A well-rounded larder
Stocking a variety of nuts, soy foods, vegetables and condiments can help you keep your diet interesting and inspire you in your cooking. In no particular order, here are foods that ought to be on every vegetarian’s shopping list:
Nuts, seeds and nut butters, like cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almond butter, cashew butter and peanut butter. Nut butters should be stored in a cool, dry place; nuts and seeds can be frozen for longer shelf life.
Soy foods are a key ingredient in the vegetarian diet, and take a variety of forms. Tofu comes in different textures – use extra-firm for stir-fries and as an egg substitute in egg salad recipes, soft tofu can serve as a substitute for sour cream or combined with chocolate for a protein-rich, dairy-free pudding (we’ll talk more about the many, many uses of tofu in Chapter 12). Tempeh is fermented tofu, and it has a mushroom-like flavor. Soy milk, soy cheese and soy yogurt are non-dairy alternatives to cow’s milk products – keep in mind that soy cheese is usually made with the milk protein casein, so it’s not appropriate for vegans. Soy nuts are actually roasted soybeans, and are terrific for crunchy snacks or as a salad ingredient. Textured vegetable protein, or TVP, a dried soy product that, when reconstituted, resembles ground beef – it can be used in soups, stir-fries, burritos and any other recipe in which you’d use ground beef.
Dried fruit – apples, apricots, raisins, dates, figs, banana chips – are good for a quick snack or to combat low blood sugar, but should be eaten in moderation as they’re very high in calories.
Condiments and other ingredients like barbecue sauce, catsup, mustard and egg-free mayonnaise are obvious pantry staples. But also consider stocking nutritional yeast, an inactive, vitamin-rich yeast that can be mixed with grains or sprinkled on popcorn; canned coconut milk for making curries; marinated artichokes for salads and casseroles; hoisin sauce, a sweet Chinese condiment made from soybeans; fresh garlic and ginger; curry paste; olives and pickles; dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, wasabi, a very hot powder made from a Japanese radish; vegetarian Worcestershire sauce; and tamari, traditional, fermented soy sauce.
Vinegars for cooking and homemade salad dressings, including apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar, red and white wine vinegars, and herb-infused vinegars.
Processed grains are necessary for baking. All-purpose whole wheat flour is the most obvious, but you’ll want higher-glutin bread flour for breadmaking and low-glutin pastry flour of you’ll be baking muffins, cakes and cookies. Other grains that are good for breads are rye flour, oat flour, wheat bran, and wheat germ.
Cereals, bread and crackers are as basic to a vegetarian diet as it is to the omnivore’s. You’ll want whole-grain bread and rolls, oatmeal (good for hot cereal and for cookies), ready-to-eat whole grain cereals, graham crackers, pita bread, rice cakes, and whole grain crackers.
Canned foods aren’t ideal, but sometimes you need to make a quick meal you can throw together in a flash. Keep on hand cans of beans, pumpkin, tomatoes (crushed, diced or whole), tomato paste and spaghetti sauce.
Beverages like coffee and tea are probably already on your shelves, and you should also try different soy and rice milks, and almond milk.
Meat substitutes like veggie burgers and tofu dogs should be a small part of your diet, but keep some in the freezer for fast meals.
Baking ingredients like baking soda and baking powder are standard kitchen fare, but also pick up arrowroot, a thickener that can be used in place of corn starch, and dairy-free egg substitutes.
Sweeteners should be used sparingly, but there are a few that offer slightly more nutrient value than refined white sugar (a product that many vegans reject because it’s sometimes processed using animal products). Honey offers trace nutrients, but it can’t be used by vegans; maple sugar has a characteristic maple flavor and is good on cereal or in baked goods; barley-malt syrup is extracted from roasted barley and is excellent in baked good; stevia is a sweet herb whose dried, powdered leaves are made into a low-calorie sweetener that’s 300 times sweeter than sugar.
Herbs and spices are a given, and what you want to keep on your shelves depends on your menu plans. The basics are basil, bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme, allspice, cardamom, cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, ginger, nutmeg, paprika, and turmeric.
