Kitchen Essentials: Power Players

With approximately five inches of snow on the ground, and temperatures under 30 degrees all week, there is little chance that I will be heading to a grocery store anytime soon. I would much rather stay inside, under my covers, than face the brutal winds outside, the empty shelves at the grocery stores, and the cold walk home with my groceries. There are so many things I love about living in DC--the museums, restaurants, people--but shopping for groceries in the city is not one of them.  

On days like this, I rely on select ingredients that I always try to have on hand. These kitchen essentials keep (relatively) well and can be used in multiple ways to pull together quite a few dishes. These kitchen power players do not represent an exhaustive list of kitchen essentials. I need more vegetables and spices in my life!  Rather, when my pantry is empty, and I need to quickly buy groceries for the week, these are my go-to ingredients. With these power players on hand, I can easily put together a quick meal. And on snow days, it means I have plenty of food at home so I can stay curled up in bed a little bit longer and dream of California and warm sunshine.

Kitchen Essentials: Power Players

• Cupboard:
• Bread
• Canned tuna
• Dark chocolate (totally essential, right?)
• Dijon mustard
• Garbanzo beans
• Olive oil
• Pasta
• Peanut Butter
• Pepper mill with black peppercorns
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt
• Fridge:
• Butter
• Eggs
• Parmesan Cheese
• Produce:
• Apples
• Bananas
• Dark leafy greens
• Garlic
• Lemons
• Onions
• Freezer:
• Chicken sausage 

Sample meals

To give you a sense of how easy it is to use these ingredients, below are some sample meals derived from this shopping list.

Italian inspired salad--leafy greens, garbanzo beans, parmesan cheese, red wine vinegar, olive oil, black pepper

Protein packed salad--leafy greens, chicken sausage, dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, black pepper

Cafe salad--leafy greens, apples, onions, parmesan cheese, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper

Garlic tuna salad--tuna, garlic, black pepper, dijon mustard, bread or leafy greens

Lemony tuna salad--tuna, lemon, black pepper, dijon mustard, bread or leafy greens

Tuna melt--tuna, lemon, black pepper, dijon mustard, onions, bread, butter

Chicken sausage sandwich--chicken sausage, onions, parmesan cheese, bread, butter

Egg scramble--eggs, parmesan cheese, butter, onions

Egg salad--eggs, dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, bread or leafy greens

Peanut butter toast--bananas, bread, peanut butter

Sautéed garbanzo beans--garbanzo beans, garlic, onions, olive oil, black pepper, salt

Marinated garbanzo beans--garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon, salt, black pepper, olive oil 

Grilled sausage--chicken sausage, onions

Lemon pasta--pasta, lemon, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garbanzo beans, garlic, salt, black pepper

Cacio e pepe--pasta, butter, parmesan cheese, black pepper, salt

Eggs in pasta--pasta, eggs, parmesan cheese, butter, black pepper, salt

Meaty pasta--pasta, chicken sausage, parmesan cheese, onion, butter

Afternoon snack--peanut butter, apples

Afternoon snack 2--apples, parmesan cheese

Hummus--garbanzo beans, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper

Roasted chickpeas--garbanzo beans, olive oil, salt, black pepper

Enjoy the week cozying up with family and friends!  Stay tuned for more kitchen essentials this week.