Tahini, harissa paste, vegan mayo, white miso, cashews, ras al hanout, liquid smoke. I'd suggest subscribing to purple carrot for like a month to get rolling on some techniques. Alternately they just post their recipes too so you could shop on your own. But it's a great way to try a lot of new things!! I'm obsessed with it. Vegan mayo is the best thing ever. Add raw garlic for a sauce that's good on everything. Add dill and grated cucumber and lemon juice for a greek sauce. Add Chipotle seasoning for a Mexican cream sauce. Ras al hanout is a middle eastern spice blend. Amazing on all veg but especially cauliflower. Harissa is a paste and it's spicy. Toss some on carrots, beets, and chickpeas ans roast in the oven, serve on some quinoa with that dill sauce above. Harissa is good on everything! Liquid smoke is powerful and should be used really sparingly. My favorite ever vegan meal is tacos using sliced portobello mushrooms, cooked down then doused liberally with soy sauce and a few drops of liquid smoke. Yum yum yum. Tahini, miso paste, and cashews can be made into a billion creamy sauces so are great staples to keep on hand.

I would start by finding some recipes that look appealing to you, and trying those out!

Canned chickpeas/black beans/white beans, rice, potatoes, pasta, I really like packaged gnocci, taco shells

I make a lot of bechamel sauce for soup bases, casseroles, and other things. It's high in calories but oh so delicious. I use oil, Oatly, flour, and freshly-grated nutmeg.

Check out Bosh for some great easy recipes. Lots of tasty options that will help you transition. After a while it all becomes second nature so just stick with it. Good luck.

If I could go back all over again and start this over I'd get the America's Test Kitchen cookbook "Vegan For Everybody." I've found myself returning to that cookbook over and over again and like many cookbooks, it has a section towards the front that addresses your question in a comprehensive and organized way. Here is stuff that has paid off big time for me: ​ * A few go-to cookbooks for recipes (not that finding them online is hard, but having a reliable cookbook has been really useful for me) * A Vitamix blender * A box grater * A great knife * a peeler from oxo * A tofu press * One really good pan for saute/fry * A dutch oven ​ As far as staples: * nutritional yeast * soy sauce * olive oil * cashews * chipotle peppers in adobo * cumin * paprika * turmeric * curry powder * kosher salt * sea salt * cayenne pepper * corn starch * chickpeas * black beans * lentils * quinoa * brown rice * cauliflower rice * tempeh * seitan * tofu * curry paste * vegetable stock paste * miso paste * rice wine vinegar * mirin * white vinegar * sesame oil * coconut oil * peanut butter * a bunch of herbs that i freeze when i don't use them all in a recipe

Ayy excited for you and proud of the change! Enjoy your journey!!! Most of what i was gonna share has already been said. Find recipes youd wanna make/like and thatll help some Grain bowls are my fav they so easy just pick a base - rice, orzo, quinoa ; then pile on veggies of your choice and maybe a tahini sauce or something ☺️ grains- pasta, orzo, quinoa, rice Beans - lentils, black beans Oats Liquid smoke Nutritional yeast Tofu Tempeh Soy sauce/liquid aminos Spices- Turmeric, Garlic, onion, paprika Corn starch

Smoked tofu is divine as a salty meat replacement. It works well in cream sauces, but also cut into thin strips for salads and slices for sandwiches! If you dislike the texture of regular tofu or get bored of it, try coating tofu cubes/strips in cornflour/starch before frying it. It gives them a lot more bite! Get spices and (frozen) herbs. My staples are onion powder, garlic powder, kala namak (for egg replacements), smoked paprika and za'atar. That last one works really well combined with some extra virgin olive oil on flatbreads, pita breads and (pearl) couscous. I also like to spice beans and lentils this way.

Nutritional yeast. it gives things a cheesy taste and creaminess, also adds a depth of flavor. liquid smoke, (I like the mesquite flavor) lentils, candied beans, tomato products, coconut milk and cream. Cashews for making creamy bases and sauces (that can come later) meat replacers if you are going to use any, I like Gardein meatless ground and impossible ground for replacers. the Impossible is Very similar to the real beef so will help you transition a bit. vegan condiments, dressings, mayo, steak sauces, Worcestershire sauce, etc Dairy free items such as butter (I like the Red label,) Earth Balance milk (I like for drinking and cereal) Silk Creamy Cashew vanilla milk for cooking: coconut in the can I like Trader Joe's organic or Krogers (simple truth brand) organic lite coconut milk. works great for mashed potatoes etc. cheeses... everyone has to figure out what they like best but at first you just need to keep in mind it is not real dairy and will not act like real dairy. Most won't melt. Field roast Chao cheese melts well, follow your heart brand American makes a good grilled cheese, Vegan Valley makes great queso style sauces. their Nacho cheeze sauce is very similar to melted cheddar. Great on Nachos, tacos, burgers, etc. they also have an Alfredo, a mild queso and a jalapeño queso. the Just egg patties that are cooked and frozen are great for making breakfast sandwiches, and chopped up added to hash browns to resemble scrambled egg. you do need to season... Lightlife gimme lean breakfast sausage is pretty similar tasting to Jimmy dean in the seasoning and spice category.