The 8 Things I Always Have on Hand in My Vegan Kitchen.

Here is a list of the 8 staples that I always have on hand in my vegan kitchen.

Having these versatile items stocked in my pantry helps me create healthy, hearty meals and snacks easily and quickly. You can create lots of varied dishes by adding in a few extra ingredients or simply mixing and matching these 8. If you are thinking of trying out some vegan dishes, or are worried that if you went vegan you wouldn't know what to cook for yourself this is a good place to start

1. Bananas.
   These are great for any baking you might be doing. The general rule is one medium ripe banana for every one egg the recipe calls for. The banana will bind the recipes together and help keep your baked goods moist. Bananas go great served with rice dishes, especially Somali recipes. Also, most obviously, super handy as a grab and eat snack. I've even had boiled bananas with a little oil drizzled
   on them, made by a friend of mine, this summer and they were amazing.

1. Black Beans
   I don't think there are many recipes that couldn't be made better by throwing in a few servings of black beans. Scrambled tofu for breakfast? Add black beans! Salad for lunch? Add black beans! Are you going to make some vegan "meatballs" for dinner? Vegan burgers? What about soup, nachos, or dips? How about some decadent chocolate brownies for dessert? You can find great black bean version recipes for all of these online. We certainly love black beans in this house.

1. Tomatoes
   Tomatoes help bulk up lots of recipes, too. I love just slicing or dicing them and throwing them on top of whatever is for dinner. I always add a few slices to my favorite lunch, grilled cheeze, and also my favorite breakfast, avocado toast. If you want to eat healthier, try not buying canned and jarred spaghetti sauces and salsa, which can have scary preservatives, tons of sugar, and way too much salt. Simply make your own with the tomatoes you have on hand. There are tons of easy recipes
   online for this. I can tell you, the satisfaction and pride from everyone complimenting your tomato sauce will leave you blushing!

1. Peppers
   Peppers are great raw or cooked. You can find peppers in sweet or spicy. If you are lucky enough to have a green thumb and some sunny yard space you could probably grow your own! So whats not to love, right? However, the real reason for peppers on this list is because they are my favorite vegetable. So, what's your favorite vegetable? What ever it is, try to keep some on hand and work it into whatever recipe your cooking. Work them into your spaghetti sauce with your tomatoes. Vegetable tatins, vegetable fries, even vegetable noodles are some great places to start, too. Try playing around with baking them and adding some herbs, or grilling some marinaded vegetables, and one of my personal favorites, stir fry.

1. Tofu
   Some people shy away from cooking their own tofu because they don't quite know the best or easiest ways of cooking it. There are lots of great tofu recipes floating around, but I'd recommend starting with some easy ones first. In fact, my first Steemit post was a crispy tofu tacos recipe, it's easy and after the prep is done it is cooked super quick. Tofu doesn't have any flavor really so I always balance it with something that's got a kick to it. You can slice the tofu into strips, coat in nutritional yeast, or coat in barbeque sauce, then bake. My favorite is grilled tofu. I've used it as a paneer replacement
   in curries, as a smoothie ingredient, and of course, pizza topping.

1. Nutritional Yeast
   Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast. It has a cheesy/nutty flavor, and may take you a few bites to decide whether it is for you or not. However, most people are then hooked. Also, it's packed with protein. Some people like "nooch", as it is sometimes called, just in the flake form, sprinkled on top of their food, especially popcorn. I, however, find it has a bit of a raw taste that way, kind of like flour. So this is why I prefer it cooked. I mostly mix it with rice milk or soy milk to create a cheezy sauce that I'll let simmer for a few minutes. I usually always add some cumin, or garlic, or red pepper flakes, too. You can add that sauce to some roasted, mashed butternut squash to make a delicious mac and cheeze sauce. You can add that sauce to some soaked, blended cashews to make a nacho cheeze.

1. Milk Substitutes
   I started off just drinking soy milk, like I'm sure a lot of you. Nowadays, there is also almond, and cashew that are just as popular. Not to mention, oat, hemp, sunflower, coconut, rice, and probably a few others. Try to keep an eye out for how much sugar is in your choice, even cane sugar, or agave often make them too sweet. Especially for savory dishes. I always go for the unsweetened varieties. You can use them just like you would regular milk.

1. Coconut Oil
   So, this list would not be complete without coconut oil. I always have a back up jar of this waiting in my pantry so I can sleep soundly knowing I won't be stuck cooking without it. There are lots of oil options these days, just like the alternative milk options. However this is my favorite. Beware when purchasing your oil because oil companies are going a little crazy with the labels, if you ask me. For example with coconut oil, there is no extra virgin grade – only virgin. However,
   because many oil connoisseurs understand extra virgin to be the best grade of olive oil available, marketers have taken to labeling coconut oil as extra virgin as well.
   Coconut governing bodies only recognize the virgin grade and don’t recognize extra virgin as a real grade (much less a better grade!) Also there are currently no GMO varieties of coconut oil in existence. Therefore, all types of coconut oil are naturally non-GMO. So please don't pay extra for an "extra virgin, non-gmo" jar.