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12/13/07 10:07 A

Thanks. I will look out for them. :o)

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12/13/07 9:38 A

They are made of parched corn (hominy). They are an enriched product so that means they have been stripped and added to like flour, but I eat so many other whole foods that I do not feel a bit bad about having grits. :^)....And they are easy on my food budget.

Check this out...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grits

I use them as other than a breakfast food. Sometimes making them into a savory side dish with nut butter, veggies, and sometimes legumes. Yesterday I added peas, pinto beans, salsa, and almond butter. That was interesting.

I really like them with natural crunchy peanut butter stirred in, a little sea salt, and banana sliced on top.

Edited by: GODMYFULLNESS at: 12/13/2007 (09:41)

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12/13/07 9:22 A

GODMYFULLNESS

Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of grits, what are they?

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12/13/07 12:17 A

CURVYCARA, Have you tried or can you eat grits? They take a bit longer to cook than couscous, but are tasty used in many of the same ways. ~Peggy

Edited by: GODMYFULLNESS at: 12/13/2007 (00:18)

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12/12/07 9:19 P

DEVONLYNNE:

That reminds me, I am sensitive to wheat, so I don't have cous cous, but I do love barley cous cous. That is yummy made up with sweetcorn and rose harrisa chili paste. Mmmmmm... NOt cheap, so I don't have it often.

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12/12/07 8:05 P

my staples consist of basically what everyone elses but one thing i didn't see was couscous. it tastes soo good, and only takes 5 minutes to cook so it's great for a quick meal.

Posts: 460
12/12/07 1:43 P

Good point Azlady! Spices,spices, spices! I recently treated my self to a new spice rack & replaced/refreshed my old spices. I think they say to get rid of spices older than 2 years or so. I buy from the bulk bins 7 buy in smaller quantities so they stay fresh. There's nothing like using good quality spices to truly make you food soooo delish!

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12/12/07 12:50 P

I was thinking about this after I posted and thought, "How could I have forgotten canned tomatoes!"

I strongly dislike stewed tomatoes, but I keep diced tomatoes on hand, both regular and petite. I keep a variety of plain, onion/garlic, Italian, Mexican, etc.

I've recently started keeping crushed tomatoes on hand, as well. I tried a tomato soup recipe from Spark Recipes. I liked it a lot the first time I made it, not so much the second, as I tinkered with it, but it has real potential, so I'll keep working on it. I can throw everything in my crock pot and wake up to soup, with no strange additives.

Spices? The ones I use most are:

basil
cumin
oregano
chili powder
cinnamon

But I keep a very wide variety on hand. Looking at my spice rack I can see about 50, and that's not counting the ones I grind fresh.

And olive oil. I don't use much -- a half-liter bottle lasts me more than a year -- but there are some dishes that just aren't the same without it.

Flo


Edited by: AZLADY2 at: 12/12/2007 (12:54)

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12/12/07 12:26 P

I love the pre-baked little pizza-dough idea! I am going to do that!!!

Posts: 10,798
12/12/07 11:22 A

Another thing I keep on hand all the time is baker's unsweetened chocolate. I could live without chocolate, but just don't want too!
With this chocolate I can get creative....without eating sugar. It's fun.

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12/12/07 10:17 A

Everyone sure has lots of neat ideas. I keep lots of herbs and spices, but regarding beans and pastas and grains, etc, I only get things when I'm ready to cook them. I seldom think of just buying things just to have on hand. These are great lists that every has. I'm going to begin stocking up.

Edited by: WILLBOYWONDER at: 12/12/2007 (11:27)

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12/12/07 9:19 A

Great idea for a post! I don't have all these all the time, but trying to keep in stock as much as I have space for.

I have loads of tinned beans in all varieties
edamame beans frozen, frozen adzuki, mixed frozen veg, mixed mediterranean veg with olive oil + basil

tinned green beans, tinned corn, tofu (firm, braised and silken) tvp chunks and mince, brown rice, brown basmati rice, wild rice (double the protein of brown), red or black rice occaisionally, buckwheat, millet, quinoa (red, white), lentils (various) dried pulses, tinned tomatoes

Dried: dried peppers, dried fruits (various) dried mushrooms, tomatoes & chilis, hibiscus flowers (make fruit tea out of them) falafel mix, powdered vegetable stock, creamed coconut, popping corn

teabags in various flavours (various flavours of green tea for daytime, fruit, peppermint, chocolate,cinnamon, chamomile, linden flower etc for evening.

Oatmilk, soya milk, rice milk, soya cream, nutritional yeast + walnut parmesan substitute, various nuts & seeds

Flax oil, evening primrose oil, olive oil, argan oil, herb salt, black pepper, celery salt, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, onions, spices, curry pastes (various) and curry powders, maple syrup, cocoa powder, tamari soy sauce, olive pastes, rose harissa, mustard (various), plamil vegan mayo, tamarind paste, peanut butter or cashew almond etc butters, vegemite,

cereal- rice & millet flakes, porridge oats with fruit & nuts, oat cluster with coconut fruit & nuts

pasta - corn, corn with vegetable, spelt pasta, rice pasta, brown or white rice noodles, spelt noodles, buckwheat noodles.

