Hi Sweet Friends,
My pantry is the trusty scout leader of my kitchen — always prepared!
Over time, I’ve stocked my pantry with items that are the foundation for my meals and can be used in a variety of recipes or all on their own. Once you begin to collect your own favorite pantry pals, you’ll see a few things shrink: your grocery bill, your shopping list and your meal planning woes. Suddenly, half your recipe ingredients are already on hand and all you need at the store are fresh herbs and produce, some toilet paper and a trashy magazine every once in awhile (come on, you know you read them!).
This week, I’m making good use of my pantry with a south of the border inspired dinner — taco night! Psst … Don’t miss the Crazy Sexy Refried Beans recipe at the end of this blog. De nada.
Here are some of my must-have pantry items:
- Coconut Oil: Coconut oil (aka coconut butter) has a sweet, light, buttery flavor. Make sure to choose organic unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, since the hydrogenated kind contains trans fats (boo!). The saturated fat in coconut oil is mostly lauric acid, which supports thyroid function and raises good cholesterol. I spread it on my morning waffles, add a dollop to my veggie sautes or use it as an oil substitute while baking. Oh! And it’s also a divine skin moisturizer (we have a tub of it in the bathroom).
- Protein Powder: Since proteins are the building blocks of every cell in your body, adding a scoop of plant-based protein powder to your smoothies is an awesome way to give your muscles and organs a little extra lovin’. At the moment, my favorite brand is PlantFusion.
- Almond Milk: Almond milk has a sweet, creamy taste that’s perfect for hot breakfasts (oatmeal, millet or quinoa), tasty smoothies and sauces. Did I mention iced chai lattes? Yeah, that too. Word to the wise: If you’re watching your sugar intake, opt for the unsweetened variety, it tastes just as good, if not better. Nutrition label tip: 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon. The American Heart Association recommends (at most) 5 teaspoons of sugar for gals, 9 teaspoons for guys and 3 teaspoons for kids.
- Buckwheat Soba Noodles: I adore these gluten-free noodles in chilled salads or tossed with an Asian-style stir fry. Soba noodles cook in a snap, but be careful not to overcook them — they’ll turn to mush. Buckwheat is also a complete protein, which makes this noodle a no-brainer in my kitchen.
- Nutritional Yeast: Fondly known as “nooch,” this cheese-flavored powder has been a longtime comrade of vegetarians and vegans. Nutritional yeast is full of B vitamins and it’s another (you guessed it!) complete protein to add to your repertoire. I love using nutritional yeast in sauces, salad dressings, soups and even in my organic tofu scramble. Go ahead and smooch the nooch, you won’t be sorry — lordy, I crack myself up!
- Rice Pasta: I usually reach for Tinkyada brand rice pasta, but there are a variety of brands out there. Choose brown rice pasta if you can, since we all know that whole grains are better than the white stuff. Rice pasta can be used as a gluten-free substitute for any wheat pasta, but I use it most often in my Penne a la Vodka recipe.
- Quinoa: In addition to being a plant-based protein powerhouse, quinoa is also high in magnesium (great for your bone health) and iron (immune system supporter). It’s the main ingredient in easy-peasy buddha bowl — a big serving of cooked quinoa topped with diced raw veggies, avocado, hemp seeds, olive or flax oil and an hefty squirt of Bragg’s amino acids or organic tamari. Heaven.
- Pinto Beans: Dried and canned beans are a fiber-filled friend that I always have on hand. Just keep in mind that you should choose a BPA-free brand whenever possible. And when you go for dried beans, head for the bulk aisle to save some bucks. Worried about gas? Soak your beans overnight and cook them with a strip of kombu (seaweed) to tame those pesky toots.
- Lentils: Colorful, protein-rich legumes make mealtime a snap. All you need is a simple sauce, veggies and lentils to create a fabulous one-pot meal, which also means less dishes (halle-frickin-lu-yah!). And if you’re in a pinch for time use red lentils; they cook in a jiffy.
- Sea Vegetables: These sassy sea plants are packed with marvelous minerals, including potassium, calcium and magnesium. It’s also one of the best sources of iodine, which is crucial to thyroid health. I sprinkle dulse flakes on my salads, nibble on sea veggie chips as a snack and roll up veggies and brown rice in nori sheets for some sushi.
