Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Pecan-Date Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apples

This is a great healthy dessert recipe that can even be made as a breakfast - and when it's in the baking dish right out of the oven it looks so beautiful (I just forgot to take pics at that stage!) I used Granny Smith apples for a tart twang, but it would be equally good with a sweeter apple, as long as it's a crisp apple, not mushy like red delicious variety. Pink Lady or Honeycrisp would be good varieties, I think.

One serving of the dish, reheated with a little almond milk on there to moisten it up

Pecan-Date Oatmeal Stuffed Baked Apples

(This recipe would serve 4 for dessert or 2-3 for a hearty breakfast. If you want to make breakfast for a family of 4 I would double the recipe.)

Ingredients:
-2 large baking apples, skin left on but cored
-1 cup oats
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
-5-6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (if you don't like dates or don't have them, you can sub dried apricots or even raisins)
-1 tbsp ground flax
-1/3 cup chopped pecans (or hazelnuts would also work well here)
-1 1/2 cups almond milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-3 tbsp brown sugar mixed with 1 tbsp margarine or vegan butter (optional)
-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Wash and core apples so that there is enough room in the core for stuffing. Lightly oil a baking dish (I used sunflower oil on a 9" square Pyrex dish).

In a bowl, mix together all the other ingredients (except for optional brown sugar mixture and maple syrup). Using a spoon, stuff apple cores with the oatmeal mixture and then pour the remaining oatmeal all over and around the apples.

Put in oven for about 30-35 minutes. **At this stage, if you want a sweeter dish (maybe only if using for a dessert?) mix together 1 tbsp melted margarine and 3 tbsp brown sugar and drizzle this over the whole thing when there's about 10 minutes left on the oven timer. Or, skip this and when the dish is done, drizzle some maple syrup over it.

(Note: I found this dish was sweet enough for breakfast without additional sugar/maple syrup. But for a dessert, I definitely preferred some extra sweetener on there.)

Extreme close up! Gooey baked apple and nutty delicious oatmeal.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup with Herbs

I think that roasting almost anything makes it so much more delicious and brings out the concentrated flavors so well, with so little effort on the cook's part. This soup is almost completely comprised of roasted cherry tomatoes (or other small vine tomatoes) and tastes great. You will definitely need a blender or food processor to do it though. Also - it sounds like a lot of tomatoes but this amount yielded enough for about 4 large bowls.



Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup with Herbs

Ingredients:
-4 lbs. cherry tomatoes, or other small vine tomatoes - washed and removed from vines
-2 sweet onions, peeled and chopped into large sections
-4 tbsp. dried Italian herbs (inc. basil, oregano, rosemary)
-handful of sprigs of fresh thyme
-1 tsp. sea salt
-4 tbsp. lemon juice
-8 tbsp. olive oil (a good one if you have it)
-5 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
-1 tbsp. vegan butter (or margarine)
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F. In a roasting pan, spread out tomatoes and onion in one layer. If you have too many, you might have to roast in 2 batches, as I did. Pour 1/2 the olive oil and 1/2 the lemon juice over the tomatoes/onion if you're roasting in 2 batches. (If you can fit all the tomatoes/onions in one layer of your pan, then 1 batch is fine, then just put all the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and herbs in one pan instead of splitting them between the 2.) Rub the oil and lemon juice on the tomatoes and onions with your fingers to ensure somewhat even distribution. 
 
Tomatoes, onions, herbs and garlic BEFORE roasting

Then sprinkle the salt and dried herbs over the tomatoes/onions and stick in the garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme. Sprinkle some cracked pepper on top of the whole pan and put in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the onions are very soft. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the onions from the pan with tongs and set them on a plate to cool. Put the roasting pan back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes. Your tomatoes should look a little browned, shriveled, and popping open - but not burned. At that point, remove the pan and set on a rack to cool for a bit. At this point, remove all the thyme stems and throw them away.

Tomatoes, onions, herbs and garlic AFTER roasting

Put the vegan butter/margarine, onions and the tomato mixture from the roasting pan (along with all the oils/juices!) into a food processor or blender, and blend until very smooth. You will probably have to do this in 2 batches as well unless you have a seriously large blender. It's ok if the batches don't have even amounts of herbs/oil, etc because you're going to transfer all of it into a soup pan on the stove to keep warm and add the final ingredient - a little cayenne. At that point it will all become mixed and blended well.

