Most people think they need to spend lots of time in the kitchen or some kind of culinary background to pull off a good dish. Truth is, the best dishes are often the ones that require the least ingredients and little time to make.
Over the coming months, I”ll be taking a look at what it takes to create healthy, delicious whole foods meals, from stocking your pantry to selecting the best cookware.
But don’t worry; there will be plenty of recipes just for the Vita-Mix.
My top vegetarian cookbook of 2009 hands down (even though I’ve had it for more than a year now) is How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (Wiley 2007), by Mark Bittman.
It’s the most comprehensive cookbook that encourages a whole foods approach to meatless meals.
Below are 15 of my top picks from his list of “21 Ingredients You Really Need”:
- Olive oil. Extra virgin…And some decent neutral oil, like grapeseed…
- Vinegar. [white, apple cider, balsamic, white wine]
- Soy Sauce.
- Rice…Start with a long-grain, and a short grain, white and brown.
- Pasta. Italian…Rice noodles are good to have around also.
- Beans. Dried and canned, and frozen if you can find them. You won’t always have time to soak and cook, and canned beans are better than nothing.
- Spices. From chiles to curry powder to peppercorns. Buy only as much as you will use in a year, if possible.
- Flours. All-purpose at a minimum. Whole wheat is a good second choice…Cornmeal too. Store them all in the fridge or freezer if you have room. [keeps flours from going rancid/attracting grain moths]
- Aromatic vegetables: Onions, garlic, shallots, celery, and carrots.
- Baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch…Yeast if you’re going to bake bread.
- Nuts and Seeds.
- Butter.
- Sugar and other sweeteners.
- Long-lasting vegetables and fruits, like potatoes, apples, and oranges.
- Standard condiments like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
(excerpt reprinted with permission)