- Rice Crackers: The big dipper! Rice crackers are a crispy and delicious gluten-free option when you’re looking for something to munch on. I dip them in hummus, guacamole, organic tofu eggless salad and beyond.
- Goji Berries: Reach for goji berries next time you’re putting together a trail mix or topping your oatmeal. They’re lower in sugar and packed with antioxidants.
Well, that’s my pantry in a nutshell. I hope this up close and personal look at my shelves inspires you to stack your pantry with a treasure trove of nourishing supplies.
You got me, Kris! I read the email as Panty Raid.” 😉 Thank you for the laugh! Reading about your pantry and those within the community is truly inspiring and a bit intimidating. Once I started receiving your emails I began drinking a green shake every afternoon and soon noticed an increase of energy. Dealing with clinical depression I struggle daily with lack of energy and focus. I want to get healthy in my mind, body, and spirit, and wonder which of your books is the best for beginning a healthy food life style. Thank you for your inspiration, encouragement and contagious spirit. Thanks to you I’ve begun doing yoga again, even if only once a week. Love and peace to You and this Crazy Sexy Community.
Bernadette, I would check out her Crazy Sexy Diet book. I too have battled with clinical depression most of my life. I know most of this blog and other holistic health blogs are very vegan based, but after 4 years of trying everything, I realized we are all different and have different needs. What might work for someone with cancer may not work that well for someone fighting the lows of depression and everything that comes with it. I became more flexible and realized that the algae oil I was taking, does absolutely nothing for me. It took me another 3 months before I could get past the fact that it was animal based. But once i switched to fish oils (twice a day) it only took about a week for my brain fog to begin to dissipate. Also, Vitamin D2 (vegan) does nothing for me as well AND my blood test came back 20 points below normal for D levels. I now take D3. There are actually quite a few studies about how D3 works better for mental issues than D2 (just search the googles). I’ve also added eggs (gasp!). Eggs contain a good amount of choline among other great nutrients and they are really great for the brain! Of course get the best, organic, humane eggs you can find (you can also taste a HUGE difference from the supermarket ones). I have been tested for celiac as well as wheat allergies and they’ve all come back negative, however eliminating wheat/gluten from my diet worked very well for my blues. You can see this by reintroducing it. I think it took all of ONE hour before I was depressed and brain fogged. I’ve also seen a huge change since I’ve eliminated sugar (for the most part ;)) and worked on getting yeast in my body under control. Working out (something that gets you sweating), detoxing (garden of life makes a great raw cleanse), & meditating also help me greatly. But I know that for me, DIET is the hugest factor for less “episodes” and longer periods of peace. Once I got past identifying with labels (and somehow making it equal how good of a person I was) I was able to really help my depression lift quite a bit. Granted it does require daily maintenance! Sometimes all it takes is a weekend off & I’m off for a month. 😉 I know how tough it can get. Hope some of this helps you.
All pantry products are really wonderful ! But how about using olive oil ? It is always my first choice !
Thank Kris,for this great recipe.
I too would like the fermented recipe.,with Cabbage,Ginger,Salt,and
Filtered water
Thanks,Leonie
Dr. Russell Blaylock, a retired neurosurgeon wrote, “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills” in which he states that Autolyzed yeast, yeast extract, yeast nutrient, yeast food and nutritional yeast are all a form of MSG. You can look up on the net about his book and what his book contains. There are about 40 different names for MSG. “Natural flavors” is one. The only almond milk without Carageenan that is sold in stores that I found without it is Silk Brand. Their coconut milk contains it tho and a lot of foods contain it even at health food stores. Daisy cottage cheese and sour cream do not found at your regular local market. Sadly enough Silk Almond Milk contains “Natural Flavors, another word for MSG. I would suggest making it from scratch in your bl;ender. There are recipes on the net for making your own healthy creamers also.
This looks just like my pantry!! 😀 😀 😀 Delicious!
Hi…. love seeing your pantry suggestions. Good stuff.
