the cook in the family. Off the top of my head hear are a few of my staples.
Non-perishable:
Rice
Quinoa
Couscous
Flour
Wheat gluten
Mung beans and/or lentils
pasta (usually multi-grain or whole wheat)
Herbs and spices (turmeric, black pepper, salt, paprika, garam masala, ginger, coriander, dry mustard, red pepper, cumin. . . too many to mention)
Chickpea flour
Egg replacer
Textured vegetable protein
Perishable:
Broccoli
Zucchini
Red bell pepper
Spinach
Mushrooms
Bread (whole wheat or sourdough)
Tortillas
Cabbage
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Tofu (as firm as you can get)
Canned:
Chickpeas
Tomato sauce/paste
Pinapple
good list!
How are you Linsey. There is a webpage provided by PETA that gives a blueprint or menu for a vegan food for two weeks of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Many good ideas and examples of whats needed for staple food is on the list. The link is below, hope you enjoy..
http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/two-week-vegetarian-menu.aspx