Staples

Some staples you should have around for healthy cooking (or at least for these recipes) are as follows:

Baking items:
Flour (whole wheat, all-purpose, pastry (whole wheat, and regular), or GF flour if you require it)
Baking soda
Baking powder
Cornstarch
Sugar*
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Margerine/butter

Pantry Items:
Dried fruit (unsweetened): apricots, dates, etc.
Raw nuts and seeds: almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds
Flax seed
Honey or Agave Nectar, or both.
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Apple cider vinegar
Herbs and spices -- buy them as you need them in a recipe, and you'll have them for future use. Or, if you're not sure if you like the seasoning called for, you can get a small amount in the bulk section of some grocery stores.

Fresh foods to always have on hand:
Leafy greens: spinach, lettuce, kale, arugula (rocket), etc
Your favorite in season fruits and veggies (esp. those that take little or no prep work)
Veggie staples: carrots, celery, onion, garlic
Frozen fruits are good to have also, especially if you make smoothies



* Sugar is not actually a necessary staple. There are lots of sugar substitutes to use in baking, but you'll notice that I will use sugar sparingly in my recipes. I'm trying to cut out refined sugar, so I'll try to use other sweeteners.

About this Blog

This blog is my attempt to eat healthy foods, mostly in season, primarily vegan, but at least vegetarian, without blowing my food budget for the whole of 2009.

I am not a dietician, a doctor, or a health professional of any kind, and this is not a "diet" blog.

This blog is merely to share my recipes as I make them, and I will occasionally share some nutritional tidbit that I find interesting. Most of my recipes are from other sources, but since I have a hard time following recipes, the recipes will change slightly between the book and this blog.

I have had an interest in nutrition for some time, and I love reading books on the subject. My goal is to do some fantastic menu planning so that when I grocery shop, I can shop for ingredients that will serve more than one recipe throughout the week. I'll likely plan my recipes based on what is in the grocery store ads and in coupons. I'll be posting recipes mostly for evening meals, but from time to time, I'll post breakfast and lunch ideas. Or, if I come across a great veggie dip recipe, I'll share that.

Please comment on the recipes and tell me how you like them, or how you would make them better/healthier/etc. I'm always open to suggestions on how to make this blog better for you, my readers.

Enjoy!