Pantry Staples

• Non-Dairy Milk – We prefer oat milk, however I also buy almond milk occasionally. Make sure you buy milk that doesn’t have any crazy ingredients in it or oil.
• Quinoa – There are a number of different colours of quinoa, I don’t know what the difference is really, but the one my health food shops sells a tri-colour one, so that’s what I buy.
• Brown Rice – Brown rice is far more nutritious than white rice as it hasn’t been as processed
• Millet – I love the taste of millet (it’s actually one of the main ingredients in birdseed). It is gluten free and is a good source of fibre.
• Rolled Oats – so so nutritious, and a must for breakfasts and baking
• Breadcrumbs – or rice crumbs. Good quality breadcrumbs only! Don’t buy ones that have preservatives in them.
• Spelt Flour (wholemeal and white) – spelt is a less processed version of wheat.
• Gluten Flour – this is a protein that is used in bread doughs, it’s really important when making bread
• No-Egg – A vegan, egg replacement. It is made out of potato starch and tapioca flour
• Wraps – great for lunches and quick dinners
• Rice Noodles
• Pasta – whichever type you prefer really. I tend to keep a couple of different ones in the cupboard. At the moment, there is some wholemeal spirals and some spinach udon noodles
• Dried Mushrooms – Sam and I last year discovered dried shitake mushrooms, they are great in soups!
• Canned tomatoes
• Canned sweet corn
• Canned legumes – kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans (alternatively, you can use dried legumes and soak them overnight. They are supposedly better for you, I keep some but most of the time I just forget to soak them!)
• Dried Red Lentils
• Baking Powder
• Stock – good quality. We use chicken stock a bit, for flavour (and most chicken stock powders won’t have any animal product in them)
• Spices and Dried Herbs
• Vanilla Essence
• Honey – I know this one is debatable for vegans, some eat it some don’t. We use it in baking a bit
• Agave Syrup – a great sweetener alternative to sugar in baking recipes! I never use sugar anymore
• Maple Syrup – same as Agave Syrup. Also, it’s yummy.
• Xylitol – on the rare occasion I need sugar (and it’s not replaceable in a recipe) I will use xylitol, but only ever in very small amounts.
• Cocoa Powder – a good quality cocoa powder is a must alternatively, you can use
• Cacao Powder – the original form of cocoa. It can be bitter, which is why such things as cocoa powder exist
• Coconut Oil – this stuff is amazing, and everyone must have some! I am planning a post on the amazing-ness that is coconut oil
• Dates – the perfect sweetener in baking, they are also great in smoothies
• Nuts – you can keep any on hand, we use walnuts and almonds the most. I love pecans, but they are so expensive so they are only a treat
• Chia Seeds – Chia seeds are so nutrient dense – fibre, omega 3, protein, 8 essential amino acids, calcium, vitamin C, iron, potassium, anti-oxidants – who wouldn’t want all of that? They are also work well as an egg replacement.