In The Vegetarian Pantry!

[britbunny]

Hi,

I'm having a bit of a pantry revamp and was wondering what kind of stuff do you always like to have on hand to knock up veggie delights in the kitchen? I'm hoping you'll have some great ideas for me :-)

Here are a few of my "must have" items

Dried -

chestnuts (my number one favourite thing for the winter!)
mushrooms - porcini and shiitake
rice - brown basmati, wild, red and risotto
lentils - red and green
yellow split peas
kidney beans
pearl barley
cous cous
pasta/spaghetti

tinned -

various beans
baked beans
tomatoes
chickpeas

Other -

marmite
pickled jalapenos
curry spices
dried chipotle chillies
sage (for with all those chestnuts)
red wine
beer cordial
cocoa
lime juice
tahini
peanut butter
different flavoured oils
ketchup
garlic

TIA

[wannabedebtfree]

Thank you for this. We are eliminating the meat from our diet (along with MSG) and I have been struggeling with making out a menu for a couple of weeks at a time. Your list should help.

[MTS04]

wheat flour
mirin
almond milk (shelf stable)
cashew butter
figs (dried)
oatmeal
dried blueberries and cranberries
soy sauce

ETA: We also keep a variety of canned beans for quick salads or quick soups.

[The Muse]

I always keep the following on hand:

Garbonzo, Black, Pinto, and Kidney Beans (canned & dried)
Rice (brown, white, instant, arborio)
Canned Tomatoes (sauce, crushed, hole)
TVP
Peanut Butter
A small assortment of canned veggies
Veggie Stock (for when I don't have time to make my own)
Salsa
Tortillas
Refried Beans
Taco Shells
Pasta
Tahini (for hummus)
A can or two of soup
Applesauce (for baking)
Dried Spices and a variety of Oils and Vinegars
Tamari and a variety of Soy Sauces
Flours
Corn Starch
Dried Fruits
Oatmeal
Flaxseed

[StaceyS]

Hi,

Other -

marmite
pickled jalapenos
curry spices
dried chipotle chillies
sage (for with all those chestnuts)
red wine
beer cordial
cocoa
lime juice
tahini
peanut butter
different flavoured oils
ketchup
garlic

TIA

Your "other" section sounds so interesting! I just have boring basics right now:
Dried beans & lentils
lots of Pasta (and home canned tomatoes - Yum!)
Rice
fruit
lots of canned carrots
Not many spices - basic vege broth powder, nut. yeast, dried onion, garlic, soy sauce

[britbunny]

Your "other" section sounds so interesting! I just have boring basics right now:

The "other" section is what kept us from going crazy when we were on a really strict budget, lol. Even if it was lentils and rice 3 nights a week at least it tasted different!

Thanks everyone, you have, of course reminded me of loads of other things -

porridge
nuts and seeds
dried fruit
tomatoes in their many guises
miso soup
stock cubes (I was so happy when I found the organic msg free ones)
pitta
sundried tomatoes
long-life organic milk, thanks for reminding me about shelf stable milk. I always forget but am always glad to have it on hand :-)

Does anyone have frozen stuff in all the time? We get fruit and veg from my parents a couple of times a year so will have a stock of berries, beans and stuff. The rest of the time the only frozen stuff we keep in is -

leaf spinach
sweetcorn
garden peas
filo and puff pastry

[MTS04]

frozen stuff:

carrots
string beans
potato wedges
peas
tropical mix (mangoes, pineapple, kiwi)
vodka
assorted berries
seitan
"butter" cookie mix

[ladykemma2]

i eat dairy. everything you all said plus

cheeses
milk
butter
ghee
olive oil
non fat dry milk
jams
jellies
peanut butter
pickles
olives
capers
artichoke hearts marinated
big bottles of lemon juice

[cheriede]

I haven't had meat in about 2 1/2 weeks now. I figured that I would go vegetarian and see how things go. I can't say that I miss meat that much now. So, I'm in the process of stocking my pantry and this thread has been very helpful. Matter of fact, I'm getting ready to head off to the store and I have added some things on my list. My house seems to be out of fresh veggies and fruit at the moment. My family has definitely increased their consumption over the last few weeks and the 6 pounds of apples will only make it 4-5 days at most. Anyways, here are some of the things that I have thus far..

whole wheat flour
white whole wheat flour
yeast
dried cranberries
walnuts
sunflower seeds
brown rice and basmati
almond butter
peanut butter
sucanat
brown rice syrup
coconut
oats
flaxseed meal
wheat germ
whole wheat pasta

I also pick blueberries and raspberries and it's packed in my freezer. A bushel of Red Haven peaches should be ready very soon for pickup.

[britbunny]

vodka

How could I have forgotton that, lol

[Palooka]

I always keep the following on hand:

Garbonzo, Black, Pinto, and Kidney Beans (canned & dried)
Rice (brown, white, instant, arborio)
Canned Tomatoes (sauce, crushed, hole)
TVP
Peanut Butter
A small assortment of canned veggies
Veggie Stock (for when I don't have time to make my own)
Salsa
Tortillas
Refried Beans
Taco Shells
Pasta
Tahini (for hummus)
A can or two of soup
Applesauce (for baking)
Dried Spices and a variety of Oils and Vinegars
Tamari and a variety of Soy Sauces
Flours
Corn Starch
Dried Fruits
Oatmeal
Flaxseed

This would be close to mine because I am too lazy to type it all. lol.

But I hate TVP. too much like a taste of meat to me and I never liked the taste of meat anyway. Barf it smells like ground beef.Lots of whole wheat pasta and tomato sauce.

Add Almond/soy butter and Miso soup.

[Guest57]

If you need any vegetarian recipes, I have LOTS!!

[cheles2kids]

This is a list that was posted over at veggieboards.com:
(Maybe I'll be able to post the link, if not, I'll see if I can copy & paste it)

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/s...ry+suggestions

[perSue]

Try not to think of "what do I NEED to have on hand to make a great veg dish"...
think more like "what do I have on hand to be creative with."

there are several different types of veg*ns around, so what you'll have on hand normally may differ from others.
also, do you only do oranic?
do you not want any "non healthy" foods? (ie, white flour, white sugar, etc.)

It all depends on what YOU want for yourself and family.

So regular baking supplies - whatever that means to you. (it could be white flour, wheat or rye, tapioca flour, flaxseed flour... etc.)

regular "dry" goods... pasta, rice, etc.

some basic tinned supplies - be that veggies, fruits, or tomato based products (ie, sauces).

think of the stuff you find in cookbooks or have made in the past...
THEN the creative part is "how do i substitute meat in this dish?"

it doesnt have to be boring beans every day.... try root veggies or aubergine to 'beef up' a recipe. Try simmering these veggies in a skillet with a little butter and veg. broth (to help brown)... add herbs/spices here too.

All cooking is about creativity... think 'outside the box' in a way...
top salads with fruit, nuts, salsa, crisps.

use stale bread as a breadcrumb topping or Panko for fried (stove or oven) foods.

Think "eggplant parmesan" rather than chicken parmesan... and use real Panko for extra crispiness and flavour!

good luck... think creatively.

[Emeraldfire]

Powdered broth
Frozen veggies
Tomato sauce
Dried beans
Different rices
Pasta
Tofu
Tons of different spices