Once it's simmered on the stove for a bit, serve!
Extreme close up

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Melty Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

These muffins are again a pretty healthy snack (only 2 tablespoons of oil!) but DO NOT taste healthy at all. For peanut butter/chocolate lovers like me, they are heaven. Also, they took only 10 minutes to throw together (plus cooking time). Healthier than most cookies and everyone will be shocked they're vegan.
  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry:
-1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1/3 cup rolled oats

Wet:
-mixture of 1/4 cup soy milk + 1 tsp ground flax seeds
-1 large banana, mushed
-2/3 cup maple syrup
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-1 tsp vanilla

Warmed:
-2 tbsp coconut oil or peanut oil
-5 tbsp peanut butter

Fold in:
-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Then mix together the soy milk and ground flax and set aside to meld a bit.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add in wet ingredients (including the milk/flax mix).

Warm the peanut butter and oil in the microwave a bit - not too hot but warm enough so that it is melty and liquidy. Pour into the batter and mix well. The batter should be room temperature because you don't want the chocolate chips melting when you mix them in.

Pour into muffin cups, filling to the near-top, and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Delish!


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Make Your Own Granola; Impress Friends

Even if you are no culinary maven, you too can make your own granola. If you've ever looked at the nutrition information and did a double take at the calories then you might want to consider making your own and storing it in an airtight container. Takes no time at all and you can change the recipe depending on what ingredients you have on hand and what you're in the mood for. Plus it makes your whole house smell lovely, especially in the fall.

Crunchy Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
-3/4 cup vegan butter (margarine or other substitute, such as coconut oil)
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/3 cup water
-2 tbsp vanilla
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-4 cups oats
-2 cups nut of choice (walnuts are my favorite)
-1 cup flaked coconut
-3/4 cup small nut pieces (I like to use a different nut here, like hazelnuts I've slammed around in a plastic ziplock bag or pulsed a little in the food processor)

Method:


Preheat oven to 300F.  Combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, and vanilla in a large saucepan and heat slowly until gently bubbling. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well (not with your hands.  It's hot.) 

Spread evenly on cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring around/flipping with a spatula every 15 minutes.  Watch to make sure nuts don't burn.

Turn off oven after 45 minutes and allow granola to stand until oven has cooled, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and allow granola to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Chili-Lime-Brown Sugar Baked Nuts

This is a quick recipe for an incredibly addictive party food - baked nuts.  The tart lime mixed with hot chili powder and sugar produces an amazing and different taste.  You can really use any kind of nut you want but I usually do a combination of peanuts, cashews and walnuts.

Chili-Lime-Brown Sugar Baked Mixed Nuts

Ingredients:
-4 cups of nuts (any kind you want, or a mixture)
-1/4 cup lime juice
-1/2 tbsp sesame oil (or olive oil if you don't have sesame)
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-2 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 400.  Toss all ingredients together in a bowl with your hands, making sure all nuts are getting about the same amount of the spices/sugar.  Spread evenly on baking sheet (you might need 2 sheets, because they shouldn't be too crowded or in piles).

Bake for about 7-8 minutes, remove from oven and shake around/toss with a spatula.  Return the sheet to the oven and bake another 8-10 minutes.  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn - they are done with they smell great and look browned and dry.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Veggie-Stuffed Vegan "Quiche"

This beautiful light and fluffy "quiche" is great because you can put almost anything in it and it will turn out beautifully. Last night I put scallions and 2 different kinds of mushrooms in it, but I have listed some other ideas below that would also work great. It is really easy and you can find the chickpea flour at any healthfood store. It also works best with a springform pan.

Vegan Veggie-Stuffed "Quiche"

Ingredients:
-2 1/2 cups chickpea flour
-2 1/2 cups water
-2 1/2 tsp salt
-dash black pepper

Fillings:
-3 cups chanterelle mushrooms
-1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, sliced
-2 cups finely sliced scallions
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 tsp olive oil
-1 tsp olive oil (another, separate)

Some other ideas for fillings:
-3 cups roasted red peppers, finely diced
-1 cup sliced mushrooms on top
-1 cup crumbled vegan feta cheese
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 cup finely sliced red onion
OR
-1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
-1/2 cup chopped basil
-1/2 cup chopped white onion
-2 cups sliced mushrooms


Method:

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a springform pan.

Heat the tsp of olive oil in a large pan or wok and once hot, add in the minced garlic. Stir in the chanterelle mushrooms and saute until they have a bit of color, set aside. Keep pan hot.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, water and salt. Then add in the scallions and the chanterelles you just cooked and stir together.

