A lot of people who want to try out a vegan diet struggle with deciding what to buy. Especially when you are transitioning to a plant-based diet it seems like everything you used to eat isn't vegan. This is why I figured I would show you the things that I usually buy when going grocery shopping. Of course I don't always have all these things at home, but I try to.
1.
Plant-milk: This is just a basic. You can choose between so many different kinds of plant-milk: Rice milk and oat milk, which are both quiet sweet; almond milk and other kinds of nut milk; coconut milk and of course the classic soy milk. All of them taste differently, so feel free to switch them up whenever you like so it doesn't get boring! You can use them for baking, your cereal and of course drinks like coffee and hot chocolate.
Carbs:
2.
Oats: I
can't imagine a life without oats anmore. I used to hate them, but they are acutually so tasty and versitile! I use them for porridge, cookies, smoothies, granola, bred, pancakes... The possibilties are endless. The great thing about oats is that they are very filling and healthy, which explains why they are so poular for breakfast.
3.
Pasta and Rice, Couscous: M
y favourite foods ever. No explanation needed.
4.
Rye bread and wholewheat toast: A
nother basic food that everybody needs in their house. I love smashing up some avocado on the bread or eat it with nut butters and banana. Whenever I am in a rush or too lazy to cook myself a nice meal I usually go with some slices of bred.
5.
Flour: A lot of people don't believe it, but yes: vegan baking is just as easy as regular baking! That's why I always have some flour at home, because who doesn't enjoy pancakes, crêpes and cake?
6.
Wraps & Rice paper: I am such a huge fan of burritos! Furthermore, wraps are just as perfect for quick meals as bred is. You can put everything you have in your fridge ( I usually use my leftovers) inside. The same things goes for rice paper, it doesn't really matter what you put inside of the spring or summer rolls that you can prepare with those - just make sure you dip them in a nice sauce and it is going to taste amazing.
Veggies:
7.
Garlic and Onions: I know a lot of people who hate garlic or onions, but that's definitly not the case for me. I'm obsessed with both of them and you will find them in almost everything I cook. I'm sorry for the people who have to spend time with me after one of my garlic flavoured meals, just not sorry enough to leave them out.
8.
Spinach: Spinach is a great plant-based source of protein, so I try to add it to most of my meals. I really like the taste of those green leaves, but don't worry if you are not a big fan of it: If you add spinach to a smoothies or a sauce you won't even taste it!
9.
Chickpeas: They are great for all my favourite foods: Hummus, Falafel and Indian currys. Life wouldn't be the same without them. Another good thing: They are packed with important protein too.
10.
Beans: Black / Kidney beans are great for preparing veggie patties for extremly tasty vegan burgers. I cook a lot of mexican food, which is why you can always find them on my grocery shopping list. Can you imagine a burrito without beans?
11.
Mushrooms, Eggplant,/Aubergine, Zuccini/Courgette: Because they are incredibly tasty and work great in all kinds of dishes.
12.
Tomatos: For pasta sauce, wraps and curries or a fresh salad.
13.
Sweet potato: If I could eat one single thing for the rest of my life it would be sweet potato. I remember cooking it for the first time for my parents a few years ago. All of us were so amazed by the taste and since that time it has become a must-have in my fridge. Another great thing about sweet potatos is that they are extremly healthy! If you haven't tried them out yet, I suggest you do it. Immediatly.
Fruit:
14.
Bananas: Every vegan on the internet seems to be addicted to bananas. For a good reason! They are nice to replace eggs when baking. If you like breakfast smoothies you should definitly try out a banana chocolate milkshake, which is my absoluty favourite. Another vegan classic is Banana ice cream which is the easiest and quickest self-made ice cream ever.
15
. Frozen berries: I use them for acai bowls, berry ice cream and self-made chia jam.
16.
Apples, watermelon & fresh berries
17.
Avocado: I pick up an avocado everytime I go to the grocery store. No exceptions. It's my favourite topping for bred ever! Even in my vegetarian times I used to prefer it over cheese and butter. You can top your burritos with self-made Guacomole or put the avocado in salads. An avocoado is also awesome for vegan pesto.
Nuts & Seeds
18.
Nut butters: I love love love nut butters to top my porride and pancakes and eat them on bread. Almond butter is great to give some meals a creamy constistency and peanut butter creates amazing african dishes. My favourite one though is Tahini because it makes great salad dressings. But seriously, I adore all of them, even though they are slightly more expensive.
19.
Chia seeds: Another thing that every vegan blogger seems to be in love with. At first I did not understand the trend. That changed when I tried chia-pudding for the first time. It's amazing and so easy! They are also great for creating "chia-eggs" when baking vegan.
20.
Cashews: Before I went vegan I was obsessed with cheese. It was the only thing I was worried abot missing when I made the decision to stay away from animal products for good. Cashew nuts are great for creating vegan cheese (sauce) which is also way healthier than the regular one!
Sweet stuff
21. Dates: Dates are sweet as sugar, but a natural and therefore healthier option. I usually use them for milk shakes, baking & topping my porridge. They are a great snack too if you find yourself craving something sweet.
22. Raisins: Have you ever tried hot raisins? They taste around 256 times better when you heat them, which is why I always cook them with my oats in the morning. The dried grapes bring every couscous salad or granola to the next level.
23. Dark chocolate: I admit it: I am a chocaholic. Seroiusly, I need to eat something chocolate flavoured everyday to stay sane and happy. You might call it a bad habit, but I won't give it up. Ever.
24. Natural sweetener: I tend to stick to maple syrup or date nectar. Both of them are equally as tasty, so I usually buy the cheapest one or the one they have in store( not kidding). They are a lot of other options out there like coconut sugar or avage nectar if you prefer those.
Spices
25.
Curry and red, green & yellow curry paste: Because curry is my favourite thing to eat.
26.
Cinnamon: Telling you that I love cinamonn would be an understatement. I am the kind of person who puts cinamonn in their coffee at Starbucks - every time. In my kitchen I use it for almost everthing: Porridge, pancakes, arabian dishes, curries, baking... You can never go wrong with cinnamon!
27.
Vanilla extract & raw cacao powder: For all kind of breakfast & sweet foods.
28.
Fresh Parsely, Coriander and Basil: Fresh herbs make every dish way better. I use a lot of them, but the three that I mentioned are the ones I use on a daily-basis.
Etc:
29.
Soy sauce & Chilli sauce: B
ecause what would asian food be without them?
30.
Coconut milk ( the one for cooking): For all kinds of curry, wether it is an indian or thai one. Coconut milk is what creates the creamy consistency.