Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (5 page)

All-purpose flour:
You should always have a sack of unbleached all-purpose flour the size of a small child around. Even if the cupboard is bare, you’ll be able to whip up some pancakes or muffins. Even though we mostly use flour for baking, we’ve also been known to use it to thicken sauces and make tempura.

 

 

 

Arrowroot, powder/ground:
This fine white powder-ground from the roots of a tropical vine-is ideal for thickening sauces and soups, particularly if a clear, nonopaque appearance is desired. Arrowroot also helps bind and provides a crisp texture in baked goods.

 

 

Chickpea flour:
A pale yellow flour, sometimes called garbanzo flour, made from ground chickpeas. Look for it in most health food stores and Indian grocery markets where it is called gram flour or besan). Imparts a sweet, nutty, beany (some might even call it “eggy”) flavor to baked goods and sauces. It’s especially good for crepes and flatbreads.

 

 

Cornmeal:
We use it in some recipes to add a little crunch, particularly to baked goods. And having some around in case of a corn bread emergency is not a bad idea.

 

 

Cornstarch:
Also used to thicken, at half the price of other starches. Plus, it adds crispiness and structure to baked goods.

 

 

Tapioca flour:
Our starch of choice for thickening custards and fruit pies, available at health food stores. This is a fine powder; do not use granular or pearl tapioca as a substitute.

 

 

Whole wheat pastry flour:
Whole wheat pastry flour (not to be confused with ordinary whole wheat flour) is just as finely milled as white flour, but not all of the bran and germ has been processed out of it, making it a healthier, more fiberific choice. It is difficult to detect a
very
significant difference between whole pastry and regular old all-purpose flours, but whole wheat pastry flour can make baked goods a bit more dense and healthier tasting, so we often do an equal mix with all-purpose.

 

 

Vital wheat gluten:
The naturally occurring protein in wheat that makes it all happen; it’s what gives wheat dough its characteristic stretch and makes seitan (sometimes called wheat meat) so toothsome. We also use it in combination with beans in several recipes to give a more chewy, meaty texture. Look for organic brands at your health food store, usually in the baking section. We recommend Arrowhead Mills brand above others if you have a choice.

Canola oil:
Short for “Canada oil” and formerly known as “rapeseed oil” this oil is now politically correctly named, available most everywhere, and a fine choice for multipurpose use. Mild in flavor, it’s perfect for baking and cooking when a neutral-tasting oil is desired. Look for “high-heat” canola oil for use in sautéing and grilling. Canola oil also provides you with a healthy dose of essential omega-3 fatty acids.

 

What Is a Fatty Acid and Why Is It Essential?

 

WITHOUT getting into words that we cannot pronounce, our bodies need fats, not only to store energy but to absorb vitamins and protect our vital organs from disease (unless you don’t consider your brain a vital organ). We naturally produce some of the necessary fats but others need to be obtained from our diet. The very base of our existence, our cells, are largely composed of such fatty acids making these, well, essential!

 

 

Coconut oil, refined/unrefined:
Poor coconut oil has been typecast in the role of a nutritional bad guy for too long. Nonhydrogenated coconut oil is perfectly healthy consumed in small amounts. We like unrefined oil for its luscious coconut aroma and delicate flavor. It’s a favorite of ours when cooking Indian and Southeast Asian inspired cuisine.

 

 

 

Olive oil:
There’s a reason people have been cultivating this stuff for thousands of years. Olive oil is so good for you, plus its rich, earthy, and fruity flavor is essential in cooking all things Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. We use extra-virgin for almost everything, but the purist might want to use cheaper virgin or blended oils for frying (even though people have been shallow-frying in good olive oils for as long as it’s been made, it can be used for longer or deeper frying. The key is to use low to medium heat, never, ever high heat!).

 

 

Grapeseed oil:
A light, nearly colorless oil made from pressed grape seeds. We love it in salad dressing because it has the thickness and body of olive oil, but a neutral taste. While it isn’t an essential thing to have, it should be the first item you purchase once you’ve decided to broaden your oil horizons. It’s a bit pricier than canola oil, but not as expensive as olive oil and it’s available in most health food stores and, increasingly in regular old supermarkets.

 

 

Peanut oil:
Another stock oil in our pantries, peanut oil is a must when cooking many things Asian, as it’s often that little touch of authentic flavor that missing from homemade stir-fries and curries. Its high smoke point also makes it perfect for frying.

