These are the items I am never without in my vegan household:

-Smart Balance or some other vegan butter

-Toffuti cream cheese, or Fairway brand tofu cream cheese with scallions (yum)

-Soy, almond, or rice milk

-Soy coffee creamer (Silk Vanilla is my personal fave)

-Bread made without eggs or honey (you’ll have many choices – just read the labels)

-Bagels (not egg bagels, of course)

Nutritional Yeast Flakes — I have to say a word about nutritional yeast flakes.  I am NEVER without these things.  I usually have two or three jars in my pantry at a time, so I never run out.  What are nutritional yeast flakes?  According to Wikipedia, nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores.  Nutritional yeast flakes have a very cheesy and nutty flavor — they are delicious!  I sprinkle them on everything!  I also make my own vegan cheeses with them.  More on that under “Healthy Meals.”

-Mock meats: Beyond Meat, which is a faux chicken product that you could serve this to guests, and they would think you made chicken; Tofurky products, such as Italian sausage for pasta and luncheon “meats” for sandwiches; Lightlife Smart Bacon (ALWAYS have this in the house, and only 20 calories a slice) or Gimme Lean Smart Grounds (a ground “beef” product I use in tacos or pasta sauces).

-Vegan cheeses such as Tree Line, Daiya, and Follow Your Heart.  I also make a lot of my own cheeses using cookbooks such as The Non-Dairy Formulary by Skye Michael Conroy, The Uncheese Cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak, and Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner.