Meal Action Plan

The goal is to utilize the photos you sent to:

1. Organize your on-hand ingredients into the 5 basic flavor categories along with taking stock of inventory.
2. Provide meal ideas that utilize ONLY products you already have on hand.
3. Suggest a couple items you may want to purchase to bolster your pantry and fridge based on what you have on hand.

Note: Recipes are included for reference only, photos are for inspiration (they are not the actual dishes but provide a visual to work towards for the finished dish). For example the Purple Kale Caesar with Cheesy Sriracha Popcorn "Croutons", you can easily visualize the croutons in the photo as Cheesy Sriracha Popcorn "Croutons".

Recipes are nice to verify amounts, Oven Temperatures and cooking times but try to think free of the constraints of recipes.  You want to get rid of stuff not go out and buy new stuff.  Substitute Everything you can - cheese for cheese, maple syrup for honey, blended crackers for breadcrumbs ect.

A simple example is cheddar grilled cheese with mango chutney becomes grilled goat cheese (and whatever old cheese you have with fig jam. Recipes are good for special one-off dinners where you want to try making a dish (ie. Beef Wellington) but are best used as a framework for home cooking. They actually create inventory rather than help liquidate it. (Think going out and buying mango chutney instead of using the Fig jam you have).

As much as you can, try to pull one ingredient from each category of Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter, Umami. Add something from the crunchy list to every dish you can (different textures make dishes delicious) and something from the fat list in every dish because fat makes everything taste better.

Photos

Pantry #1

Pantry #2

Fridge #1

Fridge #3

Crunch

Cashews, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds , Walnuts - Candy These in butter and honey with any Indian spices
Popcorn Tossed in A Savory Butter (patios, oregano, garlic) (Sub For Croutons) 
Broccoli Stems (Sliced Thin)
Cucumber
Coconut (Toasted)
Crackers- Drizzled with melted butter and baked for 10 minutes is great
Almonds
Coconut Chips
Pistachios 
Banana Chips

Sour

Goji Berries
Lemon Juice
Lime Juice
Orange Juice
Cucumber Quick Pickle (50/50 vin + water with pinch of sugar or honey)
Kimchi
Sauerkraut
Yogurt
Pickles
Mustard
Red Wine Vinegar

Sweet

Maple Syrup
Raisins
Dates
Coconut Sugar
Fig Jam

Salty

Any Salt
Olive Tapenade
Ground Crackers
Ground Peanuts
Aged Cheese
Pickle brine
Miso
Soy
Kombu
***Any ground snacks, all chips and crackers and snacks add salt and crunch

Bitter

Cocoa Nibs
Collard Greens
Lemon Zest
Purple Kale
Broccoli
Arugula 
Hemp Seeds
Olive Tapenade
Cranberries 
Horseradish 

Umami

Worcester Sauce 
Coconut Aminos 
Miso
Tomato Sauce
Fresh Tomatoes
Tomato Paste
Mama & Papa’s Fancy Tomato Sauce
Ketchup Packets
Chicken Broth
Vegetable Broth
Aged Cheese (Parmesan, Pecorino)
HP Sauce
Valentina’s Hot Sauce
Sriracha. 

Fat

Peanut Butter
Aged Cheese
Soft Cheese
Butter
Mayo
Yogurt

Grains / Legumes

Red Beans
Pasta 
Crepe Flour
Rice
Rice Flour

Vegetables / Herbs Fruits

Beets
Carrots
Cucumber
Broccoli
Pumpkin (purée)
Cilantro
Arugula
Collard
Purple Kale
Blueberries

Protein

Eggs

Random

Ma’s Best Beet Soup
Lentil Soup
Chia Seeds
Cornflakes? (Good for crunch) 

Dish Ideas

Note** Springboard off of these, think what from the above categories you can add, if there is any ideas you don't understand how to make just google for a reference ie. "Kimchi Mayo" opening your mind to connecting ingredients is the skill, you can google almost anything for a blueprint to work from but try to refrain from just adhering to the recipe.

