Cashews $$$$
Tomato Products $
Coconut Milk $$
Chili/ Taco seasoning $
Tofu $$
Vital Wheat Gluten $$$
Frozen Spinach $
Pasta $
Tortilla $
Veg Chopped Meat Product $$$
Liquid smoke $$
Cashews - Bing a vegetarian ( and my wife now being vegan), i need raw cashews to help me achieve a ' cream sauce' - like texture. The cashews, after being soaked then blended with some kind of milk ( soy, almond, coconut) really does a pretty good job at this. They are also often in Indian recipes.
Tomato products - Im sure a lot of people would have this on their list. Things like canned tomatoes, paste I use frequently ( especially after I run out of my fresh supply from the garden. A good percentage of my meals are Italian or red sauced based, so I always keep some in stock ( Italian, Mexican, Indian, Moroccan, soups..)
Coconut Milk - Often used in Asian, Indian and vegetarian dishes, this item has become more prevalent in my must have ingredient list. ( Also adds a creaminess to sauces, primarily Indian and certain asian dishes).
Chili/ Taco Seasoning - Although I have a vast array of herbs and spices, and could surely create my own, I do have several long days where I get home late. These packets allow for a quick Mexican - like meal, whether it be for Tacos, chili, burritos.. I can usually whip up something in 15 minutes to 1/2 hour .
Tofu - Basically for obvious reasons being vegetarian. Stir fries, soups, pressed- seasoned and placed on a panini press for sandwiches, crumbled and seasoned ( with dill, turmeric) the scrambled with onions tomatoes and spinach for a ' mock scrambled eggs', blended to thicken sauces and many other uses
Vital wheat gluten - High gluten flour used to make imitation meat/ protein for vegans. If done right tastes pretty good with a decent consistency. If done wrong, well, not so great
Frozen spinach - Always good to have on hand for multiple dishes. Although I often used fresh from the garden, due to the physical properties of spinach cooking down to nothing, I usually have to supplement to get the amount of post cooked spinach I need for a dish. Spinach pie, Indian Palaak dishes, Spinach - malanga soup, spinach - feta pasta salad
Pasta - The obvious. Used to be a staple item for me, but since my sugar levels were high and my waste line expanding, I have limited the use of pasta, but I still have them stocked for when I go on a pasta binge ( which is in the near future, as the tomatoes start to ripen in the garden and the scent of basil flows from the garden into my kitchen ( and the fact that I just harvested my garlic)
Tortillas ( Corn/ Flour) - Once again for the quick go to meal, burritos, soft tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, mu shu ( i get special ones from the asian store for this), wraps
Veg Chopped Meat products - A staple for many things I cook, always good to have in the house. chili, sloppy joe, taco, burrito, ' meat sauces, lasagna..
Liquid Smoke - Vegetarian things dont girl the same way real meat products do ( due to the abscess of fats that drip when grilled that would enhance the flames), so Ill often marinade or baste with some liquid smoke ( not a lot) but some to help it achieve the ' outside , cooked on a bbq flavor.
These are the ones that come to mind at 4am
Im sure there are others. Being vegetarian/ vegan (wife), I need certain things on hand that likely differ from everyone else. They used to be specialty items, but now, the way I have to cook, they are used quite frequently and always need to be fully stocked
Things I always have no matter what ( what I consider the extreme basics) would be potatoes, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, lettuce, lemons, Olive oils, spices, S&P, flour, sugar, corn starch, dried mushrooms, various dried beans and grains, various canned beans, canned corn, vegetable stock, ketchup, mustard, vegan mayo, hot sauces, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, black bean paste, sesame oil, vinegars, It would be a rare day for me not to have any of the above on hand at any given time. ( Im sure I missed a bunc)
