10 Staples in a Vegetarian Diet

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just some key items that you want to be sure and have in your kitchen around the clock.
They are not ranked in order.

1.  Tortillas-- White, wheat, spinach, sun-dried tomato, corn, multi-grain, whatever.  Tortillas are versatile, cheap, and delicious.  Try hummus, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce and cucumbers in a whole wheat tortilla.  Add feta cheese if you like.  Bean tacos are great in soft corn tortillas.  If you can find ones that are "like hand-made" or even hand made, buy them.  They are infinitely better than the rest. 

2.  Extra-firm tofu-- Great for vegannaise, great for frying and adding to rice dishes or curry.  Buy the ones in vacuum sealed packs and you don't have to worry about using it quickly.  Silken tofu is great to have around as an egg substitute in recipes. 

3.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)-- Especially if you like to make your own salad dressings.  Bear in mind, EVOO is an oil for drizzling and LOW HEAT.  Sauteed veggies are great in EVOO, but don't let it burn and smoke. 

4.  Brown Rice-- Of course you can get a lot of versatility out of rice.  Check out my article "5  Rice Bowls."  If it's been sitting in the refridgerator a little too long for a rice bowl, use the leftovers in a great vegetarian soup.

5.  Apples/Pears-- They are a great snack in general.  Add it to a salad with the creamy balsalmic vinaigrette and some blue cheese crumbles. For dessert, sautee them with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream.

6.  Salsa-- especially if you like your food spicy.  Eat with chips, on Mexican -style salads, in a rice bowl, on tacos, in a wrap, add to eggs or tofu for breakfast, the possibilities are endless.

7.  Hummus-- it's great with tortillas, pita, or flatbread.  Use it as a sandwich spread and add tomatoes, onion, sprouts, cucumbers, feta and kalamata olives.  Eat it with carrots or red bell peppers as a snack or appetizer. 

8.  Citrus-- limes, lemons and oranges are great for jazzing up steamed veggies and for making salsas, salad dressings, hummus and margaritas (haha).  Try some freshly squeezed orange juice on your green beans sauteed with sliced garlic and EVOO. 

9.  Eggs and cheese-- If you eat them.  I don't think I need to really go into much detail about the fabulousness of eggs and cheese beyond saying that their deliciousness is impossible for me to give up. 

10.  Oatmeal-- Healthy, filling and vesatile.  As a porridge alone you can add a million different ingredients to change up the flavor.  If you have leftover oatmeal, you can transform it to griddle cakes with a little flour, baking powder milk and egg. Also, it is a terrific binder for bean burgers.