Dry Goods for a Meat Free Pantry
Stocking a Vegetarian Pantry with Frozen Food, Legumes, and Breads
Ease meal preparation with a well-stocked vegetarian pantry.
Want to learn how to "shop the perimeter?" Read Stocking a Fresh Vegetarian Pantry.
Frozen Foods and Meat Sections
Meat section? Frozen vegetarian entrees are increasingly being placed next to their meaty counterparts in these sections – a definite sign they are becoming more acceptable even to those who do eat meat. It’s always a good idea to keep some frozen foods in the deep freeze for emergencies, be they late-night snacks, a rushed family dinner, or unexpected guests.
- Frozen veggie burgers: look for brands with as little saturated fat as possible, and check to ensure no animal products were used. Sometimes vegetable-based burgers contain both soy protein and animal protein together.
- Check for frozen soy and wheat gluten cutlets (both high in protein)
- Frozen vegetarian (and even vegan!) pizzas
- Frozen vegetables generally do not contain added fat or flavours. Sometimes, they are more nutritious than fresh vegetables, as they are often frozen right after picking.
- Frozen fruits are excellent additions to desserts, smoothies, and as snacks.
Breads
- Choose whole grain varieties - they pack more fibre and protein than white breads.
- Hearty artisan or multi-grain / multi-seed breads are a fabulous change for dipping in soups and stews
- Choose interesting breads for sandwiches.
Legumes
Legumes such as beans and lentils can form the base of many vegetarian meals – everything from a casual lunch of vegetables and hummus dip to a Hearty Vegetarian Chili that is a faster meal to throw together than you'd think.
- Beans are high in protein and fibre; use them to replace meat in stews and other savoury dishes.
- Don't be afraid to create a meal without the traditional "meat-starch-veg" set-up. One-dish meals or casseroles are fast and easy to prepare and cut down on cleanup time.
- Dried beans are best as they don't contain added preservatives or salt. Cook beans from dried if you're on a tight budget (dried beans are cheaper than canned), if you have ample time to cook them, and if you're an organized cook who freezes things for later.
- To cook dried beans, soak them overnight, then cook for several hours before eating or adding to recipes.
- Canned beans are faster to prepare than dried beans - simply rinse and use. They are still relatively inexpensive. Look for varieties with as few ingredients as possible – ideally only beans, water, and salt for the best flavour. Organic varieties are a good place to look.
- Choose a variety – beginners might like to start with red and white kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas (garbanzos), and lentils.
Dried Goods
While the perimeter of the store offers some of the best choices, you may need to foray into the middle isles for the some dried goods such as:
- Brown rice
- Couscous, quinoa (keen-wa), barley, kasha, or other grains. Many have more protein than rice and a wider variety of textures and tastes.
- Whole grain pasta
- Canned tomatoes. The flavour of Organic tomatoes routinely surpasses that of conventionally-grown varieties, but Organics are usually more expensive.
- Tomato sauce – for pasta dishes and stews
- Salsa
- Peanut butter and other nut butters. A healthy vegetarian diet can include up to 40% calories from fat - don't shy away from nuts.
- Oatmeal, low-sugar cereal, or low-fat granola for quick breakfasts.
- Vegetarian soup base or bouillon – these are now available in natural varieties (no MSG) as well as in vegetarian versions of chicken and beef flavour.
Other: may require a trip to the specialty store
- Ground flaxseed – a source of omega-3 fats, lignans, and protein
- Flax oil or a combination oil such as Udo's 3-6-9
- Specialty meat analogs, ranging from vegetarian sausage, cold cuts, and bacon, to protein powder.
- Vitamins – vegans who do not routinely consume fortified foods require vitamin B12 supplementation.
- Vegan margarine – most brands of margarine found at the grocery store either:
- contain trans fat – hard margarines are a nutritional no-no
- contain milk ingredients such as casein or whey
To summarize:
The golden Rules of Meatless Shopping:
- Shop the store perimeter to get the most nutritional power from your diet and to keep more green in your wallet
- Choose a variety of foods, including a rainbow of fruits and veggies
- Rely on beans, nuts and nut butters, whole grains, and meat analogs to replace meat in the typical diet
- Experiment - if you see something interesting, pick it up! The Internet is a wonderful source of information, including recipes. Be adventurous...and have fun with it!
The copyright of the article Dry Goods for a Meat Free Pantry in Vegetarian Cuisine is owned by Jill Harris. Permission to republish Dry Goods for a Meat Free Pantry must be granted by the author in writing.
