What are Vegan Staples?

January 20, 2010

Ok, so I'm gonna ask this question:

In your household, what are the things you HAVE to have in your pantry before

you can make your most basic meals?

Transitioning to a vegan diet has been difficult. Primarily because I'm the only

one who wants to be vegan, and I have glucose stability issues.

As such, in my household, if there is ever to be anything to eat, the following

must be present:

eggs

cheese

yogurt

bread

peanut butter

jelly

potatoes

ground beef

chicken

mayo

tuna

applesauce

crackers

chips

salsa

sour cream

See my problem? As someone who has morally turned into a vegan (can't even bring

myself to eat eggs), who is hypoglycemic (bread, crackers, potatoes DO NOT

sustain me!), and casein-intolerant--I HAVE NOTHING TO EAT!

I'm starving and I'm cranky and I'm desperate!

This is just the beginning, mind you. BUT, I would find it most helpful if I

could discover WHAT IS IN YOUR PANTRIES? Especially the member who says she

never eats tofu--it would be nice to not depend on tofu.

January 20, 2010

WHAT IS IN YOUR PANTRIESMe:various dried beanscanned beans for when I want a quick meal without the "drama" of sorting and soaking beanslentils (red and brown)various types of rice (brown rice being the most prevalent, but I also enjoy jasmine and other varieties from time to time)vegan canned soups for quick mealsloads of fruits and vegetables (fresh and frozen)soy pudding for when I just "need" a sugary, chocolatey snackI also usually have at least one container of tofu in the fridge because we love our tofu in this house, but that's just usMissie Harholdand Gracie the Ibizan Houndand Jeanie the Greyhoundgreyhounddog"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures." -Dalai Lama of Tibet, His Holiness, The XIV

January 20, 2010

cool and awesome! Thanks for sharing!

, NATASHA HARHOLD <greyhounddog wrote:

>

> WHAT IS IN YOUR PANTRIES

>

> Me:

> various dried beans

> canned beans for when I want a quick meal without the " drama " of sorting and

soaking beans

> lentils (red and brown)

> various types of rice (brown rice being the most prevalent, but I also enjoy

jasmine and other varieties from time to time)

> vegan canned soups for quick meals

> loads of fruits and vegetables (fresh and frozen)

> soy pudding for when I just " need " a sugary, chocolatey snack

> I also usually have at least one container of tofu in the fridge because we

love our tofu in this house, but that's just us

>

> Missie Harhold

> and Gracie the Ibizan Hound

> and Jeanie the Greyhound

> greyhounddog

>

> " Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants

happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other

creatures. "

>

> -Dalai Lama of Tibet, His Holiness, The XIV

>

January 20, 2010

At 10:58 PM +0000 1/20/10, Zanna wrote:

>Ok, so I'm gonna ask this question:

>

>In your household, what are the things you HAVE to have in your

>pantry before you can make your most basic meals?

>

I don't think in terms of staples. For one thing, I have a garden and

have to keep up with the harvest! But there's no one thing I

absolutely have to have every day, besides fresh fruit.

But the most common winter meal is some form of lentil stew. The

usual recipe is a cup of lentils and 3-4 chopped vegetables (lots: up

to 8 cups of veggies), cover with water, bring to boil, then dial

down to lowest simmer, let cook for 45-60 minutes. I vary it by using

different lentils (red, green, black) and different vegetables.

I eat tons of vegetables and fruit, and when I shop I get what's in

season (in supermarkets, it's often what's on sale that week). Most

of my vegs come from my garden (especially tomatoes in summer, kale

year-round) and from the farmers' markets.

Sometimes one thing inspires a bunch of dishes.

While walking the dog this weekend, I saw someone had left a bunch

meyer lemons on the sidewalk with an invitation to take some, so I

did.

The first one went into lentil stew, which consisted of red

lentils, (baked) butternut squash, very thinly sliced lemons, and

celery. It was a

lovely shade of yellow with orange bits. The lemons disappeared but left a

subtle lemony tang. Meyer lemons have such thin rind that you can put the

whole thing in. I ate that for 3-4 days. (I've also used nettles,

parsley, and kale from my garden, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes,

garlic -- whatever's in season.)

