Raw Pantry Essentials

Stocking a raw food pantry may be a bit intimidating when you first start a raw food diet. When I first started eating raw, there were a few ingredients needed to keep on hand which allowed me to try hundreds of new raw food recipes.

Each raw pantry will be unique, tailored to your own individual tastes and dietary requirements. Of course, there was no need to run out and buy everything listed right away. I simply purchased a new ingredient as needed for recipes I was trying:) Many of the items were purchased in the bulk section of my co-op.

Here are some basic items you may find useful when starting your raw food adventure:)

Oils:

Olive, coconut, hemp, sunflower, grape seed, macadamia nut, sesame, pistachio, avocado, almond, and walnut. Although it is not raw, some raw recipes use toasted sesame oil, which tastes incredible:) Most oils should be kept in a cool, dark place. To retain the optimum flavor for an extended time, oils may be refrigerated. It is normal for oil that is refrigerated to become thick and cloudy. Cloudiness is not harmful and should disappear when the oil warms to room temperature. I have kept oils stored in glass bottles up to a year. If possible, look for oils that say raw, cold pressed and not deodorized.

Sweeteners:

Dates(can also be in sugar form, or liquid when blended with water), agave(somewhat controversial right now, also in powder form), stevia, yacon syrup, coconut or palm sugar, evaporated cane juice, coconut nectar, honey(not vegan), rapadura, xylitol(derived from birch trees) and lucuma powder. Maple sweeteners are sometimes used in raw food recipes even though it is not a raw food product and is available as a syrup(grade B) or granulated sugar. Except for maple syrup, I store sweeteners in tightly covered glass jars in a cool dark pantry for up to a year.

Nuts and seeds:

Walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia,pine nuts(pignoli), pistachio, Brazil, hazelnuts, cashews, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds(brown or golden), quinoa, wild rice, buckwheat, and coconut:)

Seeds for sprouting:

May include seeds in the shell like sunflower, peas, alfalfa, broccoli, and spicy seeds like radish, mustard, or clover. Seeds and nuts should be stored tightly covered in glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. Nuts that have been soaked/sprouted and dehydrated can be stored on a cool dark pantry shelf for 1 year. Many raw foodies prefer to soak/sprout most nuts and seeds for optimal digestion. Please check out my favorite sprouting site, "Sproutpeople" for sprouting instructions.

Beans and Grains:

Most beans and grains are sprouted on a raw food diet. Sprouted grains are also nice dehydrated and ground into flour. Some grains are sprouted and used to make the drink called rejuvelac. Some popular grains include wheat berries, oats, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, kamut, millet and amaranth. Beans for sprouting are mung, lentils, adzuki, garbanzo(chickpeas) black turtle, and pinto.

Dried fruits:

If you have a dehydrator, you can make most of these from fresh produce:) Dried fruits should be organic when possible and free of sulfites or sweeteners like sugar. Raisins, currants, dates, figs, pineapple, mango, all berries(especially goji berries), cherries, apples, apricots, nectarines, papaya, tomato:), cranberries, gooseberries, pears, mulberries, peaches and plums(prunes). Store tightly covered in glass up 6-9 months for best flavor and freshness.

Sea vegetables:
Nori sheets, dulse, wakame, kombu, arame, kelp, kelp noodles, spirulina, chlorella, Irish moss, agar, hijiki, and sea spaghetti. Store tightly covered for 6 months for most nutritional value. Keep up to 1 year tightly covered.

Cacao products:

Cacao butter, cacao paste, cacao powder, cacao nibs, whole cacao beans. Many people enjoy the taste of carob, and use it in place of, or in conjunction with cacao powder. Store tightly covered in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Herbs, spices, and flavoring:

Basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, rosemary, curry, dill, cayenne, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, sage, thyme, pepper, red pepper flakes, coriander, chipotles, chili, salt(I love pink salt), and paprika(sweet and smoked), culinary lavender and teas. There are so many more dried herbs, this is only a partial list, just pick the ones you like:) Dried herbs can be made easily by hanging bunches of fresh herbs upside-down until they are dried. Store tightly covered in pantry for up to 1 year for freshest flavor.

Nutritional yeast is a popular non-raw ingredient used in many raw recipes to impart a cheesy flavor.

Some raw food recipes may call for non-alcoholic extracts such as vanilla, cherry, almond, coffee, or maple. Extracts should keep well tightly covered in refrigerator after opening for 1 year. Fresh vanilla bean or vanilla powder is a wonderful option for true vanilla flavor. I also adore orange and rosewater.

Condiments:

Raw apple cider vinegar, raw coconut vinegar, Braggs liquid aminos, Nama Shoyu, Miso paste, ume plum vinegar, raw coconut aminos, and tamari.

Miscellaneous:

Some of these ingredients may fall into the "superfood" category. Lucuma powder(also used as a sweetener), maca powder, mesquite powder, acai powder, and green phytofood powders.

Of course, this is just a partial list of ingredients you may find helpful to have on hand while exploring a raw food diet. This post was created at the suggestion of fellow raw food blogger D2Quilter, from a comment on My Mostly Raw Pantry post:)

I hope you find some new things you may like to try, and let me know if I left anything out! I may make some ingredient additions and add more product links when I have more time:) If you need some recipe ideas, make sure to check out the happy raw kitchen blog RECIPE INDEX, and one of my favorite raw recipe sites, goneraw.com :)

It is fun to experiment with my pantry items, however, keep in mind the bulk of what I eat is fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, prepared simply.

