The Pantry

This page is still in progress (and will eventually be in alphabetical order!)...


There are a number of ingredients used in vegan cooking that aren't typically found in your grandmas pantry. That doesn't mean they're hard to come by or expensive, especially with food trends in the United States (and around the industrialized world) starting to shift towards consumption of healthier whole foods instead of the processed garbage that's had a tight reign on the average consumer. This is a list of handy things to have, not all of which you'll find in my recipes, but if you're a frequenter of vegan food blogs, I promise they'll come in handy soon enough.

Flax seeds - The ultimate egg replacer in vegan baking. I prefer to buy ground flax seeds, your body can't actually digest whole flax seeds very well, and cleaning out my coffee grinder every time I want to bake some banana bread is too much of an inconvenience. Store them in the freezer, they're high in omega fatty acids which is awesome, but it also means they'll go rancid (especially if already ground up) when stored improperly.

Almonds - Keep a few different types around, whole raw, roasted, or flavored for snacking, slivered or sliced for baking and liquifying into various mock-dairy sauces and toppings. Store in a cool, dry, dark place. The freezer is ideal, especially if you'll have them for awhile, but I know I for one have no extra room for things that don't have to be frozen, and they have a relatively long shelf life.

Quinoa - This tasty little seed (it's actually a seed, not a grain, go figure) has a slightly nutty flavor, and contains all the essential fatty acids, making it a complete protein. If your grocery store doesn't seem to have it, check the world foods section, it's of South American origin.

Chickpeas - Pretty much the best bean ever. They're not very hard to find, have a great texture and flavor, are high in iron, and can be made into all sorts of things as well as incorporated whole into many recipes.

Chickpea Flour - A bit harder to find, but if you've ever had chickpea fries (also known as panisses or panelle) you know it's worth the hunt. It can also be used as a thickener in most recipes that usually use a couple of tablespoons of white flour to give body to stocks and sauces, and adds more nutritionally than white flour could ever dream to.

Lemon Juice- Don't underestimate the importance of having some lemon juice on hand at all times. It can be used in cooking for a number of things, including giving faux dairy products their distinct tang. It keeping fruits from browning and is used in home made cleaning products, need I say more?

Coconut Milk- This can be used to replace dairy in a variety of recipes, from ice cream to soups that need a bit more fat than almond or other nut milks provide. Even the coconut-averse should give it at least one shot, the flavor is often masked when used in savory soups and the like. It's also nice to have on hand when you get a hankering for vegan ice cream...

Cocoa Powder - Indispensable for awesome vegan desserts and baked goods. Try to go fair trade and organic, the chocolate industry is known for some pretty shady (though rarely shade grown) practices, like forced and child labor. If the fair trade stuff is out of reach, just try to avoid Nestle ok?

Bulgur Wheat - Coarse bulgur (what I have the most experience with) can be used in whole grain pilafs, as a ground beef replacement in things like burritos, to make vegan meat-less loaf, the possibilities are endless, and bulgur is partially cooked already, so it doesn't spoil as quickly as many whole grains.

Cooking wine - The depth of flavor in almost any dish, especially those that require sauteing can be greatly enhanced by adding a bit of wine and reducing it. Think whites for things chicken would typically go with, reds for things closer to red meats, the same way you would pair wines. I use the ends of bottles (ok, so more often it's boxes...I'm in college, remember?) to cook with, since storage space is tight, and really, you didn't want to drink that last inch of carlo rossi sangria did you?

Ginger - If you're going to eat vegan, you're going to learn to eat Indian. You hate Indian? Don't worry, you'll learn. I promise. Keep pureed ginger in the fridge, that way you don't have to plan ahead quite as much, and you don't have to deal with mincing ginger.

Garlic - Put garlic on just about anything and I'll eat it. You can get a big jar of minced garlic at most grocery stores, and it's worth it. preping and mincing garlic is a pain, and every time I buy a head it seems to sprout before I can get to it. That being said, whole heads of garlic are worth keeping on hand to roast and spread on bread or whatever else is nearby for that matter, mmmm....

Vinegars- Assorted types of vinegar are worth having, good for cleaning everything under the sun, making dressings and marinades, adding tang to asian dishes, and hey, who doesn't want to build a volcano sixth-grade-science-fair-style from time to time. If you're just starting out on a pantry building endeavor, pick up apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegars first, they're used the most in cooking.

Olive Oil - This shouldn't really need to be on the list, but it's so important that it sort of has to be at the same time. Pick a good cold pressed extra virgin olive oil for the most flavor, avoid olive-pomace blends at all costs, they're made by using solvents to extract the last of the oil from ground olive pits and flesh after the initial rounds of pressing. I don't know about you, but I don't think chemical solvents belong anywhere near my food.