Doesn’t it get on your nerves when you have no idea for dinner and there’s nothing in the cupboards to inspire you? Here is what I would say is The Basic Vegan Pantry.
Here I’m listing 20 plus ingredients that you should always have in your cupboard so that you can knock up a meal in no time.
1. Soya Mince. Non GM and Organic is best.
2. Lentils. Use in place of mince meat in all your recipes like spag bol and chilli.
3. Obviously lots of fresh veg including a few varieties of onions.
4. Fresh fruit.
5. Frozen vegetables to add to stews and pies.
6. Pre made pastry, these are usually accidentally vegan unless they state that there is butter in them.
7. Rice, choose whole grain rather than white, it is much better for you.
8. Vegetable stock cubes, check the ingredients, some cubes have milk powder in them.
9. Faux meats in the freezer. I don’t like processed foods but it is good to have something to fall back on when you just want to knock something up quickly. Pretend bacon is sooooo good in a sandwich with brown sauce.
10. Obviously, oils, condiments and salad dressings.
11. Tinned vegetables.
12. Frozen fruit like pineapple, great in a curry or on a pizza.
13. Oatmeal, check out my recipes for over night oats, great for a very quick, healthy breakfast.
14. Nuts, just eat as a snack or chop them up to add to your oats and puddings.
15. Seeds, so good for you. Sprinkle on your salads.
16. Stevia, artificial sweetener, I buy the powdered variety and mix with sugar to reduce our sugar intake without noticing it.
17. Baking powder and bicarb, very important to replace the eggs in your cakes and pastries.
18. Self raising flour. Add a ratio of 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 100grams of flour and you have no need for the egg in your bakes.
19. Plant milks. I like oat milk, it is probably the closest in flavour to cow’s milk so it works great in teas and coffees.
20. Allbran, a little dish of Allbran sprinkled with a little of your sugar/stevia sweetener and with some plant milk makes a great snack and keeps you regular.
Obviously there are loads of staples that you can’t be without like Vegan butters, plain wholemeal flour, pasta, (check the ingredients as sometimes they add eggs), oils and vinegars, snacking things like olives, salted nuts and crisps.
Don’t forget to have a good stock of spices like curry powder, turmeric, cumin, 5 spice, paprika etc.
Mixed herbs and a selection of dried herbs are a must. I hope The Basic Vegan Pantry list helps you in your quest to eating plant based.