• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Washable kitchen scissors for cutting herbs, opening packaging, and trimming veggies

A mortar and pestle, sometimes called a suribachi, for grinding herbs, spices, mixtures, and pastes

A silicon or nylon pastry brush (the new silicon brushes are much easier to clean and can be used for both sweet and savory applications)

A funnel for pouring homemade sauces, purees, and other liquids into smaller receptacles

Rethinking the microwave

A microwave may seem like a kitchen must-have, but as you turn the corner and start down the path of a healthier way of eating and living, I encourage you to reconsider the microwave’s role in your kitchen. According to many doctors and nutrition experts, microwave ovens create carcinogenic compounds in food and destroy much of the nutrition found in natural foods. Apart from these health concerns, microwave cooking tends to encourage reliance on frozen and processed meals. Cooking or reheating natural foods on your stove top or in a toaster oven takes a tiny bit more time, but it tends to be healthier and tastier!

Filling Your Kitchen with Wholesome Whole Foods

It’s simply smart (and easy!) to stock up on a variety of whole foods, those foods that have all their original, edible parts intact (see the nearby sidebar “The skinny on whole foods” for more info). Fresh, packaged, canned, and frozen whole foods allow flexibility for your personal tastes and nutritional needs.

Fresh foods are definitely more healthful, but it’s unrealistic to think that everyone can rely completely on fresh food. So stock your cupboard with the basics listed in this section to provide yourself with a variety of menu options. Rely on these packaged, canned, and frozen foods to round out your on-hand options. Whole grains and other cereal products, legumes such as beans, peas, and lentils, as well as herbs, spices, seasonings, and canned and frozen goods are inexpensive and smart pantry essentials.

To ensure your success, prepare your pantry in steps with a clear goal of where you want to go. Compile lists of foods you want to accrue over time, choose a handful of beginning recipes, and cut yourself some slack: This transition will be bumpy for a while. With a little practice and continued education, your new vegan lifestyle will work out nicely!

Great grains

Whole grains and other cereal products provide excellent complex carbohydrates, minerals, and energy in the form of protein and healthy fats. These nutritional must-haves are so versatile that they’re an excellent choice for every meal: breakfast porridge, side dish, or entree for lunch and dinner. You can even bake them into breads and desserts! Eating grains in whole, stone-ground, sprouted, split, or cracked varieties ensures that you’re getting great nutrition.

When buying cereal and grain products like pasta, bread, crackers, and boxed cereal, check the ingredients for natural sweeteners like agave, molasses, and brown rice syrup. These sweeteners are more healthful than the more refined options like high-fructose corn syrup and white sugar.

Multigrain and sprouted grain products are easier to find these days. Products labeled “multigrain” offer more nutrition and amino acids (read: complete protein!) from a variety of grains. Sprouted grain breads and cereals are made using soaked and sprouted grains that are mashed together and baked into a loaf. The sprouting activates the grain’s enzymes, which create more protein, vitamins, and minerals and often create a product with higher protein and fiber. The nutty, rich flavor of these products is wonderful.

The skinny on whole foods

The most common reasons for choosing a vegan lifestyle are to improve your health and reduce your impact on the environment — and whole foods help you on both fronts. Eating whole foods ensures your body’s access to unadulterated nutrition that it can use while creating true vitality. Whole foods also require less energy to produce and package than highly processed foods. So consuming whole foods reduces