Once you set yourself up at home you'll find cooking and eating vegan is super easy.  You can follow recipes or just forage in your kitchen and throw things together.  Most of the stuff you need for amazing and healthy vegan food stores well and can always be on hand.  Here is our starter list:

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Fruit ~ have a selection of whatever is in season on hand.  Buy bananas and if you're not going to get through them, freeze them!  They freeze either whole with or without the skin, or chopped up.  If your apples and pears are going soft, stew them and keep them in the fridge as a topping for your breakfast.  Have frozen blueberries on hand (these are a powerhouse fruit and if possible should be eaten every day as well as your other fruit).

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Vegetables ~ okay we can't say enough about greens (your mother was right!)  Whatever else you buy, just add some more of the green leaves.  Kale has amazing nutritional properties (amongst the most nutrient-dense food on the planet!)   Plus leafy greens of any other kind ~ baby spinach, bok choi, silverbeat, collard, rocket, cabbage, lettuce.  Tip: beetroot and carrot greens are amazing for you.  Throw them into a blender with herbs and pesto ingrendients for a delicious dip!   However you use them, make sure you're eating greens every day.   Plus always have a selection of your fave veges on hand plus some new ones to try ~ variety is the key!   We always have kumara or potatoes on hand (one of nature's most perfectly nutritionally proportioned foods), garlic, ginger, tomatoes and if in season, avocados.

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Spices ~ sea salt, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, chilli flakes, oregano, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, onion powder, ginger, paprika, smoked paprika.  These are our basics. You can add whatever your favourite spices are.

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Condiments and sauces ~ tamari soy sauce (gluten free), coconut aminos, hoisin sauce, bbq and tomato sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, tomato paste

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Oils ~ olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran or canola oil, sesame oil

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Tins ~ tomatoes, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, lentils, coconut milk, coconut cream

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Beans and Legumes dried ~puy lentils, brown lentils, red lentils, dried beans, split peas

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Flour ~ plain flour, wholemeal flour, buckwheat, spelt, chickpea, coconut

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Grains ~ pasta (best wholemeal or pulse pasta (made with peas, beans or edamame for example), brown rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat, pearl barley, millet ... the list goes on ... grains are super filling, nutrient-packed, and easy to prepare!

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Nuts and seeds ~ walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, raw peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, buckwheat groats, shredded coconut

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Sweet and baking ~ dates, figs, vegan hunny, maple syrup, rice malt syrup, golden syrup, vanilla essense, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder

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Replacement foods ~ vegan butter, vegan cheeses, coconut yoghurt, egg replacer, vegan sour cream, vegan mayonnaise, mock meats or frozen vegan foods.

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Good meal base ~ tofu, tempeh

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Non dairy milk ~ oat, soy, coconut, almond, cashew, hemp ... the list goes on

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Other faves ~ tahini, almond butter, olives, capers, mustard, tamarind, vegemite, peanut butter, dark chocolate, vegan ice cream

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