What’s in your fridge? Ingredients that keep these plant-based chefs fired up about cooking
How do you stock your fridge so it inspires good cooking? A sneak peek into the kitchens of three plant-based chefs reveals their must-have items. Photo source: Marjorie Gabriel
These days, we’re cooking more than ever, and I don’t know about you, but coming up with dinner ideas every single night can be exhausting. And I like to cook! In search of a new source of inspiration, I turned to a few of the plant-based chefs I admire, and asked them to share the ingredients that make it easier to love cooking healthy meals—day after day. ~Dená Brummer
Chef Marjorie Gabriel keeps at least six different types of vinegars in her pantry at any give time.
Chef Marjorie Gabriel has been perfecting her plant-based cooking skills since she was 14 and her family refused to support her desire to become a vegetarian. It turned out well for her. Today, she owns a culinary consulting and chef services company called Good Health Gourmet, which specializes in plant-based cuisine.
“I truly believe a lot of cooks don’t use vinegar properly, or enough; acid is so important for a balanced flavor profile.”
“My mom insisted that if I wasn't going to eat what she made for everyone else,” says Gabriel, “I'd have to fend for myself. Eventually, they agreed to try some of the dishes I made. I'm proud to say that I changed my dad's mind about tofu.”
Gabriel, who lives and thrives with an autoimmune disease, champions plant-based eating for personal and environmental reasons. "The older and more knowledgeable I’ve become,” she says, “the better I understand that it’s essential for the survival of our planet and species that we at least vastly reduce the volume of animal-derived foods we consume.”
Can’t live without. “Asking me for only five favorite pantry items is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. But assuming we’re only talking about shelf-stable dry goods, these are the things I can't live without—dried beans/lentils, dried sea vegetables, nuts/seeds, quality extra virgin olive oil, and vinegar.”
More on those sea vegetables. Gabriel's secret weapon for packing flavor and umami into her dishes? Sea vegetables. “I always add kombu to the pot when I cook my legumes, and I incorporate other soaked seaweeds, like wakame, hijiki, and arame, into various dishes because they add salt, umami, and minerals.”
Marjorie Gabriel likes an organized pantry, and she doesn’t like extra plastic or packaging. So she buys in bulk when she can and stores her ingredients in reusable—and well-labeled—containers. Along the bottom of her pantry: jars of the spices she relies on to keep her plant-based cooking fresh and delicious. Photos source: Marjorie Gabriel
Nuts, because there’s nothing you can’t do with them. “I love to toast them for a crunchy garnish; pine nuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are the ones I typically rely on for that. I also use soaked cashews, macadamias, almonds, and Brazil nuts to make nut milks and vegan alternatives for things like sour cream and ice cream.”
Vinegar is so underrated. "I truly believe a lot of cooks don’t use vinegar properly, or enough; acid is so important for a balanced flavor profile. There’s always a jar of pickled red onions in my fridge, and I currently have pickled garlic scapes and celery stashed in there as well. I snack on them like pickles, or chop them up and add to any recipe where I might use capers or relish.”
Condiments are short-cuts to tasty meals. Gabriel favors Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian flavors, so she keeps tahini, harissa, miso, and sambal oelek in her fridge at all times to use as the base for dressings, glazes, marinades, and sauces. “I'm a total chile-head...the spicier the better.”
Gabriel’s refrigerator is a tidy collection of plant-based dairy, fresh produce, and the pickles, nuts, and seed spreads she uses to pull her meals together. Photo source: Marjorie Gabriel
Black Lentil Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette
Check out Chef Gabriel’s lentil recipe, where she shows us how to whip up a few of her favorite pantry items into a quick, easy, and nutritious meal.
Chef Shenarri Greens prefers cold pressed oils because they’re high in vitamin E and have anti-inflammatory properties.
The executive chef of Cadence, a New York City-based soul food vegan restaurant, Shenarri Greens has been on a four year journey towards veganism that not only changed her pantry, but her career as a chef.
