How To Stock a Vegetarian Pantry

A vegetarian pantry is very different from a meat eater’s pantry.  It is important to keep vegetarian foods on hand that provide a basis for common recipes and meals, as well as substitutes for other non-vegetarian food products.  This article will help you achieve a well-stocked, healthy, and meat-free pantry.

Steps

1. Clean out your pantry.  If you are switching to a vegetarian diet, or even just updating an existing vegetarian pantry, it is time for a good clean out.  Remove all expired food and any food with unsuitable animal-derived products.  Wipe down all the shelves and allow to dry.

2. Go shopping.  It is always a good idea to stock a new pantry with as many fresh items as possible at the same time, so that all the items date fairly close together.  If you are simply restocking, keep items that are well within their best-by date, but note them.  Be sure to make a list of the items that you need.

3. Select your items in food groups.  A vegetarian pantry that is stocked with the basics should contain:

• Grain products: rice (especially brown, arborio, jasmine, basmati, and sweet), millet, couscous, quinoa, kasha, wild rice, buckwheat, barley, polenta, and whole grain flours.
• Pasta and noodles: pasta made from grain products (e.g., wheat pasta, rice pasta), noodles (e.g., udon, buckwheat, etc.). Try to avoid quick-cook noodles as they tend to have a lot of the healthy nutrients removed and are often high in trans-fats.
• Legumes: dried legumes (peas, split peas, lentils, puy lentils, chickpeas/garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, etc.), tins/cans of legumes, shelf-stored tofu.
• Instant mixes for veggie burgers, falafels, etc.  Organic is better.
• Vegetables and fruits. There are various ways of storing these in the pantry:

             – Tins/cans of fruit in natural syrup, tins/cans of vegetables. Try to avoid sourcing a lot of your fruit and veggies in this way because canned varieties lose nutrients, have high sodium, and can leach chemicals from the can soldering/composition into the food over time.  Always choose cans that are free from dents, and be sure to check use-by dates.      

            - Preserved fruit and vegetables.

            - Dehydrated fruits and veggies.

            - Dried fruit. A must for both eating and cooking with. Apricots, peaches, pears, apples, nectarines, are some great options.  Beware of added sugar- dried pineapple, strawberries, paw-paw, and kiwifruit, are some examples that often have considerable amounts of added sugar.

• Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds should be eaten quickly to ensure that they remain fresh.  Purchase only small amounts at a time.  You should always have walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pecans, and sesame seeds on hand. Nut and seed butters are also very useful to have on hand, such as tahini, peanut butter, cashew nut butter, and almond butter. Some require refrigeration upon opening.
• Flavorings: There are a number of key flavorings that no vegetarian pantry should be without.  They include:

             – Nutritional yeast

             – Soy sauce, shoyu, tamari (look for low sodium options)

             – Vegetable broth/ stock cubes, liquid or powder (check ingredients carefully)

             – Cheese sauce or cheese substitute sauces in packets, packet soups

             – Seasoned vegetable salt 

             – Seasoned

             – Concentrated liquid stock or flavouring derived from vegetable, herb and spice sources (a few drops will do each use)

             – Curry powder

            - Seasonings such as herbs, spices, salt, pepper etc. Dry your fresh herbs for seeing the winter through

            - Seaweed products for seasoning, including dulse

            - Flavored vinegars, dressings

• Sweeteners: raw and organic sugar, stevia, rice syrup, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.

4. Have a variety of sweets available. It is useful to have some treats available for guests, children, and the occasional craving. Dark chocolate, soy chocolate, chickpea crisps, wasabi peas, sugar-free cookies (sweetened with alternatives), and popcorn are all great options of treats.

5. Keep a few quick packet mixes for cakes, muffins and pancakes. Choose organic and low-sugar versions whenever possible. Although it isn’t homemade from scratch, mixes are far better than store-bought.

6. Have milk on hand. It is always handy to have some shelf milk on hand for times when you run out. Depending on your needs, you can purchase dairy, soy, nut, grain, and other milks that can be shelf-stored. 

7. Keep an eye on use-by dates and discard products that have passed the date.  Once stale, items never taste quite as fresh. They also do not provide the same nutrients as fresher items. Circulate goods at the back of the pantry and bring them to the front at least monthly, if not more often. It’s easy to forget about items you can’t see, and the less you waste the more money you will save.

Tips

• Stock up on vegetarian food items at places like health food stores, health food co-ops, large health-food oriented super-stores or supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, bulk/wholesale stores, local markets (farmer’s markets), and boutique stores on farms.
• Don’t over look your local supermarket. Many “regular” grocery stores are now catering to the veg*n crowd by offering organic items, vegetarian alternatives to meat products, tofu, etc.
• Some specialty grocery stores are also great to visit and discover new flavors and textures. For some new ideas, try Chinese, Lebanese, South African, Italian, West Indian, and Samoan.