Vegetarian pantry staples
If you are like us, all and any allergy-friendly cooking tips are welcome when it comes to making cooking a little easier and affordable! We asked our Zestfull friends for their best vegetarian pantry staples and allergy-friendly cooking tips.
Managing life with food allergies means that for the most part, to-go meals and packaged goods are not always reliable, which means you do a lot of cooking. And that it isn’t always cheap.
If you get in a bind and don’t know what to cook look to pantry staples. They can offer quick inspiration and speedy meal prep. No matter what dietary requirements you manage, having a few vegan and vegetarian pantry staples will make cooking for food allergies a little bit easier! Not to mention, they also help to give your wallet a sigh of relief.
For more vegetarian pantry meals inspiration, check out our favorite ways to use beans.
The best vegetarian pantry staples
Stock staples full of protein
Canned Beans make vegetarian recipes come together quick
This was really hard for me to decide whether to choose canned beans or canned tomatoes because I must always have both in the house. From a simple bean salad to bean dip, to protein balls, beans won out!
Kortney (Zestfull co-founder)
Here is her go-to summery lentil salad – perfect for making ahead and enjoying cold.
Lentil Pasta is a basic pantry staple
Lentil pasta, with about 13 grams of protein per serving it’s the easiest way to make a plant-based meal in minutes! I just add a veg and sauce, and I’m done!
Chelsey Amer, Chelsey Amer Nutrition
Chelsey’s favourite recipe for lentil pasta is her Italian Pasta Salad
Hemp Seeds as a vegan must have pantry essential
I am always looking for ways to up the amount of protein in the foods I make and keep a supply of various types of seeds, but especially hemp seeds! High in protein, a mild flavour and allergy-friendly, I add them to everything from oatmeal to baked goods.
Sarah Avigad, Accidentally Crunchy
Sarah suggests you try making granola bars with all the seeds!
Play with the versatility of vegetarian and vegan pantry staples
Good Cocoa for an essential baking pantry staple to stock up on
I have to have Rodelle Baking Cocoa in my cupboard, it makes the best chocolatey desserts.
Sharon Wong, Nut Free Wok
Sharon’s go to sweet treat is none other than triple chocolate banana bread
Tapioca Flour for gluten-free baking and cooking
I always have tapioca flour as part of my vegetarian pantry list. We use it for everything – pizza, thickening soups, pan de yuca, cookies, you name it! It is wholly versatile and useful to have on hand.
Kristen Wood, Moon Spoon and Yum
This vegan Samosa is one of Kristen’s favourite ways to use tapioca flour.
Dried Coconut completes a well stocked pantry
We ALWAYS have shredded coconut and coconut chips in our pantry. I’m truly not sure what I would do without it. It’s so versatile–we make Homemade Coconut Milk, Caramelized Coconut Chips, Homemade Coconut Butter and more.
Adrienne Urban, Whole New Mom
Why not give Adrienne’s super easy plant-based coconut milk recipe a try!
