Changing your diet from meat-based to plant-based takes some effort and education, unless you plan to buy take-out food from Whole Foods for the rest of your life. The internet is a great place to research topics (what is nutritional yeast?) and find an amazing variety of vegan recipes. Also exploring the health food isles of your local grocery store is a great way to find new products. Here are some things that I now always have on hand:
Because I use such great quantities, I buy the following at Costco: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, capers, kalamata olives, walnuts, the BIG 102-oz can of whole tomatoes, cumin, coffee and prepared hummus (when I don’t have time to make my own.)
From the bulk section of my grocery store: red lentils, quinoa, bulgar, millet, flaxseed, garbanzo beans, black beans, and nutritional yeast.
From the health food section of my grocery store: vegetable broth, miso paste, tahini, spelt pasta, tofu, and almond milk.
From the freezer section: chopped spinach, shelled edamame and sweet potato fries.
From the produce section: I always have onions on hand and a bag of peeled garlic in my refrigerator.
Also, it’s very helpful to have some sharp knives, a crockpot, a hand-held stick blender and a food processor.
