Vegan Pantry Staples (Part IV)

Hello everyone! It is so good to be back here after a good 2-3 week break for my personal rejuvenation. Isn’t it good to take some break once in while? Even if it means giving yourself all the time to leave aside all the worries and just focus on breathing and self-care? I really loved it and I sincerely thank a few of you who messaged and checked on me and inquired about some recipes with me.

So, in my last posts I shared some basic tip on how to make your pantry Vegan-friendly and reduce your cooking time by stocking up some essentials. In this last part, let me quickly share the last few but very important ingredients of a vegan diet. A plant-based, whole food diet demands a quite good amount of healthy fats, protein and vitamins from sources like nuts, seeds, dried fruits etc. Sharing a quick info about these wonderful and highly delicious food items.

Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional Yeast is a type of deactivated yeast that is becoming increasingly common in vegan cooking due to its diversity and strong flavor. It can be used to make sauces, vegan cheeses, and as a thickening agent in soups, among the other things. It is easily available nowadays and comes in flakes or powder form. You can also make it at home if you have patience.

Nuts & Seeds: As with beans and legumes, nuts and seeds are an essential addition to a vegan pantry. They have an excellent nutritional profile and are rich in protein. One should be careful to monitor the quantities used, though, as they are often high in fats – despite mainly being comprised of healthier saturated fats.

Tip: To stop yourself from over-eating nuts, make sure you add a handful of them in your salads, oats, porridge or smoothies instead of eating them alone as a snack.

Flax and chia seeds, in particular, are useful to keep in the pantry, due to the high quantities of omega-3 fatty acids and fibre found within them. These seeds can be added to smoothies, salads, or can be used as egg replacements. Chia Seeds is considered as superfood and has too many health benefits as compared to its size! (Just kiddin about the size..

Dried Fruits: Dried Fruits, such as dates, raisins, and dried apricots – are great to have in stock for a healthy snack. They can also add flavor to many salad, gains and sauteed vegetables dishes. Follow the recipe in my next post for an easy dried fruit rice salad.

Thank you for being with me on the chapters of vegan pantry staples. I hope you liked the information and it benefited you.