Potatoes, carrots, courgettes, onions, corn on the cob, apples bananas, mangoes, oranges, exotic fruit occaisionally,

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12/12/07 8:53 A

Here's mine:

Beans
Brown rice
Tofu
Almond milk
Hemp Milk
Fruit (fresh and frozen)
Veggies
Hummus
Avocado
7 grain or sprouted bread
Quick Oats
Raisins
Nuts
Amy's Burritos
Almond Butter
Teechino

Lauren

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12/12/07 8:08 A

In addition, I think it’s also good to have a good selection of herbs and spices too. The right spices can catapult your meals into something you never imagined. You may want to have the following on hand:

GarlicPowder
Thyme
Basil
Marjoram
Ginger
Black Pepper
Bay Leaves
Sea Salt
Paprika
Parsley Flakes
Onion Powder
Lemon Pepper
Oregano
Mustard Seeds
Worcetershire Sauce
Lite Soysauce
Vegetable Bullion


Edited by: WILLBOYWONDER at: 12/12/2007 (08:09)

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12/12/07 6:25 A

I have a breadmaker in which I make pizza dough. I make small individual crusts that I pre-cook and keep in my feezer to top however I wish for a quick easy meal later.

Posts: 3,267
12/11/07 11:48 P

Great topic! Think I need to make up a list too.

I keep a lot of no salt added canned diced tomatoes on hand. Cabbage keeps pretty well and is good in soups. I also found Amy's frozen vegan pizza. Love it for a quick meal especially when I'm by myself.
Joan

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12/11/07 9:50 P

i always keep on hand frozen edamame in the shells. They are great for an easy and healthy snack.

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12/11/07 8:57 P

I'll add:

TVP
Nutritional Yeast

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12/11/07 8:36 P

beans! beans! beans! all kinds (this is probably my primary source of protein)
tofu
nuts
seeds
brown rice
whole wheat pastas
vegetable broth/bullion
a plethora of dried herbs and spices
onions
garlic
barley
bulgar
quinoa
ground flax
Bob's Red Mill whole grain hot cereals (different mixes)
Tazo chai tea (in the carton)
dried fruits
natural peanut butter
organic jellies
extra virgin olive oil
sesame oil
balsamic vinegar

Other perishables I have on hand most of the time:
eggs
cheese
soy milk
apples
bananas
oranges
pears
bell peppers
mushrooms
cucumbers
zucchini
yellow squash
sweet potatoes

current weight: 131.0

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12/11/07 8:15 P

I'll try to add to the list and not duplicate.
Whole flaxseed that I grind a little at a time.
Cinnamon (lots of spices) for both savory and sweet.
raisins
nuts and nut butters
whole grain flours
salsa and hot sauce (love habanero a little goes a long way)
extra virgin olive oil
canola oil
sea salt
mustard
corn tortillas
FlatOut flatbread
yeast (for breadmaking and pizza dough)
pasta
spaghetti sauce
oats
quinoa
grits
potatoes
cornmeal
baking powder and soda
vanilla




Edited by: GODMYFULLNESS at: 12/12/2007 (13:03)

Posts: 416
12/11/07 7:58 P

I keep things like beans (both canned and dried) and rice, canned tomatoes, cans/boxes of veggie stock, tortillas. From that combination plus having some veggies on hand, I can make:

Burritos
rice and beans
chili
several different kinds of soup
pasta sauce


Plus you could make something like rice with curried chick peas and then have pita chips and hummus, etc. I also like to keep some frozen vegetables around. Frozen cauliflower, string beans, broccoli and peas are great for bulking up soups, throwing into curries, or just as a side.

Can't wait to see what other people suggest. :)

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12/11/07 7:55 P

Kidney beans
Garbanzo beans
vegetable broth

I used to buy these canned, but I've started cooking them from scratch and freezing them in can-sized portions.

Steel cut oats
brown rice
barley

white whole wheat
popcorn
From these I mill my own whole wheat flour and cornmeal.

Fresh:
carrots
celery
onions
parsley
apples
oranges

There's probably more, but that's a good start.

Flo

current weight: 182.0

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12/11/07 7:47 P

Oh this is wonderful! Thanks for posting this thread. I was just getting ready to make a list for my grocery run this week

Stacy

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12/11/07 7:46 P

Hi,

what about grains? Millet and quinoa are delicious and so is barley. I love almost all grains. Try different kinds in different recipes.

i use to eat Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese but i saw it had lots of trans fat in it so i stopped .

I try not to eat processed food so i now make my own garden burgers and hummus, i think it actually tastes better too.



have fun

nancy

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12/11/07 7:43 P

more beans: pinto, navy, kidney, etc.

brown rice

tofu (i like the aseptic containers as they last a while)

an exotic array of spices (curry, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, tumeric, allspice, cumin, za'atar, paprika, saffron, etc.)

Edited by: LOULOUB at: 12/11/2007 (19:54)

Posts: 13
12/11/07 7:37 P

I'm trying to compile a basic pantry list for what foods are great to make sure you have on-hand either for recipes or quick meals and snacks.

I always make sure I have:

Gardenburgers
Hummus
Pita Chips
Tings
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Kashi Go Lean Crunch
Garbanzo beans
Bell peppers - all colors
Onions
Earth Balance spread
Soy Milk
Organic decaf green tea
Fruit - whatever I'm in the mood for
Salad greens
Amy's Organic Soups

I think I found a lot of good quick snacks/lunch ideas, but I'm lacking in general staples for cooking recipes.

Got any favorites I can add to my "usual" list?