2 Veggie Burger Options

This will use canned beans, rolled oats, kimchi, cucumber ect.

Kidney Bean Burgers, Kimchi Mayo, lettuce, tomato or quick cucumber pickle

Kimchi Mayo:n 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup kimchi with 1 tablespoon brine, blend and pinch of coconut  sugar

Cucumber Pickle: Sliced cucumber thin, let sit in brine of (50/50 vin & water with pinch of sugar or honey)

Black Bean Burger

Same vibe as above -

Lime Zest and Garlic Mayo - Microplane / Grate Lime Zest, Crush 1/2 cup garlic into Mayo

Spicy Sauerkraut Slaw - Mix sauerkraut with chopped cilantro and 1  tbsp Valentino, a touch of sugar or honey

(You can even use Collard Greens as bun-less wrap)

Recipe Inspiration:

https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/black-bean-oat-burger

https://avirtualvegan.com/kidney-bean-burgers/

https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/kidney-bean-burgers/

https://www.vegannie.com/entrees/kidney-bean-burgers/

Collard Green Wraps

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/how-to-make-collard-wraps/

Pumpkin- Peanut Curry

Sautée 4 chopped carrots, add 3 tbsp any Indian spices (cumin, coriander, nutmeg, 1 tbsp ginger, garlic, or  garam masala), 1 can,  Pumpkin Purée, 1/4 cup Peanut Butter, 1 tablespoon, Worcestershire sauce, Can of Tomatoes, Broth, Coconut or Almond Milk, Can of Red Beans, coconut aminos, coconut sugar -

Toppings:

Add indian spices to Fig jam and a touch of red wine vinegar for a quick chutney 

Top with Cashews or nuts, stir in yogurt, chopped Cilantro

(Just add all of the above and adjust to the consitency) with curries, don't worry just add the kitchen sink and simmer for 30-45 mins

Serve with Rice

Maple - Miso Butter Roast Carrots 

Lemon Zest Yogurt - Hemp Seeds and toasted pistachios 

For butter, add a tablespoon miso into a a couple tablespoons of butter, a drizzle of maple syrup. Toss and Roast.

Roast Beet Salad

With Aged Cheese, Arugula, Candied Nuts, Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette, Orange Segments (if you want to get fancy), Goji Berries - Remember the rule of vinaigrette 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar, a tablespoon of mustard, spash of maple, season with salt.

Umami Kidney Bean Soup - Sriracha Toast

Carrots, Onion, Kimchi, (Kimchi Jus Too), Chicken or Veg Broth, Ma’s Best Ginger Beet Soup (If you want to get rid of it) aromatic herbs like thyme or roasemary if you have, A can of lentil soup, 2 cans kidney beans, leftover Rigatoni - Sriracha toast just mix sriracha with butter, honey and lime and smear on toasted country bread.

Mexican Black Beans

Carrot, Valentina, Cilantro, Feta or any sharp crumbled cheese,  Toasted Cocoa Nibs (adds nice rich bitterness and crunch).

Collard Greens with Meat Drippings or Bacon

lots of lemon juice 

Maple-Miso Butter Popcorn 

Make a sweet Maple-Miso Butter and toss fresh popcorn in it. Cocoa Nibs, almonds or toasted coconut tossed through this would also be good. If you want to get very fancy make a miso caramel.

Crepes With Date, Maple, Nuts, Peanut Butter, Honey Yogurt

Cook crepes, spread pb in middle, warm maple with chopped dates and nuts, sweeten yogurt with honey and add cinnamon.

Arugula Pesto or Collard Green Pesto 

Whatever Pasta, Nuts, Garlic, Cheese, Honey or Syrup or Sugar, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Juice, salt, pepper (Pestos are great because it's leaf, garlic, nut, aged cheese, season and blend, anything works).

Reference: https://gardenandgun.com/recipe/collard-pesto/

or search Arugula Pesto

Purple Kale Caesar - Cheesy Sriracha Popcorn "Croutons"

yogurt garlic dressing, lemon crunch, sliced broccoli stem, sriracha popcorn “croutons” - make popcorn, toss with a knob of melted butter spiked with sriracha and cheddar (or any cheese), bake for 5 mins at 350 until cheese is toasted.

