weekend meals & the staples!

First, here's a look at our meals from Saturday and Sunday:

Saturday Brunch:

Waffles and homemade vegetarian sausages! I topped my waffles with sliced banana and maple syrup . . . mmmmm. I think I may be experiencing technical difficulties with my waffle iron, however -- it's not browning the waffles AT ALL. Hm. Maybe it's just time for a new waffle iron?

Prepping Saturday Dinner:

I made burger buns . . . knobby burger buns! This lead to Dan and I having a very silly conversation about "my buns." "I wanted flat buns, but I made knobby buns." "Flat buns are better than knobby buns." "I didn't squash my buns enough." "Maybe next time I'll slash my buns so they stay flat." Etc. You get the idea. :)

(The "buns" conversation, coupled with singing classic alternative and indie rock songs in the style of Henrietta Pussycat, lead to a very goofy evening.)

While I had the oven on, I made a batch of blueberry-streusel muffins:

So good. If I wasn't already planning on baking in a little while, I'd totally be mowing one of these right now!

Saturday Dinner:

I made Melody's All-American Burgers. Not usually a veggie burger lover myself, I have to admit . . . these are A-MAZ-ING!!!!! Seriously, if you like veggie burgers even a little bit, you HAVE to make these. Like all homemade burgers, they tend to be softer than the commercially-made ones, but that's okay . . . SO GOOD. (My only complaint was that her directions to use a 1/2 cup of mix made HUGE burgers . . . I'll probably use 1/3 cup going forward.) Dan almost ate two, until I distracted him with a blueberry muffin. :) (I wanted leftovers!)

Sunday Lunch:

Seitan and Dumplings again . . . it's that good.

Sunday Dinner:

Falafel and a Minneola! I love bulk falafel mix . . . 1/3 cup mix, 1/4 cup water, stir, let sit for 15 minutes, panfry, voila! Dinner in what feels like moments. (And a single serving for solo diners!)

AND NOW . . . The Staples.

I had multiple requests for my list of staples that I keep in my house, so I thought I'd just post them here, instead of sending out a mass email. Please note that I generally buy organic, fair-trade, and/or local as much as I can. Some items are specifically labelled organic, but much of what is on this list actually is!

Here's a list of stuff I generally have on hand at all times:

FLOURS: whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pastry, "gold and white," coarse cornmeal/polenta, hi-lysene corn flour, rye, chickpea

SWEETENERS: organic natural granulated sugar, organic brown sugar, organic powdered sugar, agave, honey, maple syrup, molasses, brown rice syrup, golden syrup, organic corn syrup

MISCELLANEOUS BAKING: vital wheat gluten, kosher salt, egg replacer, cocoa powder, cornstarch, nonfat dry milk, baking powder, baking soda, extracts (vanilla, almond, peppermint, lemon,) muffin liners, arrowroot, cream of tartar

GRAINS: rolled oats, Bob's Red Mill 10-Grain hot cereal, panko breadcrumbs, long-grain brown rice, short-grain brown rice, sushi rice, wild rice, Basmati rice, Jasmine rice, whole-wheat couscous, whole-wheat pastas, quinoa, spelt, pearl barley

MISCELLANEOUS DRY BULK: TVP, miscellaneous dry beans, red lentils, green lentils, brown lentils

OILS: extra-virgin olive, canola, safflower, toasted sesame, peanut

VINEGARS: balsamic, red wine, white wine, apple cider, white, rice

CONDIMENTS: BBQ sauce, Vegenaise, salsa, sriracha, ketchup, tamari, Crystal hot sauce, jam, apple butter, dijon mustard, wasabi, Bragg's liquid aminos

FREEZER: ground flax seeds, fresh breadcrumbs, active dry yeast, cooked beans in 2-cup portions, chipotle chiles in adobo

MISCELLANEOUS FRIDGE: miso, red curry paste, chili paste, capers, olives, tomato paste, tamarind paste, sundried tomatoes, vegetarian worcestershire, homemade vegetable broth powder, ghee, pasta sauce, parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast flakes, seeds and nuts (white and black sesame, almonds (whole and sliced,) walnuts,) chocolate chips, unsweetened flake coconut

PRODUCE: garlic, onions

DRIED HERBS: parsley, mint, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, basil, sage, thyme, tarragon

WHOLE SEEDS: caraway, poppy, celery, anise, cardamom, brown mustard, cumin, fennel

GROUND SPICES: file powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, mace, pumpkin pie blend, garlic, onion, tumeric, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, sweet paprika, cloves, curry powder, dry mustard, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, sumac

WHOLE SPICES: black pepper, chili flakes, whole Indian chilis, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, star anise

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I'm curious to see what you guys think of my list -- am I crazy for keeping so much stuff around? Am I missing essentials, in your opinion? Let the great staple debate begin.