I have a question/comment that has been on my mind even before this article, and that is – the topic of Almond Milk. The last few days I’ve been making my own almond milk again, stopped for awhile due to expense and started drinking store bought, organic, unsweetened. Here is what I came back to upon making my own milk:
First things first – not only is the taste of store bought so markedly different from real almond milk it is also just terrible to taste. Once you have the real thing you realize you’re not really drinking almond milk with store bought.
Second – and the first point leads me here: there are at minimum 5 ingredients in Almond milk (store bought) only one of which is Almonds, the rest – some I can’t even pronounce, they don’t come from the earth, fresh and vital to my bodies health, and god knows what my liver, kidneys and intestinal tract think about them!
When we say we are drinking or advocating (store bought) ‘almond milk’ we are playing into the commercial game – we are saying it with HUGE blinders on. We are simply NOT DRINKING almond milk with the cartons of stuff we buy in the store. It’s everything and anything BUT almond milk and I question its healing, healthful benefits to drink those crazy ingredients. We need to call it what it really is, which is ‘a processed milk-like drink with almond flavoring’. that’s my best guess for a name. 🙂
Sure, if you have a milk allergy – or like me if you stay away from dairy because you know of all the many reasons why we should – then you don’t have many commercially prepared and sold options as a replacement (the same goes with rice milks, coconut milks etc read the ingredients!!! it’s not what you think you’re drinking).
But we have to challenge the industry cr*# they are pushing on ignorant consumers, on ourselves and better yet, move our health regime up a notch – make your own milks or don’t use them at all.
I love all the great ideas! I’m allergic to all nuts, and I just bought Crazy Sexy Kitchen: any ideas for substitutes for the nuts in the recipes? Also, what is the scoop on coconut milk?
Thanks! -Amber
Rolled oats, buckweat groats, chickpea flour (for the awesome crepes from your cookbook). Vanilla almond milk for my little guy and plain almond milk for my big guy and coconut milk for me, dried fruit, and gluten free crackers for that extra jar of olive tapanade. Yum.
Looks a heck of a lot like my pantry! I must be on the right track.
Ha! We’re having tacos tomorrow night! And we are going to do an experiment with using chickpeas as the “meat”. I’ll let you all know if it works out 🙂
Here are some of my staples in my pantry – chickpeas, gluten free oatmeal, lentils, raisins, coconut oil, olive oil, various forms of vinegar, corn and rice pasta, coconut milk, tons of spices and on some days really good dark organic chocolate – yay for treat days!
Dawn
Love all the pantry suggestions! Regarding the Almond Milk, Silk Pure Almond Milk does not contain carrageenan. A must have pantry item for me are walnuts – ground them up with spices for “taco” meat to stuff lettuce with or put on top of salads, or for no-bake walnut, raisin, oatmeal cookies.
I have been looking forward to this Pinto Beans recipe. Seems nutritious and good for a weekend enjoyment with my family. Thanks!
Where can i find sea vegetables?
Yummy!! Looks good after 2 hours of intense exercises!
I am just starting my wellness journey and my pantry is 1/2 way there. Being a full time working mom a well stocked panty is a must. I like how simple your pantry is. I think sometimes I overthink my weekly menu and make things more compliacted than they need to be..and land up feeling overwhelmed. I just received your new cookbook as a gift from a dear friend who I have shared my health goals with and plan on incorporating some of your dishes into my families meal rotation. Thanks for sharing!~L
Check out the blog Stone Soup. She has great recipes that take 10 minutes or less. And she always gives vegan options.
I always have almond flour and flaxseed meal on hand, as well as unsweetened almond milk. I use these as substitutes for regular flour, breadcrumbs in recipes, and when you cook with almond milk in recipes you can’t tell the difference between that and regular milk…cuts carbs.
Kris, I bought the Buckwheat Soba noodles, but the first ingredient is wheat flour. What brand do you buy that are gluten free?
Thanks!
Definitely some Peanut butter 🙂
My go to staple for when i need something creamy and crunchy is almond butter on a rice cake….yum!
I love this white kitchen fridge, so roomy for everything
in organization. I like to know this fridge name brand
so I can shop and check it out!
Many thanks and do love your website.
Hugs, Anne
Because almonds are naturally very nutritious, almond milk doesn’t need to be fortified. You can make almond milk yourself at home, and it will have the same nutritional value as the almond milk available commercially.