No more excuses. Now we have plenty of time to cook.

Ordering out is fine, but in days of quarantine let's show respect and empathy to the delivery people, as well as the rest of the working staff who continue to work in food service. Our suggestion is not to order out, unless we don't have a choice. And it doesn't count as an argument that anything my mother, father, wife or husband cooks is not edible. Time to eat whatever they cook… okay, at least let's try. It's time for them to improve their cooking skills, as well. That's why we're here! 🙂

In Greece, we're already in quarantine for ten days, and obtaining supplies, especially fresh ones, is becoming increasingly difficult. This doesn't mean we can't enjoy freshly cooked, nutritious and delicious vegan food. All it takes is to be foresighted:

  1. If we can, we order our supplies online. If we don't know how, we ask someone to help us out. In addition, we ask our elderly neighbors if they want help on doing their shopping.
  2. If we go out shopping, we wear a mask and gloves. And I don't mean boxing gloves and a Batman mask.
  3. We only buy what we need for the next 10 days and we do not hoard as if we are going to live another 800 years.
  4. When it comes to packaged foods we check the expiration date so they don't go bad. We also make sure they're vegan. If we're not sure about the ingredients, especially when shopping online, we should search for a larger photo of the product (looking at photos on the internet) so that we can check the ingredients or find the vegan certification label on the package.

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What can we buy:

Ok, we can buy whatever we want 🙂, but here are just a few ideas:

1. Legumes

The perfect choice! They are preserved for a very long time and we can cook countless delicious meals, such as patties, hummus, meatballs, appetizers, Greek lentil soutzoukakia, kebab, vegan loaf, sauces, Greek youvarlakia, soups, and salads.

Don't forget about soy products! They are long-lasting and perfect for quick and delicious recipes. Like tofu for Greek kayana and minced soya for amazing pasta Bolognese.

TIPS

  1. We can use uncooked legumes or canned ones.
  2. Uncooked legumes can be used in various recipes. We only need to soak them, without boiling them afterward. Like the lentils for these Greek lentil soutzoukakia.

2. Pasta

If we have a choice we prefer the most nutritious, such as whole-wheat pasta, with farro flour or from red lentils, chickpeas, etc.

Pasta is offered for countless delicious vegan recipes such as Bolognese, with spinach and cherry tomatoes, with fennel and Greek ouzo or with mushrooms in a creamy sauce.

TIPS

We can boil them in vegetable broth to make them even more nutritious.

3. Vegetables

  1. Fresh: we buy as many as we will consume the next few days or those that can be kept in good condition for longer, such as onions, garlic, carrots, cabbage, turnips, beets, peppers, and potatoes.
  2. Frozen: we choose the ones we prefer, such as green peas, green beans, mixed vegetables, spinach, corn, artichokes, and okra.

TIPS

  1. Store the most delicate vegetables (such as leafy greens) in the fridge.
  2. We first consume the fresh vegetables, so they don't go bad.

4. Fruits

  1. Fresh: (as with vegetables) we buy as many as we will consume the next few days or the ones that can be kept in good condition for longer, such as apples, oranges, tangerines, and bananas.
  2. We order dried fruits, such as figs, apricots, plums, raisins, and dates.

TIPS

  1. We keep the fresh fruits, that we are not going to eat soon, in the refrigerator.
  2. We can use overripe fruits to make juices and smoothies or in various desserts such as cakes, ice cream, and muffins.
  3. We can also freeze them. In this case, we wash them, cut them into small pieces and put them in suitable airtight containers or bags.

5. Nuts

  1. Let your imagination go wild. Order whatever you like. Hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. The choices are endless. Definitely don't forget to buy cashews! You'll need them for sauces and cheese. You can also sauté them and add them to noodles with vegetables or pilaf (rice).
  2. Packaged nut products, such as peanut butter (with which we can make awesome muffins and truffles), and almond butter, but mainly tahini which we can spread on bread along with jam of our choice. We can also make amazing sauces and dips, even tzatziki!

TIPS

We can eat them as they are, in salads, fruit salads, and smoothies, as well as make delicious desserts and of course mouthwatering cheese!

6. Plant-based milk

  1. Packaged plant-based milk is ideal, as it is usually preserved for several months. But once we open it, we can keep it refrigerated for only a few days.
  2. We can easily make our own, such as almond milk.

TIPS

The ones we make at home do not last long, so you should consume them within the first 2-3 days.

7. Cereals

  1. Cereal flakes
  2. Cereal bars
  3. Wheat, for quick and easy meals.

TIPS

  1. If we can, we check the ingredients to make sure they are vegan.
  2. We prefer wholegrain cereals, and if possible B12 fortified.

8. Bread, wraps and pastries

  1. Fresh bread, for a few days only
  2. Wraps (Greek, Arabic, Mexican), for awesome, quick wraps, and salads
  3. Toast bread
  4. Pastries for pies (puff pastry, crust, rustic, etc.)
  5. Breadsticks

TIPS

  1. We prefer whole-wheat that are high in fibers.
  2. Bread is stored longer in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. To store it in the freezer, you can cut it into smaller pieces and/or slice it and store it in well-sealed bags.
  3. If you have a few days' old bread, don't throw it away. Use it to make croutons or in vegan mushroom no-meat balls.
  4. The good news is that pastries and wraps can be kept in the freezer for several weeks.

9. Canned foods, paper, and glass packages

  1. Canned tomato
  2. Tomato paste
  3. Jam (make sure it's vegan)
  4. Canned mushrooms
  5. Dolmadakia yialantzi
  6. Large white kidney beans with tomato sauce

TIPS

Pros: the long life span. Cons: they're probably not fresh and usually contain preservatives.

10. Others

  1. Flour. Prefer whole-wheat. Ideal for bread, pastries, crepes, cakes, pancakes, and pizza dough.
  2. Nutritional yeast (preferably B12 enhanced) for topping in salads, pasta and rice but also for cheese.
  3. Dried mushrooms for soups and risotto.
  4. Ground flaxseed for smoothies and as an egg replacer in cooking, such as in patties.
  5. Toasts, crackers, and rusks (perfect for Cretan dakos salad!). As always we prefer whole-wheat ones.
  6. Cookies.
  7. Olives, sun-dried tomatoes and pickles, perfect for salads and wraps.

The above are just suggestions, not a shopping list 🙂
We only buy what we need. So there will be enough for everyone.
If you go shopping please don't push each other! Not only is it not polite, but if we don't keep our distances from each other, we are all at risk.

The above list would be endless if I also mentioned recipes. So, if you want some help with a recipe, some suggestions, or if you are missing some ingredients, and looking for alternatives, we are here for you! Drop us a comment and we'll get back to you the soonest! Real soon, as we are not going too far... 🙂

Before cooking anything:

  1. We wash our hands.
  2. We thoroughly wash or sanitize the packages before opening them.
  3. We thoroughly wash our fruits and vegetables.

Let's show empathy

Don't forget:

  1. Stay home.
  2. We definitely recommend leaving the house for one reason: To donate blood. It's important!
  3. We respect and help any way we can those who continue to work, such as medical staff, pharmacists, delivery people, and supermarket employees.
  4. We don't forget about the other animals that live in the cities. We leave food and water on the street, on the balcony, and in the yards.

During quarantine it becomes clear how much we depend on each other, even if we're isolated. Our weapon against the coronavirus is solidarity. Let us not forget that we're connected and let us remember it even after quarantine.

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