Add your 2nd tsp of oil to the pan and once hot, add the sliced button mushrooms. Stir frequently until cooked a bit with some color. Set aside and turn off heat.

Pour the flour/scallion/chanterelle mixture into your springform pan and spread so it's fairly even. Then pour the sliced button mushrooms on top and scatter then, pressing them lightly into the "quiche."

Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. You can lightly touch the top and press with your fingers to see whether it's cooked through. It should be dry on top but still light and a bit "airy." Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the springform, then remove the pan and slice for serving!


(I served mine with some fried tempeh slices, but it would be great with a vinegar-y salad too!)

Monday, October 15, 2012

Chai Pumpkin Berry Muffins (Zero Fat!)



Extreme close-up of melting berry goodness



Aerial view of awesome pumpkin muffins

About a week ago I roasted up a medium-sized pumpkin and pureed the flesh. I froze it in 1 cup amounts and so lately have been making several recipes which feature pumpkin because all I have to do is whip out a Tupperware container from my freezer the night before and let it defrost in the fridge and I have the main ingredient all ready to go. This weekend I tried another of Kathy's great recipes from her blog "Happy. Healthy. Life." and once again it didn't disappoint. For those of you who are looking for healthy recipes, this one definitely qualifies because it has NO FATS in it at all - no oil, butters, eggs, etc. Only oats, berries, pumpkin, etc. And not a whole lot of sugar either.


Chai Pumpkin Berry Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry:
-1 1/4 cups rolled oats
-3/4 cup + 1 tbsp flour
-1 tsp salt
-1 tbsp baking powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/2 cup + 1 tbsp sugar

Wet:
-1/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened
-3/4 cup pumpkin puree
-1 tsp vanilla
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-1 tbsp orange juice (we don't have OJ in the house so I used water and it was fine)

Egg replacer:
-1/2 cup boiling water + 1 chai tea bag - strongly brewed
-2 tsp ground flax seeds

Fold ins:
-1/4 cup sliced almonds (or any nuts) (I didn't use any nuts in mine)
-1 cup mixed berries (I just used organic frozen berries)


Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin tin with paper cups. Boil the water and steep the tea for a few minutes, squeezing out as much chai flavor as possible then toss the bag. Add the flax powder and stir well, set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add in the wet ingredients and stir well.

Fold in the tea+seeds, fold in the berries/nuts. Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes (test with a toothpick - it should come out clean).

Potato Broccoli Bisque with Carmelized Onions

I love creamy, thick soups in the fall - especially if I know they don't have actual cream in them so I can eat as much as I want without feeling guilty. One way to achieve that really thick "bisque-y" consistency is with potatoes. I tried this potato-broccoli soup and loved it, especially with the carmelized onion/tomato topping and a little squirt of balsamic vinegar. Plus, it's really easy. All you need is a pot and a blender!


"Cheesy" Potato Broccoli Bisque

Ingredients:
-2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
-5 cups broccoli florets
-1 1/2 cups soy milk (unsweetened)
-1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
-1 1/2 tsp salt (maybe more, to taste)
-2/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
-fresh black pepper to taste
-1 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/8 tsp liquid smoke
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Ingredients for topping:
-1 small red onion, roughly diced
-1 medium tomato, diced
-3/4 tsp salt
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)

Method:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add some salt. Once boiling, add potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Then add broccoli and cook until it's all cooked through and a bit soft, maybe an additional 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.

Put vegetable broth, soy milk, and yeast flakes in a blender and slowly add the veggies, one cup at a time, blending after each addition until totally smooth. Once all veggies are added, pour soup into the large pot you cooked your veggies in and keep on stove over low heat to keep warm. At this stage, add the salt, pepper, Tabasco, cayenne, liquid smoke, and cider vinegar. If it's too thick, add about 1/3-1/2 cup more veggie broth.

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it's shimmering. Add the chopped onion and salt and stir around on med-high heat for 5-8 minutes until it's looking carmelized. Add in the tomato and stir around until it's as carmelized and warm as you want.

Serve soup with a few tablespoons of the tomato-onion mix and a sprinkle of vegan cheese on top and a squirt of thick balsamic vinegar, and some crusty bread!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

These are chocolate-y, moist, rich, fruity and addictive.  Also only took me about 30 minutes, TOTAL, to make.  Enough said.




