With the world on lockdown, many of us are finding alternative ways to cope, survive, and strive for more during this pandemic. Now, more than ever, is a time to brush up on your creative cooking skills and get your Masterchef on! Of course, with this lockdown, we want to reduce our trips to the store, so here are some suggestions for your next trip! Also, here are a few tips and substitutions for when you don’t have access to all the ingredients you may need. Now, more than ever is time to get creative!
In a recent episode of Strive Conversations, I spoke to Amanda Huang, founder of Earth Made Kitchen, a learning hub for all things food. We discussed a few ways to make the most out of what we have, and pantry staples we need to pick up on our next shopping trip!
Before we get into that, let me tell you a bit more about Amanda! Her mission is to inspire more people to cook and eat homemade meals. She creates recipes that are simple, healthy, bursting with flavor, and (most importantly) quick! In addition to Earth Made Kitchen, she has been working at a recreational cooking school for almost 9 years and has also volunteered in various food-focused organizations. Currently, Amanda organizes in-person and virtual workshops and hopes to provide more food services in the future. You can check out her cooking segments on IG Live @EarthMadeKitchen!
Here are a few quick lists Amanda and I discussed to make the most out of your cooking! These lists focused on ingredients that are accessible, low-cost, and can spark creative recipes and meals! Make sure to refer to them on your next trip grocery store!
Top 10 Must-Have Ingredients to Pick Up!
(Enjoy some suggestions from Amanda (“AH”) and myself (“MTL” = Melissa Thi Le)
- Pasta
- AH: Should I say more?! Alternative options would be gluten-free or chickpea pasta. My go-to is penne Pomodoro with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- MTL: Did you know specific dishes require specific types of pasta? It’s the same thing with noodles! All that said, when it comes to easy and accessible cooking, go with what you like and/or can find! My favorites are fettuccine, penne, and rotini. If you want to get real fancy, you can get frozen ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, mushroom, or cheeses.
- Rice
- AH: There are many kinds of rice to choose from! Rice also makes a good gluten-free base for many dishes. Create warm dishes like biryani, or cold dishes like a wild rice salad!
- MTL: Rice is a great staple! You can pair it with most meat and/or veggie side dish for more heartiness. Also, you can use up leftover meats and veggies to make fried rice! Lastly, something new I’ve been doing is making Hainese chicken and rice. Toasting the rice in chicken fat, garlic, and ginger was a game-changer for me!
- AH: There are many kinds of rice to choose from! Rice also makes a good gluten-free base for many dishes. Create warm dishes like biryani, or cold dishes like a wild rice salad!
- Cheese
- AH: Cheese can be eaten at any time of day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and even dessert! Cheeses that are commonly found in grocery stores right now are cheddar and mozzarella…these cheeses go well with any casserole dishes, pizzas, and more!
- MTL: I don’t eat a whole lot of cheese at home but homemade pizza sounds GREAT! I have also been enjoying the occasional Caprese salad – fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic reduction, with your choice of seasoning – salt, pepper, olive oil, red pepper flakes, etc.
- AH: Cheese can be eaten at any time of day – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and even dessert! Cheeses that are commonly found in grocery stores right now are cheddar and mozzarella…these cheeses go well with any casserole dishes, pizzas, and more!
- Ground Meats
- AH: Ground meats are generally easy to cook with. They are often used in many casseroles and one-pot meals, which makes meal prepping easy.
- ML: I always have a bit of ground pork in my freezer to throw into pasta dishes, noodles, or a quick stir fry with rice! Very convenient and adds a lot of flavors.
- AH: Ground meats are generally easy to cook with. They are often used in many casseroles and one-pot meals, which makes meal prepping easy.
- Frozen Vegetables
- AH: Frozen vegetables can last a very long time in your freezer, and can be easily incorporated to any dish! Since we are approaching warmer weather, frozen vegetables like asparagus, corn, and more are tasty additions to your spring/summer dishes! An elote salad is a delicious example of simply using frozen corn (instead of fresh corn) to create an easy pantry dish!
- MTL: I always have peas, corn, and some combo veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. It’s a great way to quickly get veggies into pasta, noodles, even omelettes, and meat-focused dishes!
