The 30-Minute Vegan - Mark Reinfeld [5]
Vegetables: Staples include mixed salad greens, kale, carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, and garlic. A steamed veggie medley is just moments away with such veggies as broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini. You may wish to consider stocking some frozen vegetables, such as peas, carrots, corn, and spinach, for when you are really in a crunch for time. Dried chiles are an amazing addition for Mexican, Indian, and Southwestern dishes. Try different varieties, such as Serrano, chipotle, ancho, and guajillo.
Herbs: You’ll be surprised when you find out how easy it is to have your own herb garden right in your kitchen. Most herbs grow well in pots and have a long history, rich with folklore and medicinal use. Sample herbs one at a time to learn their characteristics. Try different combinations to discover flavors you like. It’s a trial-and-error exploration, so have fun with it. Consider experimenting with fresh culinary herbs such as basil, dill, oregano, thyme, rosemary, lemongrass, chives, mints, cilantro (coriander), marjoram, sage, chervil, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, tarragon (French and Mexican varieties), Thai basil, and flat-leaf Italian parsley.
If a recipe calls for fresh herbs and all you have is dried, you can substitute. Use 1 teaspoon of dried herb for every 1 tablespoon of fresh herb called for in the recipe.
Spices: Getting to know your different spices and spice combinations is an ongoing adventure. Expertise comes with practice over time as you build upon your knowledge. Consider stocking your pantry with these popular dried culinary spices: cumin, chile powder (see Note), cinnamon, cloves, curry powder, turmeric, ginger, coriander (dried cilantro), cardamom, fenugreek, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, nutmeg, black pepper, saffron, cayenne, paprika, allspice, and aniseed.
Note: For recipes that call for chile powder: you can use the available chile powder blends, which contain ground chile as well as cumin, garlic, and other spices. If so, make sure you are using a salt-free variety. You can also use pure ground chile powder (molido), which is made only with ground chiles. Please keep in mind that this pure ground chile is spicier than the blends.
Nuts and Seeds: Purchase the raw varieties and store them in airtight glass jars in a cool, dark place, even the refrigerator or freezer if you have the space. Some of our favorite nuts include almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. For seeds, try sunflower, pumpkin, sesame (the unhulled variety), flax, and hemp. We also like to have ground flaxseeds on hand for juices and for several recipes in this book. Place flaxseeds in a blender or spice grinder and grind to a fine meal. Store the flax meal in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Grains and Legumes: Quite a few grains can be cooked and enjoyed within thirty minutes. These include quinoa, oats, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, and white basmati rice. Other important grains to include are short-and long-grain brown rice, brown basmati rice, black rice, and barley. Although these grains take longer than thirty minutes to cook, the amount of time required to prepare them is actually less than five minutes. Please see the grain cooking chart in chapter 2 for more information on cooking grains.
Regarding legumes, red lentils can cook in less than thirty minutes. Other favorites that take longer than thirty minutes include black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, navy beans, lentils (green, yellow, and French), and mung beans. Prepare beans in advance or have cans on hand for when you are pressed for time. Refer to the legume cooking chart in chapter 2 for information on cooking legumes.
Salts: We recommend sea salt over iodized table salt, which is highly refined and contains anticaking agents. Celtic sea salt is a widely acclaimed unprocessed whole salt from France. Himalayan crystal salt is another popular choice. For brevity, in our recipes, we list salt as “sea salt” to