Welcome to vegan cooking! It is so much fun, and I am glad you are interested! This section is going to highlight some of the things I (and other vegans apparently) always have around and which make regular appearances in my recipes.
Nutritional yeast
-This is NOT the same thing as active yeast!!! Don't make that rookie mistake. It's a yellow substance which is available in bulk at Whole Foods and health stores and is typically available in powder or flake form. I always get the powdered form because it's cheaper. "Nooch" as it is sometimes affectionately called is instrumental in most vegan cheeses and serves a variety of other purposes. It is also used in most seitans, along with...
Vital wheat gluten
-Sorry, gluten-free folks. VWG is one of my absolute favorite things to cook with because it makes a substance so meaty it can satisfy even the most dedicated of carnivores. I use it in "meat"balls, sausages, sandwich "meats," chickn cutlets, oven roasts, and seitan steaks. If you have never tried it, you're missing out. It's basically pure protein from wheat flour: all the starch is washed away from the flour until pure protein remains. I use Bob's Mills brand, available in 623 g bags at Whole Foods.
Extra firm (or Super firm) tofu
Many of my recipes call for smooth or soft tofu, but super/extra firm tofu is indispensable. It can be battered and fried, marinated and roasted, dry-rubbed and sauteed. The possibilities are endless and you can bet I'll be exploring all of them in this blog.
Tempeh
There are several varieties and styles of tempeh out there, but I haven't felt the need to branch out beyond the two basic options available at Hannaford's: Lightlife's Three Grain and Flax Seed. I use tempeh in chilis, for "tempacon" (that's tempeh bacon), in sandwiches, and for several other purposes. To be honest, between the meaty type trifecta of VWG, tofu, and tempeh, I would say I favor tempeh the least. But it does definitely serve a purpose and will still show up frequently in the blog.
Egg Replacer
I don't know of any brands other than Ener-G Egg Replacer, but I think it's just arrowroot flour or something anyway. For most of the recipes I veganize, this is the option I use, especially if it's for baking or battering purposes. That being said, PETAs website has a ton of egg replacer options available on their website that you probably already have in your kitchen, so feel free to experiment!
A well-stocked spice rack
I don't know how else to put this. When I started cooking vegan, my spice rack at least doubled in size. I know spices are expensive, but the thing is you only use a little at a time, and they make a huge difference in the quality of your food. It's a small upfront investment that pays dividends in personal satisfaction. Whenever possible, my recipes will use dried and ground spices rather than their generally more expensive fresh counterparts. I'm not a snob. I'm a pragmatist.
Several varieties of beans
We always have at the very least black beans and chickpeas in the pantry. That being said, pinto beans and kidney beans also show up in some of my favorite recipes. Lentils- are lentils beans? At the very least they're legumes, and they also show up a lot in vegan cooking. I've always bought them in cans, but to save money I am trying to transition to dry beans in bulk.
Vegan milk of choice
Soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk, almond milk. People favor different milks for different reasons, which is a great example of how vegans actually have MORE options, not fewer, than their omnivorous counterparts. I usually go with almond milk: high in calcium and protein to support my running and generally also the cheapest. In my recipes, it never makes a difference which you use really, so I generally just say vegan milk or something to that effect. However, there is an exception...
Full-Fat Coconut Milk
This does not serve the purpose of milk in veganized recipes: it fills the role of cream. I highly recommend Geisha brand, it is definitely the creamiest. It can be used to make whipped cream, ice cream, frosting, and several other delicious dessert-type things.
I am sure this section will grow as I think of other things that are important. Stay tuned!
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