- AH: Frozen vegetables can last a very long time in your freezer, and can be easily incorporated to any dish! Since we are approaching warmer weather, frozen vegetables like asparagus, corn, and more are tasty additions to your spring/summer dishes! An elote salad is a delicious example of simply using frozen corn (instead of fresh corn) to create an easy pantry dish!
- Frozen fruit
- AH: What I love about frozen fruit is that they often come in “blends”. You can find a blend of assorted frozen berries in one pack, or even a “Mixed Fruit” blend. Make a smoothie, or try making a smoothie bowl – here is my recipe for a delicious smoothie bowl using a blend of frozen fruit and pantry items!
- MTL: YES! Also, a great way to make quick sorbets for a fat-free dessert!
- AH: What I love about frozen fruit is that they often come in “blends”. You can find a blend of assorted frozen berries in one pack, or even a “Mixed Fruit” blend. Make a smoothie, or try making a smoothie bowl – here is my recipe for a delicious smoothie bowl using a blend of frozen fruit and pantry items!
- Canned tomatoes
- AH: Make your pasta sauce – there are endless possibilities: marinara, pomodoro, puttanesca, and the list goes on! You can also make a variety of dishes using canned tomatoes, such as chili and shakshuka!
- MTL: I kind of cheat with this by having jarred pasta sauces and seasoned it to my liking. This is also great trick if you need tomatoes bases like when I did a scrappy Al Pastor tacos and wanted to build a complex marinate. It was not authentic whatsoever but helped curved my cravings for Al Pastor (pork and pineapple)
- AH: Make your pasta sauce – there are endless possibilities: marinara, pomodoro, puttanesca, and the list goes on! You can also make a variety of dishes using canned tomatoes, such as chili and shakshuka!
- Mayonnaise
- AH: Use it as a sandwich spread or make a salad dressing with it! Whip together an easy dip using mayonnaise and a few spices. Add some crackers and there you go – cracker and dip for a snack!
- MTL: They also sell variations of typical mayonnaise such as chipotle mayo if you prefer that (it’s just not as versatile as plain)
- AH: Use it as a sandwich spread or make a salad dressing with it! Whip together an easy dip using mayonnaise and a few spices. Add some crackers and there you go – cracker and dip for a snack!
- Soy Sauce
- AH: Versatile for any Asian cooking, soy sauce makes a great dip, and is pretty easy to find! With soy sauce, you can add a burst of flavor to a simple dish like fried rice or get creative with a mixed vegetable and meat stir-fry!
- MTL: Yes! I couldn’t agree more! I typically use soy sauce instead of salt in various dishes. And if you’re advance or super familiar with Asian cooking, you can even try Fish Sauce for a deeper, complex flavor.
- Beans/Legumes
- AH: There are tons of beans and legumes to choose from – from black beans, red lentils, chickpeas, and more! These options are vegetarian and vegan friendly, and are packed in iron and protein!
- MTL: Beans and legumes are so good! I’m starting to experiment with them myself! Canned is definitely faster to cook than dried, but dried beans are incredibly affordable! You can easily create a quick and easy burrito bowl with meats/veggies of your choice, rice and beans, and some salsa!
Top 5 Spices/Seasonings To Have
- Italian Seasoning – Seasoning blends are the perfect all-in-one flavor combination to have. If you don’t feel like DIY’ing your own blend, get yourself a pack that’s already done for you. I recommend the Italian Seasoning blend by Club House, as it goes well with many dishes, especially pasta-based dishes!
- Paprika – Don’t want too much spice but still want a kick? Paprika is a versatile spice that can pretty much go well with everything. If you don’t have a grill but still want some smoky flavor – paprika is the secret spice that can make that happen.
- Turmeric Powder – We hear it in the news all the time – turmeric powder is the superfood that’s also a natural doctor. It’s true – it is a healthy spice. It also brings color to your dishes and is often used as an affordable alternative to saffron.
- Garlic Powder – Garlic is an essential ingredient to almost all dishes! However, if you aren’t in the mood to mince garlic, use garlic powder! Garlic powder is also a great ingredient to put into snacking foods – like homemade chips and dips of all kinds.