Monday I made lemon poppyseed muffins, again by slicing the lemons very

thinly, and adding juice from an additional lemon. Finally, lemon poppyseed

muffins that taste like lemon!

I sliced another lemon to add to applesauce, which I made from apples that

were on the reduced shelf at the produce market for 50 cents a pound.

The apples

weren't organic, but they were from a no-pesticide orchard. I add

cranberries to applesauce when they're in season, but I also love

adding lemons or limes.

The rest of the lemon whose juice I harvested for the muffins got chopped

up for Tuesday's rice stew, along with the 5th lemon whose juice I squeezed

and put in the refrigerator to use in hummus later in the week. The rice

stew had brown rice, sweet potato, chopped lemons (with juice squeezed

out), and celery. I added most of the celery after the rice was cooked,

because I like the crunch. Similar recipe: a cup or so of rice, tons

of chopped vegetables, cover with water, simmer.

I also made some chocolate walnut oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't use

oil and cut the sweetener almost to nothing, so these are wholesome

(except for the vegan chocolate chips) and good for a quick breakfast.

Oh, and someone on another list posted a peanut sauce (one of my

favorite ways to eat peanut butter) that sounded different, so I made

some and had it with pasta.

If you can eat buckwheat (kasha), which is not a grain, that's a very

quick meal. Since the kasha cooks in 15 minutes, it works with vegs

that don't need to be cooked much -- carrots, celery, onions, garlic,

or precooked sweet potatoes or squash.

Baked/roasted sweet potatoes are wonderful by themselves, as are

potatoes, winter squash, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc. I don't

add anything to them.

I eat hummus with ryvita crackers, cucumbers, carrots, etc. If you

don't like hummus or don't have garbanzo beans, you can make great

bean dips with other beans and other flavorings. My favorite is

hummus, but at one time I used to make a terrific white-bean dip that

had celery in it. Bean dips are fast and easy, and as long as you're

not eating them with high-fat (junk-food) corn chips, a wholesome

meal.

January 20, 2010

Wow! Thank you so much! My horizons have definitely been expanded!

, yarrow wrote:

>

> At 10:58 PM +0000 1/20/10, Zanna wrote:

> >Ok, so I'm gonna ask this question:

> >

> >In your household, what are the things you HAVE to have in your

> >pantry before you can make your most basic meals?

> >

>

> I don't think in terms of staples. For one thing, I have a garden and

> have to keep up with the harvest! But there's no one thing I

> absolutely have to have every day, besides fresh fruit.

>

> But the most common winter meal is some form of lentil stew. The

> usual recipe is a cup of lentils and 3-4 chopped vegetables (lots: up

> to 8 cups of veggies), cover with water, bring to boil, then dial

> down to lowest simmer, let cook for 45-60 minutes. I vary it by using

> different lentils (red, green, black) and different vegetables.

>

> I eat tons of vegetables and fruit, and when I shop I get what's in

> season (in supermarkets, it's often what's on sale that week). Most

> of my vegs come from my garden (especially tomatoes in summer, kale

> year-round) and from the farmers' markets.

>

> Sometimes one thing inspires a bunch of dishes.

>

> While walking the dog this weekend, I saw someone had left a bunch

> meyer lemons on the sidewalk with an invitation to take some, so I

> did.

>

> The first one went into lentil stew, which consisted of red

> lentils, (baked) butternut squash, very thinly sliced lemons, and

> celery. It was a

> lovely shade of yellow with orange bits. The lemons disappeared but left a

> subtle lemony tang. Meyer lemons have such thin rind that you can put the

> whole thing in. I ate that for 3-4 days. (I've also used nettles,

> parsley, and kale from my garden, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes,

> garlic -- whatever's in season.)

>

> Monday I made lemon poppyseed muffins, again by slicing the lemons very

> thinly, and adding juice from an additional lemon. Finally, lemon poppyseed

> muffins that taste like lemon!