“I was at a period in my life where I was very overweight, lethargic, my skin was bad and honestly, I was over it,” says Greens. “I was ready for a change.” So she went on a 30-day vegan cleanse and “instantly” started feeling better. “It was such a pivotal moment for me,” says Greens. “I knew this was something I needed to fully implement in my life. I never imagined that this one change would lead to me becoming the executive chef of a restaurant.”
“Most people use salt and pepper. I use garlic and onions. ”
The secret is in the sauce, baby! Greens uses Vegenaise, a dairy-free mayonnaise, as the base for most of her sauces. “I make and use so many sauces,” she says,” and Vegenaise has been a game changer.” Among the sauces she makes with it: chipotle aioli, ranch, remoulade, BBQ aioli, tartar sauce, and salad dressings. “Start with Vegenaise as your base, experiment with emulsifying oils, vinegars, and seasonings—and you’ve got yourself a sauce, baby!”
Greens’s pantry brims with onions and different types of garlic, which are foundational to her cooking.
Salt and pepper only take you so far. “Most people use salt and pepper,” says Greens. “I use garlic and onions.” She likes that onions taste differently, depending on how they’re cooked. They can be sweet if caramelized, savory, or pickled. “The aroma of onions and garlic is also very nostalgic for me,” says Greens. “Growing up, it was always the first thing I smelled on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas morning, or even just a regular Sunday Dinner. It’s like the Batman signal, but food.”
She’ll take her garlic black. “Black Garlic is something I discovered not too long ago,” says Greens. “I started actively using it last year, experimenting with sauces, savory dishes, and mostly just trying to expand my palate as a chef.” She likes to use it in dishes that have savory, umami, and spicy flavor profiles.
Looking for perfect dish that can be used as an impressive appetizer, snack, or spread? Chef Greens offers up her Champagne Black Garlic Aioli recipe, a proven umami bomb of flavor.
Chef Phuong Kinney frequently swaps in southeast Asian noodles for traditional wheat noodles because they’re “lighter and healthier.”
Chef Phuong Kinney’s introduction to plant-based food started with her mother, who is Buddhist and has been vegetarian for more than a decade. Kinney, who co-owns EXIT 2 Vegan, a plant-based meal-prep service based in St. Peters, Missouri, made the switch herself in 2017 for health reasons. Now she eats a plant-based diet for environmental and ethical reasons as well. “By changing what we eat, we better not only our minds and bodies, but also the environment.”
A better soy sauce. Kinney swears by coconut aminos, a salty, savory seasoning sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt. “It’s in my pantry because it’s so versatile,” says Kinney. She uses it as a base for salad dressings, and as a marinade for grilled vegetables and mock meats. “It’s my alternative to soy sauce and salt,” she says. “I use it to give dipping sauces, soups, and rice a salty umami flavor.”
“The possibilities are endless with peanut butter.”
Fun with noodles. Among Kinney’s staples are Shirataki noodles, made from glucomannan, a type of fiber that comes from the root of the konjac plant, which grows in Japan, China, and Southeast Asia. She got the idea from her mother, who used them to make her noodle soups lighter and healthier. White and translucent, the noodles come in a variety of shapes, including spaghetti, ramen, macaroni, and rice.
Peanut butter isn’t just for sandwiches. Kinney finds all kinds of ways to use it. “The possibilities are endless,” she says. “Peanut butter's savory, rich flavor allows you to use it in making marinades, sauces, and salad dressings.”
Kinney’s fridge is a stocked with a balance of fresh vegetables and fruits and assorted condiments that she uses to make sauces and marinades. Most of a large drawer is dedicated to storing the Shirataki noodles she loves. Note the big jar of peanut butter. Photo source: Phuong Kinney
Vegan Vietnamese Chick’n and Tofu Spring Roll Noodle Salad
Love Vietnamese Spring rolls but not all the work that goes into making them? Well, say hello to this beautiful Vietnamese Spring Roll Noodle Salad recipe prepared by Chef Kinney.
Dená Brummer is a News Fellow and plant-based chef based in Los Angeles, CA.
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