• Pasta (various
  whole-grain,
  soba and rice
  noodles)
• Rice (basmati,
  Arborio,sushi,
  wild)
• Quinoa, oats, millet
• Couscous
• Lentils and dried,
  ready-to-eat bean
  mixes
• Canned beans
  (refried beans,
  black beans,
  chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini
  beans)

• Onions
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Dried mushrooms
  (porcini, shiitake,
  maitake)
• Sun-dried tomatoes,
  canned whole tomatoes,
  tomato sauce and
  tomato paste
• Bottled artichoke
  hearts
• Jarred peppers
  (piquillo peppers,
  roasted red peppers,
  chipotle peppers in
  adobo)
• Canned and pickled
  beets
• Water-packed canned
  fruits
• Mandarin oranges
• Raisins
• Prunes
• Dried cranberries
  and apricots

• Sea salt or kosher salt
• Black peppercorns
• Dried spices (cumin,
  chili powder, coriander,
  mustard seeds, red-
  pepper flakes, saffron,
  ginger, paprika, turmeric,
  curry blend)
• Dried herbs (basil,
  mint, dill, rosemary,
  thyme, oregano,
  sage)
• Sesame seeds

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Canola oil
• Vinegars (balsamic,
  apple cider, red wine,
  rice wine, exotic flavors
  like mango chili and
  orange mango)
• Naturally brewed soy
  sauce
• Chili paste
• Hoisin sauce
• Thai curry pastes
• Coconut milk
• Teriyaki sauce
• Fish sauce
• Vacuum-packed miso
• Sliced pickled ginger
• Wasabi powder
• Nori and akame seaweed
• Salsa
• Pickled red cabbage
• Cornichons
• Olives
• Capers
• Relish
• Pepperoncini
• Honey, agave syrup
• Real maple syrup
• Tahini paste
• Indian simmer
  sauces (tikka masala,
  vindaloo,
  korma, coconut curry)

• Aseptic-packed
  reduced-sodium
  chicken or vegetable
  broth
• Marinara and other
  all-natural pasta
  sauce blends
• Canned wild-caught salmon
• Canned sardines
• Canned anchovies
• Canned smoked oysters
• Whole-grain
  crackers and
• crispbreads
• Panko bread
  crumbs
• Dark chocolate
  bars
• Wine

Mollie Katzen
Author of The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without (Hyperion, 2007):

“I love to squeeze lemons into soups, stews, sauces and glasses of water, and I also like to garnish with them.”

“I am never without peanut butter, because when I need a pick-me-up, I can eat it as a snack on a spoon or with fruit or crackers. I also make sauces out of it for vegetables or Chinese-style noodles.”

“Whole-milk yogurt is so versatile — you can eat it with fruit and a little honey or with cut-up vegetables and a little salt and pepper, or use it as a topping for Middle Eastern salads.”

Russ Parsons
Author of How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor From Farm to Table (Houghton Mifflin, 2007):

“I use cornichons and olives to add that bit of tart/salty flavor ‘pop’ to what might be dull dishes. Recently, I added sliced cornichons to a roast pork sandwich, and it enhanced the dish by adding another aspect of flavor that made the sandwich taste fuller. I also made one of my wife’s favorite dishes, caramelized onion pizza with goat cheese, but I added some chopped pitted olives that really improved the dish. Peppery pastes are also great to either use as a chutney or to simply spread on croutons as a quick-and-easy bruschetta.”

Freezer
The freezer is a great place for backup on all fronts. Many meats, shredded cheeses, vegetables and fruits will wait patiently there, at-the-ready, for you to toss into tasty, homemade insta-meals. Here are just a few items to stash away:

“It’s fabulous what you can get these days — from great Indian sauces to fresh guacamole and pesto — at regular supermarkets. There is no reason to be eating boring bad food, or even boring healthy food.”

“I store knobs of ginger in a jar of sand so they’re always on hand to grate into dishes for a potent digestive aid that adds authentic flavor to quick Asian meals.”

“These days, properly frozen vegetables are just as high in phytochemicals and vitamins as fresh, so stock up. The other day I cooked some frozen vegetables in Indian simmer sauce with leftover grilled chicken to make an instant meal.”

Robin Asbell writes, cooks and teaches about food so delicious that the healthy part doesn’t matter. She is the author
of The New Whole Grains Cookbook (Chronicle Books, 2007).

Quick Pantry Meals
Satisfying food can be simple, especially if you learn how to coax the best flavor from your ingredients. Here are a few ideas for fast, healthy pantry meals:

Whatever’s-in-the-Fridge Frittata. Joyce Hendley creates a delicious egg breakfast, lunch or dinner with sautéed onion, four eggs and two egg whites, and leftover veggies, cheese or meats, and herbs.

Mediterranean Pantry Pasta. Sara Moulton combines cooked linguine, sautéed onion and garlic, sage, sun-dried tomatoes, white wine, canned cannellini beans, chicken stock, and pitted kalamata olives.

Quick Curry. Nina Simonds heats Indian simmer sauces with vegetables, cooked meats or fish, or tofu; makes a cooling raita of Greek yogurt, cumin, and a few dried chili flakes; and pairs the entire meal with basmati rice.

Minestrone Au Pistou. Simonds also heats high-quality canned or store-prepared minestrone with homemade stir-fried vegetables, and swirls in pesto.

Lentil Soup. Combine a can of lentils with a cup or two of free-range chicken broth, bring to a simmer and add chopped scallions, veggies and a dash of red-pepper flakes. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of flavored oil.

Stuffed Piquillo Peppers. Russ Parsons makes a light tuna salad and stuffs it in piquillo peppers.

Japanese noodles. Toss together soba noodles, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame seeds, shredded nori seaweed, pickled ginger, tofu or smoked salmon, and pickled beets.

Greek Pasta Salad. Mollie Katzen cooks tiny pasta shells and adds canned garbanzo beans, chopped fresh arugula, feta, dried tomatoes and olive oil.

Thai Couscous. Heat a can of coconut milk with green or red Thai curry paste, cauliflower or broccoli florets, and frozen shrimp, and serve it over whole-wheat couscous or rice. For more color and crunch, add diced carrots to the mix.

Other Tips:

• Canned sardines, anchovies and salmon all work in salads and are a great way to get your omega-3s
• For an icy smoothie, drop frozen berries straight into the blender with yogurt, soy milk or juice. A little ginger adds zing.
• Heat up garbanzo beans and frozen vegetables in some Indian simmer sauce, and you’ve got Indian takeout — without going anywhere.

Resources
The EatingWell Diet by Joyce Hendley (Countryman, 2007)

The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without by Mollie Katzen (Hyperion, 2007)

Sara Moulton Cooks at Home by Sara Moulton (Broadway, 2002)

How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman (Wiley, 1998)

New Good Food: Essential Ingredients for Cooking and Eating Well by Margaret Wittenberg (Ten Speed Press, 1997)

For more on crafting quick and healthy meals at home, see “Time to Cook” (March 2008) and “Coming Home to Your Foodshed” (September/October 2002) in our archives.