Stay well prepared for every recipe & meal with these Foods and Spices, ready and waiting in your kitchen:

OILS, VINEGARS, & CONDIMENTS

FLAVORINGS

• Extra-virgin olive oil - for cooking and salad dressings
  
• Canola oil - for cooking and baking
  
• Flavorful nut and seed oils - for salad dressings and stir-fry seasonings: toasted sesame oil, walnut oil
  
• Butter - preferably unsalted. Store in the freezer if you use infrequently.
  
• Reduced-fat mayonnaise
  
• Vinegar - balsamic, red-wine, white-wine, rice (or rice-wine), apple cider
  
• Asian Options - reduced-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce, mirin, oyster sauce, chile-garlic sauce, curry paste, shaoxing cooking wine
  
• Olives - Kalamata, green
  
• Tahini
• Dijon mustard
  
• Deli mustard - with the mustard seeds still intact. These provide additional kick and a more interesting texture than ‘ol yellow mustard
  
• Capers
  
• Ketchup
  
• Worcestershire sauce
  

• Sea Salt - Kosher, Coarse, Fine. Many varieties exist and tend to be pricey. Start with the “standard” sea salt, then experiment
  
• Black Peppercorns - don’t be afraid of multiple varieties
  
• Onions - Red, Yellow, Sweet, Shallots
  
• Fresh Garlic
  
• Fresh Ginger
  
• Anchovies - or anchovy paste for flavoring pasta sauces and salad dressings
  
• Dried herbs - bay leaves, dill, crumbled sage, thyme leaves, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, basil
  
• Spices - allspice (whole berries or ground), caraway seeds, chili powder, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin, curry powder, ground ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, turmeric, garlic powder
• Dried citrus peels - lemon, orange, lime
  
• Sundried Tomatoes - preferably not packed in water or oil
  
• Fresh lemons, limes, oranges
  
• Granulated sugar
  
• Brown sugar
  
• Honey
  
• Pure maple syrup
  
• Pomegranate Molasses - this is a specialty-order item that’s worth the effort, we’ll show you how to use in these Recipes
  
• Unsweetened cocoa powder - natural and/or Dutch-processed
  
• Whey protein powder - chocolate and vanilla flavored. Our recommended brand is Pure Whey Protein Stack for superior taste. We can attest to the Chocolate and Vanilla flavors; select other flavors at your own risk.

• Canned Tomatoes - Whole Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, Roasted Tomatoes. Avoid seasoned varieties — just add the seasoning yourself
  
• Reduced-sodium Broth - chicken, beef, and/or vegetable
  
• Clam juice
  
• “Lite” coconut milk - for Asian curries and soups
  
• Canned Beans - cannelloni beans, great northern beans, chickpeas, black beans, red kidney beans
  
• Canned Lentils
  
• Chunk light Fish - Tuna and salmon, packed in water.
  

• Whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour - Store opened packages in the refrigerator or freezer
  
• All-purpose flour
  
• Assorted whole-wheat pastas
  
• Brown Rice - regular and instant
  
• Barley - pearl or quick-cooking
  
• Rolled, Toasted Oats
  
• Whole-wheat couscous
  
• Bread - whole-wheat pita, sandwich, flatbread
  
• Asian Black Rice - also known as “Forbidden” black rice
  
• Bulgur
  
• Dried lentils
  
• Yellow cornmeal
  
• Quinoa
  
• Polenta - the pre-packed tubes in the refrigerator section are a quick-meal godsend and make for easily cutting

• Walnuts
  
• Pecans
  
• Almonds
  
• Hazelnuts
  
• Flax seed
  
• Dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
  
• Pine nuts
  
• Sesame seeds
  
• Natural peanut butter
• Assorted dried fruits - such as apricots, prunes, cherries, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins
  

*Store opened packages of nuts and seeds in the refrigerator or freezer.

• Low-fat Milk - or soymilk
  
• Low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt - both American (i.e. supermarket brand or Dannon) and Greek-style (the most common brand is Fage)
  
• Reduced-fat sour cream
  
• Good-quality Parmesan cheese - and/or Romano cheese
  
• Sharp Cheddar cheese
  
• Feta Cheese
  
• Gorgonzola - or similarly-pungent cheese (blue, etc.)
  
• Eggs - Large, All Natural if possible
  
• Orange juice
  
• Wine - Preferred brand of white and red
  
• Water-packed Tofu - extra-firm for stir-frying or baking
  
• Pancetta - don’t worry about the fat content — often we render the fat first before using it as an accent in various dishes
  
• Salsa
  

Refrigerator Basics

Freezer Basics

• Frozen vegetables - edamame, soy beans, peas, spinach, broccoli, bell pepper and onion mix, corn, chopped and small whole onions
• Uncooked hash browns
  
• Frozen Sea Food - shrimp and salmon fillets (if fresh is not available)
  
• Frozen Berries - mixes are fine, but purchasing blueberries, strawberries and raspberries separately will provide you greater versatility
  
• Italian turkey sausage and sliced prosciutto - to flavor fast pasta sauces
  
• Veggie Burgers - one recommended brand is Morningstar Farm’s Spicy Black Bean burger

Items NOT Best to Keep in your Pantry but can be useful — Only Buy as Needed

Note - In the interest of freshness, quality, and not keeping foods around that encourage mindless or unhealthful eating, buy these products only as you need them. Purchasing small quantities from supermarkets, restaurants, or specialty shops you trust, also, provide a better eating experience when you do eat them.

• Pint of low-fat ice cream
  
• One slice of pound cake
  
• Small amounts of high-fat cheeses - we use them for accents on dishes only — best not to keep them around
  
• Squares of dark chocolate - some shops sell amazing brands of dark chocolate by one-ounce squares — cheap, and tasty! Think of them like a “sipping whiskey.”
  
• Bran muffins - from a quality baker
  
• Whole-wheat baguettes - for slicing and making bruschetta
  
• Bottled Drinks - Various juices, diet sodas, and juice concentrates
  
• Chips (brown rice or fiber-oriented brands)