For yogurt dressing - 1 cup yogurt, 1/2 crushed garlic clove, 1/4 lemon juiced, a touch of honey,1 tablespoon mustard, glug of olive oil to thin, a dash of worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.

Toss the whole thing with lots of grated aged cheese that you have and some pumpkin seeds (you can roast for 1 min alongside popcorn) if you like!

Red Kidney Beans Dip

Basically like hummus, olive oil, garlic, a touch of nut butter, fresh herbs, and any spice rub you have or anything middle eastern (coriander, cumin ect.)

Dip in crackers in the pantry (for next level toss pre-done crackers in EVOO and make with and rub and serve warm).

Reference -

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/red-kidney-bean-dip-recipe-2014416.amp

Fig Jam Grilled Cheese

Make a grilled cheese with a mix of cheese and smear in the fig jam, good with bacon too if you want to go full on.

Welsh Rarebit with Fig Jam (use that lea &  persons),

You can use any combo of cheese as lonv as 50% cheddar or something similar  (use up old cheese)

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1908-welsh-rarebit

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Ketchup Packs, Horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, Lemon Juice,
Good with smoked oyster or Sardines on crackers or Shrimp etc.

Resources:

Collard Green Uses

https://www.thekitchn.com/10-ways-to-eat-your-collard-greens-240555
 
Tips For Updating All That Amy's Canned Soup

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/canned-soup-tips/amp

https://frommybowl.com/make-canned-soup-taste-better/

Simmered Kombu

https://thefoodietakesflight.com/kombu-tsukudani/

Kombu 

https://www.reachmykitchenuae.ae/blogs/recipes-from-some-of-dubais-best-chefs/kombu-roasted-chilean-sea-bass

Kombu Butter

https://www.okonomikitchen.com/kombu-miso-butter/

Rice Flour Roti

https://myheartbeets.com/rice-flour-roti/

Ideas

Breading Anything With Rice Flour

Worcestershire sauce

Use in every soup, curry, sauce, burger Patty, Salad dressing. It’s an Umami Bomb. 

Tenets 

1. Attack fridge door
2. Kill Duplicates
3. Effort to Payoff Value (Soups you can eat over a week vs. one-off)
4. Speed or Low effort (can it be made in 15 minutes) or while I’m watching the game, working or doing something else (anything that simmers ect. soup, stews, braises)
5. If you’m haven’t used something in a year or it’s near expiry you might as well try something new with it and if you don’t like it throw it out (you would eventually throw it out) is.
6. Over expired stuff (especially dry goods) does not always need to be tossed. Smell it and look at it and if it looks ok dump it in a soup.

Trust yourself. You’ve been eating your entire life and have a better palate than you think. As long as you taste as you go you are good. Recipes only really matter for baking (which is science). Try stuff. The creative part is the fun part. You got this. 

Bean Ideas

Dip, Sautéed, Salad, Soup, Patties

A shopping list based on what you have:

Umami

Dried Shitake Mushrooms
Boniti Flakes (to make dashi as you have Kombu the base for miso soup) https://www.seriouseats.com/basic-japanese-dashi-recipe - killer when you add miso, tonnes of fresh vegetables like bok choy and green onion for recovery days - Any Japanese or asian store, probably whole foods or amazon (just get a small bag)

Sour

One more vinegar (rice wine or champagne or something artisan like celery or currant or another fancy flavor)

Salt

Maldon Salt
Diamond Krystal Kosher Salt
Fish Sauce (good for Umami too)

Sweet

Honey (if you  don’t have), you can also take a sugar you have not used and make a quick simple syrup to cook with or make cocktails.

Bitter

90% Dark Chocolate is great in Red Wine Stews, Chili, Over Roast Vegetables, Beans

Conclusion:

You are well stocked you can just hammer through your pantry and spend very little on groceries. I challenge you to liquidate and empty out those cupboards.

Phase 2 is to build up a new Pantry War Chest but attack the beans and soup