>

> I sliced another lemon to add to applesauce, which I made from apples that

> were on the reduced shelf at the produce market for 50 cents a pound.

> The apples

> weren't organic, but they were from a no-pesticide orchard. I add

> cranberries to applesauce when they're in season, but I also love

> adding lemons or limes.

>

> The rest of the lemon whose juice I harvested for the muffins got chopped

> up for Tuesday's rice stew, along with the 5th lemon whose juice I squeezed

> and put in the refrigerator to use in hummus later in the week. The rice

> stew had brown rice, sweet potato, chopped lemons (with juice squeezed

> out), and celery. I added most of the celery after the rice was cooked,

> because I like the crunch. Similar recipe: a cup or so of rice, tons

> of chopped vegetables, cover with water, simmer.

>

> I also made some chocolate walnut oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't use

> oil and cut the sweetener almost to nothing, so these are wholesome

> (except for the vegan chocolate chips) and good for a quick breakfast.

>

> Oh, and someone on another list posted a peanut sauce (one of my

> favorite ways to eat peanut butter) that sounded different, so I made

> some and had it with pasta.

>

> If you can eat buckwheat (kasha), which is not a grain, that's a very

> quick meal. Since the kasha cooks in 15 minutes, it works with vegs

> that don't need to be cooked much -- carrots, celery, onions, garlic,

> or precooked sweet potatoes or squash.

>

> Baked/roasted sweet potatoes are wonderful by themselves, as are

> potatoes, winter squash, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc. I don't

> add anything to them.

>

> I eat hummus with ryvita crackers, cucumbers, carrots, etc. If you

> don't like hummus or don't have garbanzo beans, you can make great

> bean dips with other beans and other flavorings. My favorite is

> hummus, but at one time I used to make a terrific white-bean dip that

> had celery in it. Bean dips are fast and easy, and as long as you're

> not eating them with high-fat (junk-food) corn chips, a wholesome

> meal.

>

January 21, 2010

a few months ago, i would have said:

pasta

rice

tofu

garlic

tomatoes

basil

greens

soy sauce

etc. as the most basic of our staples to cook with

alas, poverty has knocked us down to "ok, so what can we make with basmati rice, vinegar and these three peas i picked out of the garden?"now, remember, you have the entire vegetable realm to sustain you now. beans, nuts, seeds, fruit,.....chard, kale, mushrooms, turnips, fennel, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, squash, and on and on.

the skies the limit...well, i guess the vegetable world is the limit, but you get my drift

why not go to the farmers market, find a vegetable or the like that you've never had, or one that intrigues you, and design a meal around it?

Zanna Jan 20, 2010 5:58 PM What are Vegan Staples?

Ok, so I'm gonna ask this question:In your household, what are the things you HAVE to have in your pantry before you can make your most basic meals?Transitioning to a vegan diet has been difficult. Primarily because I'm the only one who wants to be vegan, and I have glucose stability issues. As such, in my household, if there is ever to be anything to eat, the following must be present:eggscheeseyogurtbreadpeanut butterjellypotatoesground beefchickenmayotunaapplesaucecrackerschipssalsasour creamSee my problem? As someone who has morally turned into a vegan (can't even bring myself to eat eggs), who is hypoglycemic (bread, crackers, potatoes DO NOT sustain me!), and casein-intolerant--I HAVE NOTHING TO EAT!I'm starving and I'm cranky and I'm desperate!This is just the beginning, mind you. BUT, I would find it most helpful if I could discover WHAT IS IN YOUR PANTRIES? Especially the member who says she never eats tofu--it would be nice to not depend on tofu.

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!

January 21, 2010

yeah! I hear ya! " 3 peas in the garden "

umm, that's a good suggestion--pick a vegetable and design a meal around it. I'm

actually in that process now as I prepare to go to the store!

January 21, 2010

for the record, i just went and looked..right now we have

tofu

capellini

jasmine and basmati rice

salad greens

an avocado

an onion

garlic

whole wheat flour

a can of tomato paste

soy sauce

pickles

potatoes

agave nectar

some sad looking bok choy

an orange

three apples

and thats about it at the moment. we haven't been to the farmers market in quite awhile alas....we used to go three times a week.,....

granted, everything organic, but, sad looking pantry

oh, and beer..

