OK lay it on me...what food to buy?

[homeschoolingmama]

We are loosely following the Vegan diet to start. I am going grocery shopping soon and would like to get some Vegan food. What staples should I get?
Obviously I am getting fruits and veggies but what else? I already bought some quinoa. When you go grocery shopping what do you buy every time?

[marimara]

Every time I buy:

fresh organic spinach
fresh salad greens
cucumbers
tomatoes
fruit, assorted but HAVE to have bananas/apples/citrus
peanut butter/almond butter (use this a lot)
some other greens (collards, mustard, kale).

Keep in stock:
dried beans
dried lentils
rice
dried split peas
chickpeas (for hummus or just plain on food)
tahini and other exotic nut butters (cashew, etc.)
carrots
onions
garlic
olive oil
potatoes
herbs/spices
assorted nuts
lemons/limes or juice
a protein powder
flours
cabbages


That's what I'd start with. I'm not actually a vegan but do cook a lot that way. We are mostly vegetarian. I drink vegan green smoothies for breakfast every day.

[dauphinette]

I have been doing the vegan thing for Lent and have found some things I consider to be awesome for the trantsition into vegan.
I like the coconut coffee creamer, the french vanilla is a super treat in coffee of black tea.
I like Almond milk, I know it might not be the best to buy the already made, but I'm a busy mom and I don't think it's all that horrible and of the vegan milk options it is our fave. The chocolate is super fantastic for drinking.
I also bought some of the "dark chocolate dream" peanut butter and that is wonderful on bananas.
I have found that buying my fave veggies has helped me look forward to using them for meals like breakfast, even if some of them are pricier like artichokes and asparagus.
Brown rice and sesame seeds were bought in bulk as combining them makes for a complete protein, or so I was told. They do taste yummy together, I have been making gomazio with the sesame seeds and then cooking the rice with kombu and sprinkling the gomazio over the rice after I have "buttered it with earth balance.
Bulk bags of organic carrots for juicing.
tahini
miso(I bought chickpea/raw because it didn't have any soy)
lots of lemons and limes
fresh herbs like basil and chives
lots of different grains like:
rolled barley flakes(to make granola, which I used coconut oil for instead of butter)
rolled oats
quinoa
barley
Good luck!

[homeschoolingmama]

THANK YOU!!! This is exactly what I needed!

[lilyka]

I keep TVP, lentils, bulgar wheat, egg replacer, quinoa,and something else on hand (there are six jars on my counter...) and nutritional yeast.

I also keep a good stash of pasta, rice (brown and jasmine), and dried beans of every variety.

Canned fruit, veggies, and all sorts of canned tomatoes. speghetti sauce, pizza sauce, salad dressing, condements, etc on hand. also several kinds of oil and vinigar.

frozen veggies (artichokes, edemame, asparagus, stirfry as well as the usual)

a few other things that come in handy:
boxed mixes by fantastic
frozen dinners from Amys Organics
Boca Chicken Patties
garbonzo flour
alomnd milk
cream subsitute (I like silk and so delicious coconut. mimicream is nasty)
bread flour and yeast
several kinds of sugar
chocolate chips (vegan but real chocolate)
cereal
bread
peanutbutter and jelly

[elizawill]

okay. this isn't a "must have" by any means (but it is a must for me). i eat a lot of salad, and i LOVE this vegan ranch dressing. it's incredibly easy to make... so if you're going shopping and like ranch, you may want to pick up the ingredients

it is so yummy!

http://www.recipezaar.com/Best-Vegan...ressing-132916

ETA - i like vegenaise mayo for this recipe (original)

[crunchy_mommy]

I shop mostly at Trader Joe's & for produce/canned good, a really cheap store where the food looks slightly damaged but tastes awesome lol.

We buy:
apples
bananas
avocado
spring mix or spinach or romaine lettuce
onions
sweet potatoes
regular potatoes
squash
zucchini
tomatoes
mushrooms
carrots
celery
oranges
canned & dry beans (black, kidney, chick peas, white beans, lentils, veg. refried beans)
brown rice
pasta (brown rice or whole wheat or corn/quinoa pasta)
salsa
ww bread & ww or corn tortillas
ww or gluten-free flour
tortilla chips
quinoa
polenta
soy ice cream
chocolate chips
peanut butter
nuts
olive oil
olive-oil margarine

I think that's pretty much it... I also try to buy 1 or 2 new/different fruits or veggies each time... things we don't eat daily, like swiss chard or leeks or plums or jicama

[AmandaMom]

Things we couldn't live without:

Earth Balance
Vegenaise
homemade bread, English muffins, and pancakes
rice (I use 1/2 white, 1/2 brown)
canned and dry beans
granola
plenty of fresh fruits and veggies
TVP
nutritional yeast
veggie burgers
homemade cashew cheese
hashbrowns
tofu
pasta and sauce
frozen meatballs (usually homemade, but Nate's are good too)

Feel free to ask me for the recipes! Good luck!

[elizawill]

Amanda, I'd love your meatball recipe (or meatless ball recipe???). please post it or pm me. thanks!

[ambereva]

My shopping list is a lot like those above. My staples that I buy most often:

nuts: cashews, almonds, walnuts, peanuts/peanut butter
seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, hemp
beans: black, pinto, garbanzo, kidney
lentils: green, french, red
almond, coconut and/or soy milk
tofu, tempeh
tahini (to make hummus)
flour, cornmeal and other baking basics for bread, pancakes, tortillas, etc
brown rice, quinoa, oats
olive oil
coffee
herbs and spices
fruits and vegetables (make up about 3/4 of my grocery bill)

[Mama2Bug]

I am not vegan bit I am a strict vegetarian. The vegan things on our weekly list:

tofu (both pre-marinated and regular)
sprouted bread
olive oil
fresh orange juice
frozen stir-fry veggies (great for making a fast stir fry with tofu)
frozen regular veggies (peas, green beans etc)
fresh fruit of all kinds
fresh veggies for snacking (baby carrots, celery etc)
rice crackers
edamame
black beans
garbanzo beans
peanut butter and real fruit jam
salad greens
lemon juice
various kinds of nuts
pastas
marinara and vodka sauces
brown rice and jasmine rice
dried fruit
maple and agave syrups
rice cakes
onions and bell peppers
garlic
coffee

Things I don't use every week but like to have on hand:

various flours etc for baking
cane sugar
herbal teas
steel cut oats
quinoa
curry
sea salt
flax seed/oil
sesame seed/oil
prepackaged indian meals
frozen naan
soy sauce
frozen berries
satay (peanut) sauce