- Cinnamon – This is my #1 baking spice. When it comes to baking, there are many recipes that require cinnamon. Remember, cinnamon has a powerful flavor – a little goes a long way!
5 Substitutions (for when your grocery store/your place runs out of ingredients)
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour has been nearly impossible to find these days. If you still want to bake some cookies or bread, there are alternative options that you can use! Try baking with chickpea or oat flour. Although the texture may be different, you’ll still achieve incredible taste, and the measurements are the same as regular all-purpose flour as well. Gluten-free flour blends are another delicious alternative to regular all-purpose flour!
- Certain cuts of meat – During my grocery store trips, I’ve noticed certain meats are out of stock – such as chicken breast! If you still want to cook with meat, an option is to go to the frozen aisle – you can find a variety of frozen raw meats and fish! Cured meats, such as bacon and deli meats are other alternatives as well, and can last in your fridge for a long period of time.
- Yeast – Ever since this lockdown began, I have not been able to find yeast. If you still want to make bread, try making soda bread, as that requires baking soda, not yeast! Here is a recipe for Irish Soda Bread!
- Milk – If you can’t find regular dairy milk, there are many other options out there! There is already a rise in milk alternatives, such as soy milk, almond milk, and oat milk.
- Certain grain-based products – Although pasta is relatively easy to find in grocery stores, they are often limiting 2 pasta box purchases per grocery store trip. You can always substitute pasta with rice or noodles, depending on what you’re making. For example, your pasta bake can turn into rice bake!
5 Creative and Tasty Frozen/Pantry Item Combinations
- Stir-Fries – As long as you have soy sauce, you can make a stir fry! You can make it meat-based or vegetarian, and use soy sauce as the main source of flavor to your dish! You can get creative with your stir-fry and add it into a buddha bowl – here is my recipe where I simply stir-fried some vegetables and incorporated it into my buddha bowl!
- Fruit Smoothies – Get your Vitamin C by making a fruit smoothie using fresh or frozen fruit.
- Pasta Bakes – Pasta bakes are easy and are a creative dish to make. You put pasta and other ingredients of your choice into a baking dish and bake it till it’s done!
- Chilis – An easy one-pot dish, chilis can also be made in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Energy Bites – Energy Bites are fairly simple to make, as you do not need an oven, stovetop, or any complicated kitchen utensil. They make great snacks and desserts!
Check out the video recording of our Strive Conversation!
Feeling inspired by our lists? Share in the comments on what you’re looking forward to trying!
If you’re interested in learning more about Amanda and her work, check out her Website for upcoming events, like her Facebook, and watch her cooking segments on Instagram.
In the mood to make an impact?
It is a privilege for many of us to shelter in place and come up with fun and creative dishes to make. Not everyone is as fortunate. In times of crisis, it’s also important to think of others and what we can do to support those less fortunate. There are many ways you can give back at whatever capacity you’re comfortable with, whether that’s donating money, volunteering your time, or spreading awareness on specific causes.
Before you make any decisions on what/how to support others/your community, reflect on what causes you care about the most. Then, educate yourself on who’s doing what, how, and what impact they’re having to their beneficiaries!
Based on our conversation about food, here are a few food-focused organizations that are helping others:
- With so many out of work, families are struggling to eat. Feeding America launched a Respond Fund to support those affected by COVID-19 and are collaborating with government leaders, food banks, and companies all over the country on these varieties of initiatives.
- No Kid Hungry supports low-income families to feed their children across America. Check out some of their achievements and impact work!
- Want to support restaurant workers who are now out of work? There’s a nonprofit for that: Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. Check out their response to the COVID-19.
- The Washington Post also put together a great list of ways we can help others by supporting nonprofits, restaurants/cafes/bars, seniors at risk, promote our communities, and help local businesses. Check out their article here.
- Vox also put together a similar list of ways we can get involved, plus ways to support those with inadequate health care, housing instability, and homelessness. Check out their article here.
Please note these are some organizations we came across that are helping others. We are not asking you to donate. Instead, we’re asking you to do your research, educate yourself, and find out how you can get involved, if you so choose.
We all can make a difference, it doesn’t have to all be at once or in a form of a grand gesture (such as large donation or organizing a 3,000 person walk for charity). Find your own way to make an impact and #StriveWithMe
