The Vegan Pantry - Welcome to Vegan Mofo 2013!!!

Vegan Mofo in September!  Exciting but that means it kind of snuck up on me.  I haven't participated in a couple years and I've really been wanting to get back to this blog regularly so I've signed up.  Fingers crossed I can make a good showing :)

While I won't have a particular theme for the month I will be mostly expanding on what I intended this blog to be about, how to feed a vegan.  This can cover everything from ingredient use, recipes for new foods as well as old favorites, and places to eat out or how to eat well in a nonvegetarian establishment.  Hopefully you find some helpful things to feed yourself or the friendly vegans in your life.

To kick off the month I wanted to share my vegan pantry with you.  This is the master list of what I try to stock in my pantry.  Different households will favor different things but hopefully this is a good starter list for anyone wanting to refresh their own pantry or those just wondering what a typical vegan might be storing in their kitchen cupboards.

The Vegan Pantry

Beans/Proteins

• chickpeas (dried and/or canned)
• blackbeans (dried and/or canned)
• lentils (dried)
• kidney beans (canned)
• vegetarian baked beans (canned)
• soy mince (tvp)
• soy chunks 
• tofu (fresh extra firm)

Grains

• brown rice 
• white rice
• gluten free pasta
• whole wheat pasta (preferably organic)
• rolled oats (preferably organic)

Flours

• whole wheat flour (preferably organic)
• white flour (preferably organic, rarely use this anymore)
• whole spelt flour (preferably organic)
• brown rice flour
• chickpea flour (besan)
• corn meal (maize flour)
• corn starch

Sweeteners

• white sugar (non bone char)
• dark brown sugar
• confectioners sugar 
• treacle/molasses
• golden syrup (in the US I had corn syrup)
• maple syrup

Fats

• vegan non hydrogenated margarine
• canola/rapeseed oil
• extra virgin olive oil
• sunflower seed oil
• raw coconut oil
• toasted sesame seed oil

Other Baking

• cocoa powder (fair trade)
• vegan semisweet chocolate pieces/chips/bar
• baking powder
• baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
• cream of tartar
• xanthan gum 
• vanilla extract
• almond extract
• peppermint extract
• active dry yeast

Other Canned Goods

• tomatoes
• tomato paste
• coconut milk
• pineapple

Vinegar/Condiments/Sauces

• balsamic vinegar
• apple cider vinegar
• brown rice vinegar
• soy sauce/tamari
• thai curry paste (red or green)
• liquid smoke
• ketchup
• mustard (whole grain, dijon, english, etc)
• hot sauces
• brown sauce
• marmite/yeast extract
• miso paste
• vegan vegetable stock cubes/granuals
• nutritional yeast

Dried Fruit/Nuts/Seeds/Nut Butters

• raisins 
• prunes
• figs
• cranberries (unsweetened)
• dates
• shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• flake/chip coconut (unsweetened)
• almonds
• cashews
• walnuts
• sesame seeds
• hemp seeds
• flax seeds
• sunflower seeds
• peanut butter
• almond butter
• tahini

Beverages

• soy milk (unsweetened and/or sweetened)
• coffee (fair trade organic)
• teas (green, black, herbal)

Spice Rack (items with * I consider basic spice rack needs)

• anise seeds
• allspice (ground)
• basil*
• bay leaves
• cardamom
• cayenne
• celery seed
• chili powder*
• cinnamon* (ground)
• cloves (ground)
• coriander
• cumin seed (and/or ground)*
• dill
• fennel seed
• fenugreek seeds
• garlic powder*
• ginger*
• mustard powder
• mustard seed
• nutmeg* (ground)
• onion powder*
• oregano*
• paprika*
• paprika, smoked
• peppercorns*
• red pepper flakes*
• rosemary*
• sage*
• salt
• thyme*
• tumeric

Basic Produce

• potatoes (preferably organic)
• onions
• carrots
• garlic
• bananas
• apples
• oranges
• lemons
• peppers

While this looks like a huge huge list remember that this is pretty much every bit of food in the kitchen and lots of things, like the spice/herbs list are small bottles.  Like I said before, different households will favor different things or more or less choices.  I like knowing that I don't really have to shop most days if most of these things around.

Here's to a month of vegan food greatness!