Store Cupboard Essentials

Well-stocked kitchen cupboards make cooking healthy meals easier and faster. Having some basic tins, jars, packets and bottles of food gives you an advantage when it comes to being able to rustle up a decent meal. So even if your fridge is looking a little bare, you’ll always have something you can use to make a nourishing meal. 

It’s easy to think that meals you put together almost entirely from store cupboard ingredients are the poor relation to any other meal. This is not the case. It’s time to celebrate the dishes that can be made from easily accessible and inexpensive ingredients!

There’s a reason meals such as beans on toast, dhal and rice, and rice and peas have stood the test of time. All are based on the sound nutritional principle of pairing a good vegetarian source of protein (like beans or lentils) with a grain (bread or rice). 

So, alongside the essential foods I think are good to keep in your cupboards I’ve included recipes that can be made primarily from these store cupboard staples. Plus, these recipes will help you stay on track with eating in a way that helps balance your hormones, it’s a win-win!

Remember, this list is only a suggestion, feel free to adjust the ingredients according to your own likes and dislikes.

TINS 

• Whole plum tomatoes (sauces, soups, stews and casseroles)
• Green/brown lentils (soups, stews, veggie Bolognese, veggie burgers, dhals, etc.)
• A variety of tinned beans including: mixed beans/ black beans/ kidney beans/ cannellini beans (stews, casseroles, dips)
• Chickpeas (hummus, stews and casseroles)
• Coconut milk  (soups and curries)
• Tinned tuna, salmon and sardines (pasta dishes, fishcakes)
• Anchovies  (seasoning for sauces and stews)

PACKETS

• Soba noodles (made from buckwheat)
• Basmati rice
• Ready cooked lentils (great for adding to salads)
• Quinoa (uncooked as well as ready-cooked packets for when you’re in a rush)
• Dried pasta

JARS & BOTTLES 

• Mustard (wholegrain, Dijon, English)
• Vinegar (red wine, cider, balsamic)  
• Coconut oil/ olive oil (for frying)
• Sesame oil (for Eastern-inspired cooking)
• Extra virgin olive oil (for dressings)
• Soy sauce/ Tamari soy sauce
• Thai fish sauce
• Capers
• Passata/ tomato puree
• Antipasti (sundried tomatoes, black olives, artichokes, roasted peppers, piquillo peppers)
• Sugar-free nut butter

HERBS & SPICES

• Oregano
• Herbes de Provence
• Tarragon
• Smoked paprika
• Chilli flakes/ powder
• Cinnamon Coriander
• Cumin Ginger
• Curry powder/ garam masala
• Five spice
• Sea salt/ Himalayan pink salt
• Black peppercorns
• Good quality stock

MISC

• Nuts (unsalted almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans – use for sprinkling onto porridge, yoghurt, salads, stews)
• Ground almonds
• Porridge oats
• Flaxseeds/ chia seeds

ROASTED CHICKPEAS 

Serves 3-4 as a snack 

Ingredients

• 400g tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
2. Tip the chickpeas into a bowl and combine with the rapeseed oil, smoked paprika, cumin and coriander.
3. Toss well until the chickpeas are well coated, then tip out onto a baking tray and bake for 35 mins, moving them round the tray halfway through so they dry out evenly and go crunchy.
4. Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container.

Hummus

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 200g canned chickpeas
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin pinch salt
• 1 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika

Instructions

1. Drain the chickpeas and rinse in cold water. Reserve a few whole chickpeas for serving.
2. Put the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini and water in a food processor and blend to a purée.
3. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste.
4. Use an additional splash of olive oil and a little water to loosen the consistency if you like.
5. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with the reserved chickpeas. 
6. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with crudités or flaxseed crackers.

Cauliflower Dahl

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp coconut oil or olive oil
• 75g red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 250g cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled

Instructions

1. Put the onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper in a blender and whizz to a puree.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the pureed mixture, frying gently for 5 mins.
3. Add the lentils, stock cube and 375ml water.
4. Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins.
5. Add the cauliflower, cover and simmer for a further 15 mins to allow the lentils to cook down, and for the cauliflower to soften.
6. Serve with 40g brown basmati rice or cauliflower rice

MIXED BEAN CHILLI 

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp crushed chilli
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 150g mushrooms, sliced
• ½ can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 x can mixed beans (black beans work just as well)
• 1 veg stock cube

Instructions

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic for 2 mins.
2. Add the pepper and spices and sweat for 5 mins.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 min.
4. Tip in rest of ingredients and simmer for 5 —10 mins.
5. Serve with sliced avocado, slices of lime, quinoa or cauliflower rice.

LENTIL BOLOGNESE 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, (roughly chopped)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tsp Tamari
• Zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 250g mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 courgette, finely diced
• 1 tin green lentils or 150g Puy lentils, rinsed
• 150g red lentils, rinsed
• 1.5 litres water
• 1 tbsp vegetable stock

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a large pan and heat on a low to medium heat.
2. Add the onion and fry for 8-10 mins until soft and browning.
3. Add in the garlic and spices and stir for another few mins, then add in the tomatoes, lentils, mushrooms, courgette, water, tomato purée and stock.
4. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to low and simmer for 30 mins.
5. Add a little more water if needed. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. 

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