NATASHA HARHOLD Jan 20, 2010 6:27 PM Re: What are Vegan Staples?

WHAT IS IN YOUR PANTRIES

Me:

various dried beans

canned beans for when I want a quick meal without the "drama" of sorting and soaking beans

lentils (red and brown)

various types of rice (brown rice being the most prevalent, but I also enjoy jasmine and other varieties from time to time)

vegan canned soups for quick meals

loads of fruits and vegetables (fresh and frozen)

soy pudding for when I just "need" a sugary, chocolatey snack

I also usually have at least one container of tofu in the fridge because we love our tofu in this house, but that's just us

Missie Harhold

and Gracie the Ibizan Hound

and Jeanie the Greyhound

greyhounddog (AT) earthlink (DOT) net

"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not to die, so do other creatures." -Dalai Lama of Tibet, His Holiness, The XIV

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!

January 21, 2010

That is so cool! lol! thanks for sharing!

January 21, 2010

i would assume most staples are vegan. i don't think a meat staple would do much good, and frankly, would be kind of disgusting

"billy, why does your book report have bacon wrapped over the top?"

"meat staples Miss Hover"

see..nasty

ok, sorry, i just couldn't resist...........

"Hobbes: Do you think there's a God? Calvin: Well, SOMEBODY'S out to get me."

January 21, 2010

and now i'm hungry.

thank you all very much..........

yarrow Jan 20, 2010 6:43 PM Re: What are Vegan Staples?

At 10:58 PM +0000 1/20/10, Zanna wrote:>Ok, so I'm gonna ask this question:>>In your household, what are the things you HAVE to have in your >pantry before you can make your most basic meals?>I don't think in terms of staples. For one thing, I have a garden and have to keep up with the harvest! But there's no one thing I absolutely have to have every day, besides fresh fruit.But the most common winter meal is some form of lentil stew. The usual recipe is a cup of lentils and 3-4 chopped vegetables (lots: up to 8 cups of veggies), cover with water, bring to boil, then dial down to lowest simmer, let cook for 45-60 minutes. I vary it by using different lentils (red, green, black) and different vegetables.I eat tons of vegetables and fruit, and when I shop I get what's in season (in supermarkets, it's often what's on sale that week). Most of my vegs come from my garden (especially tomatoes in summer, kale year-round) and from the farmers' markets.Sometimes one thing inspires a bunch of dishes.While walking the dog this weekend, I saw someone had left a bunch meyer lemons on the sidewalk with an invitation to take some, so I did.The first one went into lentil stew, which consisted of redlentils, (baked) butternut squash, very thinly sliced lemons, and celery. It was alovely shade of yellow with orange bits. The lemons disappeared but left asubtle lemony tang. Meyer lemons have such thin rind that you can put thewhole thing in. I ate that for 3-4 days. (I've also used nettles, parsley, and kale from my garden, as well as carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic -- whatever's in season.)Monday I made lemon poppyseed muffins, again by slicing the lemons verythinly, and adding juice from an additional lemon. Finally, lemon poppyseedmuffins that taste like lemon!I sliced another lemon to add to applesauce, which I made from apples thatwere on the reduced shelf at the produce market for 50 cents a pound. The applesweren't organic, but they were from a no-pesticide orchard. I add cranberries to applesauce when they're in season, but I also love adding lemons or limes.The rest of the lemon whose juice I harvested for the muffins got choppedup for Tuesday's rice stew, along with the 5th lemon whose juice I squeezedand put in the refrigerator to use in hummus later in the week. The ricestew had brown rice, sweet potato, chopped lemons (with juice squeezedout), and celery. I added most of the celery after the rice was cooked,because I like the crunch. Similar recipe: a cup or so of rice, tons of chopped vegetables, cover with water, simmer.I also made some chocolate walnut oatmeal raisin cookies. I don't use oil and cut the sweetener almost to nothing, so these are wholesome (except for the vegan chocolate chips) and good for a quick breakfast.Oh, and someone on another list posted a peanut sauce (one of my favorite ways to eat peanut butter) that sounded different, so I made some and had it with pasta.If you can eat buckwheat (kasha), which is not a grain, that's a very quick meal. Since the kasha cooks in 15 minutes, it works with vegs that don't need to be cooked much -- carrots, celery, onions, garlic, or precooked sweet potatoes or squash.Baked/roasted sweet potatoes are wonderful by themselves, as are potatoes, winter squash, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc. I don't add anything to them.I eat hummus with ryvita crackers, cucumbers, carrots, etc. If you don't like hummus or don't have garbanzo beans, you can make great bean dips with other beans and other flavorings. My favorite is hummus, but at one time I used to make a terrific white-bean dip that had celery in it. Bean dips are fast and easy, and as long as you're not eating them with high-fat (junk-food) corn chips, a wholesome meal.