Dark Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/3 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/3 cup peanut oil
-1/3 cup soy or almond milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 tsp almond or rum extract
-2/3 cup sugar
-6-8 tsp raspberry jam

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda, set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together all wet ingredients except jam.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix very well.  The dough should be fairly thick.

Set the bowl of dough next to a little bowl with some warm water and the cookie sheet.  Put a few drops of water on your hands and take about a tablespoon of dough in your hands, roll it into a ball, and place on the cookie sheet.  You will need a few more drops of water after every couple cookies in order to keep the dough rolling in your hands without it sticking to your skin and coming apart.

Once you fill a cookie sheet, put in oven for 5 minutes.  Take out and make thumbprints in each cookie.  Because these are going to be HOT, maybe use a little teaspoon (or even espresso spoon) to make these indentations.  I dipped the backside of the spoon in the water bowl after every 2-3 cookies so the dough didn't stick to the spoon.  After each cookie has a dent, fill with 1/4-1/2 tsp of jam each.  Then return the sheet to the oven for 7 more minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes before gently moving each cookie to a rack to cool completely.

Made about 27 cookies.



Friday, October 12, 2012

Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf

I was waiting until Friday to share this one on the blog, because I think it is really special. I really love reading Angela's Oh She Glows blog, and trust her recipe choices and instincts. So this week she mentioned that this Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf is among her top 10 favorite recipes ever and I decided I need to try it. I admit, "lentil walnut apple loaf" (or, really, anything with the word "loaf") doesn't really sound too appealing. But when I looked at the ingredients, it seemed like a great combination of flavors. It is a little bit labor intensive so I would say it's perhaps a weekend recipe. But on the upside it makes a whole loaf, so you will definitely have leftovers. It is REALLY filling and absolutely delicious - nutty and sweet and smoky. As usual, I made some minor adjustments but the original recipe of Angela's can be found here:

(I realize this photo is not the most appealing - the top is not burnt, that is the glaze.  And it really is super, super moist.  I promise.)

Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf
Ingredients:
-1 cup uncooked green lentils
-1 cup walnuts, chopped
-3 tbsp ground flax seed + 1/2 cup water
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 1/2 cups diced mixed onion (I used about 1 cup of yellow onion and 1/2 a cup of combined red onion and shallots for sweetness)
-1 cup diced celery
-1 cup grated carrot
-1/2 cup grated apple (peel before grating)
-1/3 cup raisins
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-3/4 cup breadcrumbs
-2 tsp fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp dried thyme
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 tsp red pepper flakes
-2 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce

Ingredients for Balsamic Apple Glaze and sauce:
-1/4 cup ketchup
-1 tsp chipotle Tabasco sauce
-2 tbsp apple sauce or apple chutney
-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
 
Method:

Preheat oven to 325F. Rinse and strain lentils. Place lentils into pot along with 3 cups of water (or veg broth). Bring to a boil and season with salt. Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer, uncovered, for at least 45-55 minutes. Stir frequently & add touch of water if needed. The goal is to over-cook the lentils slightly. Mash lentils with a potato masher when ready.

Toast walnuts at 325F for about 8-10 minutes. Set aside. Increase oven temp to 350F. Whisk ground flax with water in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion for about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Now add in the diced celery, shredded carrot and apple, and raisins. Saute for about 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you need to add a couple tbsp of water, go ahead but it should be very thick and you may need to even mix it all up with your hands.

Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Press mixture firmly into pan with your hands. Whisk glaze ingredients and then spread half on top of loaf. Reserve the rest for a dipping sauce.

Bake at 350F for 40-50 minutes, uncovered. Edges will be lightly brown. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. It's best to let it cool on the rack another 10-15 minutes before slicing.

This is great served either with some of the remaining glaze/sauce or some applesauce on the side.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Morning Smoothies

Last night I had a request to share the smoothie recipe I use to make smoothies each weekday morning – it’s not really a “recipe” per se but it is quite filling and tasty so of course I’ll oblige.  This makes 2 smoothies and takes care of so many of the vitamins and minerals you need, so even if you have a “coffee – pastry – soda – candy bar – pizza – beer” kind of day, this will at least get you some nutrition before it all goes downhill. (And yes, vegans have those days too but it’s more like “coffee – Clif bar – coffee – crackers – half a baguette dipped in olive oil – wine – wine – wine.”)  J
Morning Smoothies for Two
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup soy yogurt (flavor of your choice)
-2 scoops protein powder (we use Sun Warrior rice protein; it equates to about 30 grams of protein)
-1 tbsp ground flax
-1 banana
-1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
- block of frozen spinach, thawed (or about 2 cups fresh spinach)
-1 cup almond or soy milk
-1/2 of a mango, cubed (optional)

Method:

Put it all in a blender or Vitamix and blend at least a minute on high until it is very smooth.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie (no bake!)

