I don;t know about you but I love to do easy cooking from my pantry. So, when Whole Foods contacted me to see if I’d like to participate in the $50 pantry challenge with the offer of giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader, I loudly said YES.
Included in the challenge were a few foods that aren’t on my vegan diet such as a an of tuna and a few boxes of chicken broth but other than that, all he other foods provide the basis for great meals when paired with fresh produce.
Here are the foods on the list:
- 1 lb black beans
- 1 lb lentils
- 1 lb quinoa
- 2 lbs brown rice
- 3 (32-oz) boxes vegetable broth
- 1 (32-oz) box chicken broth
- 1 lb rolled oats
- 2 cans cannellini beans
- 1 lb orechiette pasta
- 1 lb pasta, your favorite kind
- 1 can black beans
- 1 jar unsweetened applesauce
- 1 (32-oz) box unsweetened soymilk
- 1 (32-oz) box unsweetened almond milk
- 1 (5-oz) can tuna
- 3 (15-oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 package no-oil sundried tomatoes
- 1 jar pasta sauce
Here are a few dishes that i have made with the pantry staples:
Pasta with tomato sauce, white beans and greens.
Black bean and sweet potato chili that was served over brown rice
Purple sticky rice pudding made withe the almond milk (I bought the purple sticky rice)
Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup which required the addition of onions, potato and carrots
And there’s much more on the horizon as I have hardly made a dent in the ingredients. I see a bean burger with oats, sundried tomato and spices in my future. A big pot of brown rice will also get cooked, with some stashed in the freezer to eat later. If the weather turns cold again, another pot of soup will surely appear.
I will randomly draw a name for the gift card at midnight on February 1st.
To be entered to win, like my Facebook page by clicking here and post a comment below (right here on this blog) with the most creative pantry dish you might make with the vegetarian ingredients listed above. (If you use the tuna or chicken broth, you are automatically disqualified.) Include the list of other ingredients you need to add to complete your dish and list your current favorite pantry meal. I hope that you can think beyond the pasta.
Have fun with this. I love pantry cooking and saving money. Of course I also save energy in the process by using my pressure cooker. Shane’s Fabulous Lentil Soup takes only 6 minutes at pressure and it’s oh so tasty.
Good luck.
Terri says
I love quinoa. Last summer, I put together a wonderful stuffed pepper with a quinoa mixed filling. We used things from the RV cupboard, and it was wonderful. I did add diced veggies in with it, but everyone loved them. I steamed them on the BBQ, unwrapped them at the last minute and put a little cheese on the top to melt.
Leslie says
I’m hungry for tacos so I’d make lentil taco mixture with lentils and veg broth (onion, seasonings, chipotle), Then I’d make a little side of Spanish rice with the brown rice and the diced tomatoes. Since I have the rice I’d probably make taco salad instead of using tortillas. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, avocado, olives. Cilantro/lime/cashew dressing.
Jessica says
I’d make a soup with all of the beans and lentils and the stock and I’d add tons of flavor with different spices like cumin, thyme etc!
Debbie C says
I would make black beans and rice using the broths for stock for the beans and top it with the tomatoes.
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Jen @ The RA Vegan says
Wow. Wonderful list. And I definitely do a lot of pantry cooking. The first thing that jumped out at me is a staple in our house, brown rice and lentil casserole. Basically a mix of the lentils and the brown rice with some diced onion, spices, and veggie broth and then baked. It’s a hearty meal we enjoy a lot on cold winter days.
Lately I’ve been cooking a lot of quinoa at once and then using it in a variety of meals. I love it with sauteed veggies on top and then some of that jarred pasta sauce. While I should probably make my own sauce sometimes I need the convenience.
Cannelini beans mixed with greens and onions over pasta sounds good to me right now too!
I liked you on facebook and thanks to all the people who commented for some great ideas!