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!

January 21, 2010

That sounds like our house!

My husband has been made redundant since August last yearand due to the recession he's so far been unable to find replacement work . Also, I heard that due to the big freeze we had recently, so many crops were damaged or destroyed in the UK that almost all our winter crop vegetables will be imported this year and will be double the price they used to be...(£3+ for a cauliflower!) I just can't afford that kind of shopping bill with only one income supporting three people, two cats, two rabbits and a dog!

We hadn't expected the redundancy to happen and so last spring we got lazy and didn't much with vegetable growing... the few things we did plant never came to anything either because the weather was bad all summer long. 8 courgette plants but not one courgette, people! *cries*

So there have been a lot of 'three peas and some vinegar' moments over the last year... I've eaten beans on toast more times than I care to think about :-/

This year I'm all geared up to produce as many of our own veggies as we can... I spent the weekend rearranging the garden in readiness - and wherever possible, I've ordered seeds that are meant to still do well when the weather is poor. Cross your fingers for us, everyone!!Opalline

alas, poverty has knocked us down to "ok, so what can we make with basmati rice, vinegar and these three peas i picked out of the garden?"

"This e-mail is intended for the recipient only. If you are not theintended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print,or rely upon this e-mail. If an addressing or transmission error hasmisdirected this e-mail, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail."

"Recipients should note that all e-mail traffic on MOD systems issubject to monitoring and auditing."

January 21, 2010

hopefully your garden will do much better this year!

Underwood-Fowler Cindy Jan 21, 2010 6:28 AM RE: What are Vegan Staples?

That sounds like our house!

My husband has been made redundant since August last yearand due to the recession he's so far been unable to find replacement work . Also, I heard that due to the big freeze we had recently, so many crops were damaged or destroyed in the UK that almost all our winter crop vegetables will be imported this year and will be double the price they used to be...(Â£3+ for a cauliflower!) I just can't afford that kind of shopping bill with only one income supporting three people, two cats, two rabbits and a dog!

We hadn't expected the redundancy to happen and so last spring we got lazy and didn't much with vegetable growing... the few things we did plant never came to anything either because the weather was bad all summer long. 8 courgette plants but not one courgette, people! *cries*

So there have been a lot of 'three peas and some vinegar' moments over the last year... I've eaten beans on toast more times than I care to think about :-/

This year I'm all geared up to produce as many of our own veggies as we can... I spent the weekend rearranging the garden in readiness - and wherever possible, I've ordered seeds that are meant to still do well when the weather is poor. Cross your fingers for us, everyone!!Opalline

alas, poverty has knocked us down to "ok, so what can we make with basmati rice, vinegar and these three peas i picked out of the garden?"

"This e-mail is intended for the recipient only. If you are not theintended recipient you must not use, disclose, distribute, copy, print,or rely upon this e-mail. If an addressing or transmission error hasmisdirected this e-mail, please notify the author by replying to this e-mail."

"Recipients should note that all e-mail traffic on MOD systems issubject to monitoring and auditing."

You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!

January 21, 2010

I’m sorry to hear of your bad luck. Hopefully the employment

situation will improve this year.