Vegan Pantry Staple Foods - Plant-Based Vegan Coach

Healthy Vegan Pantry Staple Foods

How to Stock Your Plant Based Pantry with Healthy Whole Foods

These are some plant based staple foods I like to keep on hand in my vegan pantry and refrigerator. If you are like me, you will often want to throw a quick and easy meal together. That’s where canned beans, quick-cooking grains, lentils, salad greens, fresh and frozen fruit, and fresh veggies come in handy. When you only keep healthy foods around the house, you will be a lot less likely to eat junk foods.

Here’s a trick you may want to try when you want a quick grain base for your meal. Cook millet and quinoa together, half and half. I like the combined flavor and texture better than either of them on their own. I know quinoa is not technically a grain, because it does not come from the grass family, but it is so much like a grain, that I’m just going to call it that.

vegan pantry staple foods 1/2 cup millet

1/2 cup quinoa

2 1/2 cups water

Boost your protein by adding 1/2 cup red lentils and another cup of water.

Rinse grains well in a fine strainer. Combine grains and water. Bring to boil. Turn down heat. Cover and cook for 25 minutes as you would white rice. In fact, a rice cooker will do an excellent job.

Stock Up on Non-perishable Foods (Organic and healthy ingredients of course):

Dry grains — buy organic to avoid glyphosate: quinoa, millet, amaranth (best when mixed with other grains), gluten-free oats, rice (look for California short grain organic rice, if you are concerned about arsenic), teff, sorghum
Dry beans, lentils, & split peas — buy organic to avoid glyphosate
BPA-free canned beans — buy organic to avoid glyphosate
Whole grain gluten-free pasta or legume pasta — buy organic to avoid glyphosate: my favorites are Trader Joes, Tinkyada and Jovial, in that order
Seeds — buy organic to avoid glyphosate: whole flax seeds (refrigerate in air-tight container and grind fresh daily), chia seeds (refrigerate and grind before eating), hemp seeds (refrigerate), sunflower seeds (make sure to buy fresh and keep refrigerated), pumpkin seeds (I like the GoRaw sprouted brand) — avoid seeds if you are trying to lose weight!
Sesame tahini (refrigerate after opening) — buy organic to avoid glyphosate
Nuts: almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachio, Brazil nuts (limit Brazil nuts to 4 or less per day due to high selenium content), macadamia nuts, pine nuts — avoid nuts if you want to lose weight!
Nut butters: raw almond butter, raw cashew butter, raw coconut butter, roasted peanut butter (refrigerate all nut butters except coconut butter) — check labels for additives like palm oil, sugar, etc.
Frozen vegetables: spinach, broccoli, peas, green beans, artichoke hearts (I rarely use these except for peas, but they can be handy for quick meals)
Frozen fruits: wild Maine blueberries, assorted berries, mango, pineapple, cherries
Dried herbs, spices and spice blends: curry powder, chili powder, granulated onion, granulated garlic, Italian herb blend, smoked paprika, white pepper
Dried fruits: dates, prunes, goji berries, fruit-juice-sweetened cranberries, unsulphured apricots, raisins (soak dried fruits before eating, ideally)
Seeds for sprouting: broccoli, radish (avoid alfalfa, because of mold growth), buckwheat, sunflower
Avocado oil spray (use sparingly if at all)
Crushed or diced tomatoes (in glass jar — look for organic Jovial brand)
Tomato sauce or strained tomatoes in glass bottle
Salsa (in glass jar) — Amy’s red salsa doesn’t have vinegar
Marinara sauce (in glass jar) — if you can find any without oil or unwanted ingredients; Whole Foods has a good one
Atlantic seaweeds: dulse, nori, wakame (kelp can have too much iodine)
Vegetable Broth or Pacific Mushroom Broth — (avoid broths containing citric acid, yeast or flavors)
Celtic Sea Salt, Real Salt, and/or Himalayan Pink Salt (Indian Black Salt is also good for adding egg flavor)
Sweeteners: dates, date sugar, date syrup, maple syrup, raw organic honey, coconut sugar, organic black strap molasses
Dried mushrooms: shiitake, porcini
Chickpea miso (refrigerate)
Coconut Aminos — I especially like the garlic-ginger flavored one, refrigerate
Plant milk: non-soy plant milk with MM compatible ingredients — my favorites are Malk almond or oat for shelf stable, and New Barn unflavored almond for refrigerated (all of these are free of gums and other objectionable ingredients)

Important: Store all seeds, grains, nuts, and beans in moth-proof and mouse-proof containers like glass jars!

Keep a Variety of Perishable Foods on Hand:

Salad Greens: lettuce, cilantro, arugula, spinach, radicchio, endive
Cabbage family vegetables: kale, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens
Other non-starchy vegetables: celery, cucumber, carrots, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, summer squashes, bell peppers (not green)
Starchy vegetables: yams (sweet potatoes), potatoes, winter squashes
Fruits: apples, oranges, bananas, pears, avocado, seasonal fruits
Garlic and/or onions
Lemons and/or limes
Mushrooms: white, crimini, portobello, shitake, or any of the wild or cultivated edible varieties
Sprouts (avoid alfalfa, because of mold growth)
Hummus – make your own or look for a brand without added oil or citric acid

The most important staples for frequent consumption are in bold print. You will have your own favorites to add, I’m sure. Eat seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables when they are available.

If you are looking for good recipes to start using these ingredients, here are some cookbooks to get you started:

From Chronically Ill to Vibrantly Well (Medical Medium compatible recipes)
Pantry to Plate Cookbook (Gluten free & vegan)
China Study Family Cookbook (whole food vegan)

Here are some good websites featuring healthy vegan recipes — you will have to screen out the ones that contain gluten, soy, corn, canola, yeast & vinegar in some of these:

https://www.medicalmedium.com/medical-medium-blog

Whole Foods Plant-Based, Gluten Free Recipes – Medical Medium Compatible – my facebook group

https://anges-gluten-free-kitchen.weebly.com/

https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/

https://minimalistbaker.com/

https://www.bakerita.com/dietary-preference/vegan/

http://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/recipes

https://www.youtube.com/user/JenniferCornbleet