Things you'll always find in my freezer:
- peas - add to curries, soups, even salads
- corn
- hashbrowns & tater tots - perfect for quick breakfasts and lunches
- shelled edamame - add to soups, salads and stir-fries
- Daiya - I like to always have some on-hand and it keeps longer in the freezer
- tempeh - perfect for pretty much any meal
- Gardein crispy chikn strips - nom nom nom
- garlic powder and garlic salt
- onion powder
- chili powder
- coriander
- cumin
- curry powder
- black pepper
- kosher and sea salts
- dried legumes and lentils
- brown rice
- nuts -almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, and walnuts
- pasta -spaghetti, penne and shells
- canned beans - chickpeas, black beans and kidney beans save time in a rush
- tomato sauce and crushed/diced tomatoes for making my own pizza/pasta sauces and chili
- Nooch (nutritional yeast) - I add it to tons of dishes for cheezy flavor and for the B-12.
- peanut butter
- Bisquick (yup, it's vegan)
- coconut oil or any cooking oil, like olive oil. Coconut oil can be pricey if you don't hunt for bargains.
- sesame oil
- TVP/TSP - textured veggie/soy protein makes a great ground beef texture when cooked
- soy sauce and Braggs aminos
- mushrooms
- Veggies: carrots, lettuce, red onion. potatoes, fresh heads of garlic, spinach, broccoli
- ground flax - add it to all sorts of stuff, even smoothies, make flax eggs.
- dressings, especially vinaigrettes
- salsa
- maple syrup for anything from baking, breakfast, to tempeh bacon
- yellow and dijon mustards
- Vegenaise (Best vegan mayo brand ever). Find it in your grocer's cooler.
- Earth Balance vegan buttah
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- sugar (find sugar made from sugar beets as they don't use bone char to bleach the sugar)
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- vegan chocolate chips - I always use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chips which are accidentally vegan
- cocoa powder
- vegetable shortening
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
This is a great post! I often forget that newly vegan folks don't always know how to stock their pantries, and this is a very thorough explanation.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice post!
ReplyDeleteThis is so super helpful! I'm going to send every person considering veganism your way. You're awesome :)
ReplyDeleteThank you all! I know I had a hard time when I first went veg, so I thought I might be able to help everyone else. My auntie's sister is going to start cutting out meat and most dairy from her diet, so I wanted to give her some ideas of what she needs to have onhand.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Meg. I have to admit that I don't keep all of these things on hand, in part because I also eat gluten free, but I have similar substitutes. Also, I don't care for garlic salt - had one bad experience with it a long time ago, and I can never go back. Still, I think that it's great to write something like this for people who are new to the diet. It can be a struggle otherwise for sure. I also am curious about which vegan cookbooks you have or what online sources you regularly get non-original recipes from because I think that could make a difference about what items are necessary for you. Could be another post?
ReplyDelete