It’s Grocery Month at Epicurious, and we’re thinking about super-fast checkout lines, alternative mylks (not a typo), and the cheapest bottles of olive oil (and wine). Check out the complete serieshere.
Let's be honest: most people assume thatveganssimply eat salads 24/7. But IRL, shopping the vegan lifestyle is just as much about the bulk bin as it is about the produce section. To help me navigate the vegan shopping list, I reached out to nutritionist and bloggerKate Gavlickandvegan cookbook author Laura Wrightfor their go-to ingredients and weekly shopping tips.
Although produce is important, Gavlick's top five most important ingredients include nut butters, healthy oils (avocado and olive oil), and protein-packed carbohydrates like chickpeas and quinoa. "Most of these ingredients are also filled with healthy fats to keep me feeling satiated throughout the day, all while aiding in hormone and skin health," she says.
The idea is to load up on ingredients that are healthy, filling, and satisfying. Whether you're just starting to explore eating more vegan meals, or have been a vegan for years, here are the 10 foods you should never leave the grocery store without:
With acan of beans on hand, dinner is just a can opener away. For a vegan, beans provide filling, nutritious protein, and they come in so many shapes, sizes, and varieties.Canned beans provide convenience, while dried beans offer more variety flavor. "I usually have a batch-cook day where I make large pots of chickpeas or French lentils or whatever I'm in the mood for," says Wright. "I freeze portions of those to have on hand whenever I need them."
In the same vein as beans,lentilsprovide a filling, starchy protein source. Just remember: all lentils are not the same. Small lentils, such asredandyellow, cook super quick, and have a mushier texture.Black beluga lentilsandde Puy lentilstake longer to cook, but also have a firmer texture. For a quick weeknight dinner, Gavlick likes to cook red lentils in a sweet potato curry. "It's made with red lentils, plenty of curry powder, sweet potato, coconut cream, fresh cilantro, and served alongside cooked quinoa," she says. "It's so delicious and hearty."
Since meat is a no-no when it comes to comes to the vegan diet, followers tend to stock up on meat-replacements liketofu,tempeh,seitan, and more. Tofu is a great staple to have around, since it takes on the flavor of whatever it's cooked in. Use it insoups and stews,pan fry or grillit for sandwiches, or mix it intocasserolesorbaked pastasas a cheese alternative. Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, and not only offers the bacterial nutrients of fermented foods, its also a complete protein. It has a sour flavor that's best marinated for a few hours, and is often cooked inglazesorstir-fries.
Like I said, produce is key to the vegan diet, and leafy greens play a big part. Spinach, kale, Swiss chard, collards; you'll find them all featured prominently invegan recipes. Why? These superfoods are packed full of vitamins, fiber, and calcium. Plus even if you can't find them fresh, frozen greens usually spinach and sometimes kale, is always available.Sautéed,chopped into salad,stirred into soup,roasted, orpuréed into smoothies; leafy greens are so versatile.
Nut buttersare another easy source of filling, healthy fats and protein, and come in an array of flavors: peanut butter, almond, cashew, sunflower seed, sesame seed (tahini). They are perfect for adding tosmoothies, making aquick sandwich,or boosting the protein in asauce,soup, orbaked goods. Wright always keeps tahini and almond butter on hand. "I whip both of these up into delicious sauces on a whim," she says, "usually along with citrus juice, some chopped herbs, a little garlic, and some water to thin it all out."
When produce hits is saddest season (#winterblues),good quality canned tomatoescan save the day. "These are a pantry cooking hero ingredient for me," says Wright. "Even if my fresh vegetable selection is a little sad and wilted, I can combine dices of those vegetables with some cooked chickpeas or lentils, the tomatoes, spices, and a bit of garlic, and all of a sudden I have a delicious stew." Turn them intosoup or stew,use them for sauce,layer them on sandwiches, or serve them as a side. (And for even more flavor, tryroasting them.)
Many vegan recipes rely on a base ofwhole grains, and for good reason: they are nutritious, filling, and can be a side dish or main meal. So it's a good idea to keep a variety of the following around: rice (brown, white, black, red), quinoa, spelt, farro, millet, buckwheat, freekah, and bulgur. It's the base of one of Gavlick's go-to weeknight dinners: "Cooked quinoa along with any roasted vegetable I happen to have lingering in my kitchen (sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, red onion, carrots, etc.) plus a whole avocado," she says. "It's my version of comfort food." Stir cooked whole grains intosoups or stew, serve them withcurries or roasted vegetables, or add them intoveggie patties.
Whether you are vegan or lactose intolerant, keeping a good dairy-free milk beverage on hand is important. Favorites included almond milk, coconut milk beverage, and rice milk, but alternatives also include hemp milk, oat milk, and cashew milk. Look for unsweetened versions, or trymaking your own. They are key forsmoothies, cereal,tea and lattes,baking, and any other dairy need.
Although a wide assortment of vegetables are important to the vegan diet, mushrooms are the vegan's best friend. Quick-cooking and packed full of nutrients, mushrooms offer a boost ofumamithat provides an earthy, rich undertone that's almost meaty in flavor. They come in so many varieties, from the ubiquitous button mushrooms you'll see at every grocery store to fancier wild mushrooms like oyster and maitake, and they taste great in just about everything: pasta,lasagna,veggie burgers,soup,gravy, andso much more.
Wether you're making amarinade,vinaigrette,sauce, or just adding a finishing season, the key to making any ingredient—vegetables, whole grains, tofu—pop with flavor is acid, which is why it's vital to Wright's pantry. "[I always have] a selection of vinegars, like apple cider, red and white wine, balsamic, and rice wine," she says. "Almost all food preparations need some form of acidity to make the flavors come alive. I don't always have lemons and limes on hand, but a bottle of apple cider vinegar can hang out in my fridge for a long time and be there when I need it."