This pie was a gamble.  I used a lot of ingredients and tried a lot of the steps in here for the very first time.  There were little complications along the way (i.e. they don’t sell pre-made pie crusts here!  So I made one using vegan cookies and margarine).  But in the end it turned out GREAT so I needed to pass it along asap.  It is creamy and delicious an if you like peanut butter and chocolate together you will adore it, I promise. 
Like some other recipes, I got the general idea and outline of a recipe from another source, but I tweaked it to improve it along the way so I will link to the original but below write the way that I did it that I think has some minor improvements.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie
Ingredients for pie crust (if making your own.  If not making your own, I think graham cracker or chocolate would be best here):
-1 ¾ cups crumbs from your favorite cookie
-1/4 cup melted margarine

Ingredients for chocolate mousse:
-1/2 cup soy milk or almond milk
-1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
-3 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
-3/4 cup sugar
-3 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
-1 ½ tsp salt
-1 16 oz. block of silken tofu
-dash cinnamon

Ingredients for peanut butter swirl:
-3/4 cup coconut cream (chilled in fridge)
-1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-3 tbsp agave syrup
-1/4 tsp salt
-dash cinnamon
-dash cayenne

Method:

First, if you aren’t chilling a can of coconut cream, do so for a while.  It needs to be cold (not frozen).  If you need to make your own crust, do so first by mixing the crumbs and melted margarine in a bowl and then patting it firmly down into a pie pan with your fingers.  Make sure it’s as even as possible and there are no holes, then put it in the fridge to chill and harden up.

Then start making the chocolate mousse.  On the stovetop, heat the soy milk over medium heat.  Once hot, dissolve the arrowroot powder/cornstarch and sugar.  Then add chocolate chips and cocoa powder and stir until it thickens.  Remove from heat.  Once it’s a bit cooler, put it in the food processor or blender with the silken tofu and remaining mousse ingredients (salt, cinnamon) and blend very well.  Set aside to let cool some more.

Then make your peanut butter swirl.  Start with gently opening your coconut cream can and spooning off ¾ cup of the cream (which should now be very thick/hardish from the cold) and set it in a large bowl.  Add the peanut butter and other swirl ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until it’s fluffy or buttery like cream cheese.  If you need to water it down and smooth it out, use some of the leftover liquid coconut milk, tablespoon by tablespoon, until you have a nice thick consistency.

Pour the chocolate mousse into the pie crust about ¾ of the way full.  Then spoon the peanut butter swirl over the top and using a butter knife swirl it into the chocolate a bit.  Put the pie in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

You may have extra chocolate mousse or PB swirl – I put these in little martini glasses and made parfaits.  These too must be chilled a while to achieve the best thick consistency.

Staples for Your Kitchen

A faithful and beautiful reader (ok it was my mom) pointed out to me this week that a lot of these recipes seem to have a LOT of ingredients, and even though I say they’re easy, anything with a lot of ingredients looks daunting.  Point taken.  But I really truly believe these are EASY recipes for the most part because there are certain staple ingredients which I always have on hand.  I suspect most vegans or vegetarians have these kinds of food, but I thought I would make a list of staples and post here in case any of you are wondering what kinds of things I like to have on hand at any given recipe-inspiration moment.  So here they are – things I would urge anyone interested in a slightly less meaty/more vegetarian diet should have in their pantry:
Sauces/wet:
Soy sauce
Maple syrup
Rice vinegar
Dijon mustard
Sesame oil
Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Agave syrup
Coconut milk
Soy, almond, or other non-dairy milk

Grains:
Brown rice
Quinoa
Couscous
Risotto rice
Wheatberries

Baking:
Wheat flour
Raw sugar
Flax seeds (and something to grind them with like a coffee bean grinder;  these can be used as a substitute for eggs in vegan baking)
Cocoa powder (unsweetened)
Dark chocolate chips
Raisins
Nuts
Baking powder
Baking soda
Sea salt
Margarine
Arrowroot powder (for thickening sauces)
Peanut butter
Silken tofu
Oats

Fresh:
Garlic
Onions
Ginger
Scallions

Vegan staples:
Smoked extra firm tofu
Tempeh
Seitan
Cans of beans
Lentils