 

 

Toasted sesame oil:
We don’t usually use this oil to cook with, but it adds a fragrant sesame taste to finished dishes and salad dressings. Regular sesame oil can be substituted for toasted but the flavor will not be anywhere as intense.

Dried Beans:
It’s worth making a pot of beans every now and then; we keep on hand the usual suspects that are also listed in the canned section. They’re incredibly economical and the flavor is superior to the canned stuff. It’s helpful to buy them in bulk and store them in one-pound increments for quick and easy measuring and cooking. Quick-cooking beans such as lentils and split pea are an absolute, economical must for soups during those cold winter months when you’re saving up all your money to buy a sled or pay your health insurance. (For information on specific beans, see our bean-cooking section, page 42.)

 

 

 

Grains:
Ditch that dusty old box of instant rice! We keep a variety of whole grains in airtight jars in our cupboards, and use them in lots and lots of
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recipes. (See page 37 for how to cook some of our favorites.)

 

 

Nutritional yeast:
Not to be confused with brewer’s yeast or any other kind of yeast, “nooch” (as we call it) is great to add an umami (savory) taste to sauces or just to sprinkle on rice and beans. We don’t use it in too many
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recipes because it’s hard to find and people tend to love it or hate it. Most commonly, this mustard-colored yeast comes in flake form, and that is what we call for in our recipes. But sometimes you’ll find it in powdered form, which is just ground-up flakes. If you can only find the powdered kind, reduce every ¼ cup called for by a tablespoon.

 

 

Nuts:
Always have slivered or sliced almonds and walnuts on hand for pesto and to create texture in casseroles and sauces. Nuts are also great toasted in salads, breaded on tofu, and of course for all kinds of baked goods and desserts. If you are going to be storing them like a human-squirrel for months and months, keep them in the freezer. Other nuts we like to have around: cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, peanuts (which are actually botanical beans), and pine nuts.

 

 

Seeds:
Any seed that goes on a bagel should also have a place in your pantry. Toasted sesame and black sesame seeds go a long way toward providing flavor to our dishes, as well as adding drama to the presentation. We also keep flaxseeds in the refrigerator, either in ground or whole form, for baking and sometimes for sprinkling onto our oatmeal.

 

 

Pastas:
Keep a few boxes around of pastas of all shapes and sizes. We don’t need to remind you what it’s good for! (See our pasta section, page 188, for different types that we like.)

Cooking wine, red and white:
Like we say, cooking wine doesn’t have to be anything fancy, even that box o’ wine that shows up at ironic trailer-trash parties in the hip section of town will do. Just make sure it is dry, which just means not sweet. A bottle of cooking sherry will also take you places and adds that particular sweet, mellow flavor some recipes just call out for.

 

 

 

Mirin:
A Japanese rice cooking wine. It has a thick, almost syrupy texture. A little goes a long way in adding a deep, complex flavor and aroma to stir-fries, soups, stews, and marinades. It’s a little pricier than most fruit-based cooking wines, but nothing quite tastes like it. We recommend steering clear of any mirin with added sugar, salt, or other flavorings.

 

 

Apple cider vinegar:
We use apple cider vinegar in our baked goods because of its mellow taste and acidity. Apple cider vinegar not only reacts with baking soda to help things to rise, it also makes our baked goods tender.

 

 

Balsamic vinegar:
We don’t douse our foods in it, but the deep, winelike taste of balsamic vinegar works wonders in marinades or to pull together a bowl of soup.

 

 

Brown rice vinegar:
A very mild vinegar that’s great in Asian food and nice to know in salad dressings.

 

 

Wine vinegar:
Red wine, white wine, or champagne, this is your go-to vinegar for adding tangy zing to savory foods and sauces.

A Word about Vegetable Broth

 

MANY of our recipes call for vegetable broth. The store-bought stuff that comes in cartons tastes great but is ridiculously expensive, not to mention a pain for us non-weight trainers—it makes our shopping bags so heavy! We like to make our own broth (page 142) and freeze it, but this isn’t always practical. Enter bouillon cubes, concentrated broth, and broth powders. Find one that you like the taste of, preferably something with low or no salt and no MSG. Add to your recipe when it is simmering, usually two cubes or a tablespoon per four cups of water, or mix it with water beforehand.