My very own little fridge is usually jammin' with fresh fruits and veggies:) Yup, that means tons of smoothies and salads!


What are your favorite raw pantry essentials?

My Mostly Raw Pantry:)

Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments on my Staying Raw post earlier in the week. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit my blog and leave me such kind words:)

Having a well stocked pantry is one of the things that help me stay raw. Julie you cracked me up about having pantry envy:)

Since there are still problems for me posting a comment to my own blog:), I wanted to answer a couple of questions from lovely fellow blogger, Colleen.

Colleen wanted to know "Is that all raw food?" and "Where did you get your jars?"

To answer the first question, here is a closer look at my "mostly raw" pantry.

As you can see, my pantry is actually just an old bookcase:) I have my "happy raw kitchen" set up in a small spare room. All my special equipment, like the dehydrator, and even my own little refrigerator is in this room. It is only a few steps from my "real" kitchen where the stove is..lol!

Almost everything is raw. Many of the jars have grains, sprouted and unsprouted, nuts, seeds, and spices. Most items are purchased from the bulk bins at the co-op.

Some have my own raw, dehydrated foods.

Here is a peek at some of my non-raw items.

The vegan marshmallow creme is an ingredient needed for my absolutely not raw baked vegan mallo-mars:)


Onto the second question about the jars:

The jars are all glass. Most are just the usual mason jar with 2 piece rings and seals. These are available by the case of 12 for under $10, and come in many different sizes. They can be found at supermarkets, hardware, and department stores.

The larger square jars with solid 1 piece lids are from the housewares department of stores like Target or the "W" store. I acquired them one at a time over the last few years. They run between 2 and 6 dollars each.

To label some of the square jars, I used pre-made stickers. I purchased them at the health food store I go to, and they look like they are made especially for jars.

Since the pantry has open shelves, I wanted the mason jars to look nice, so I cut a little circle of pretty paper to cover the lids. Trust me, I am not like this about the rest of the house...lol!

The papers I used are sold in the craft stores as scrap-booking paper. Since I love crafting, I happen to have a circle cutter:), so this makes it really easy to make the circles.

Some jars have part of the package the contents came in, like the cacao butter. I pre-grate the butter, and also tape on the nutrition label.

There is just a little hint of actual organization to my pantry.

The very top has some packaged things like agave, lucuma, and cocoa.

The 1st two shelves have spices and ingredients like orange and rosewater, grains, some oils, and salt.

The bottom shelves have beans and seeds and nuts, my pre-made raw foods, fruits, and odds and ends:)

Thanks for joining me today, and I hope you liked this little peek at my pantry:)

As mentioned above, I have not been able to post comments on my blog lately, so feel free to mail me if you have any questions.

Why is my kitchen so happy?

Naming this blog was an easy task. You may have heard of the SAD diet. Being a raw foodie is just the opposite of SAD...HAPPY!!!!

The main reason my kitchen is happy, is the fact that I am so happy.
Eating raw food makes me feel energetic and healthy.
There are vibrant colors, textures, and scents.
I feel good about the food I buy.
I have very little waste from my food preparation.
I can make (almost) anything I crave from my happy raw kitchen!


Below is a picture of my refrigerator.There are all kinds of peppers, kale, spinach, herbs, avocado, eggplant, jicama, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, scallions, almonds, walnuts, and pecans in the shells, carrots, celery, beets, coconut, Thai coconut, raw mayo, apples, pears, lemons, limes, grapefruit,and some assorted grains.Oh yeah, one lonely cherimoya!

In the freezer, there are a bunch of peeled bananas, and containers of raw coconut, chocolate and strawberry ice creams.I also have some assorted fruit frozen. I like some frozen for smoothies, and I freeze some that look like they will go bad before I can use them. Always frozen and ready to go, the insert for the ice cream maker!

Since I am the only raw foodie in my house, this is a smaller fridge, just for me:) The rest of my family has a full size fridge. All items are organic when possible


















Here is a picture of my pantry. Stored in the glass jars are an assortment of grains, beans, seeds, nuts, dried fruit such as goji berries, currants, raisins, coconut and some home dehydrated strawberries, banana slices, crackers, cookies, chips, and my own raw (zucchini, jicama, and eggplant) bacon!

Bottles of oils, vinegars, and agave.

There are packages of lucuma, maca, mesquite,cocoa powder,and dried spices.

I am sure I forgot to name a few things, but you get the idea!

















Shopping is very easy on the raw food diet. My food choices are picked from the produce section and the bulk food bins of the regular market and in my local health food store/co-op. There are a few other items like oils, vinegars, capers, olives and salt.

I frequent a small Asian market for the young Thai coconuts. They do carry them in my regular market and health food store, at twice the price!

Superfood supplement items, such as lucuma powder, are the only things I have ever had to order online, and I only did that quite recently.

With these staples, I can make almost any thing I desire. Many times I will get an idea, or see a recipe that looks interesting, and it is nice to have the ingredients ready to go.

Some jars contain sprouted and dehydrated grains and nuts so they are recipe ready.