SHOPPING ESSENTIALS

Since I avoid everything that is industrial like corn syrup or anything processed, my food pantry is composed by only very natural ingredients that I use all the time for my savory or sweet recipes.

1. Nuts: my favorites are walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and pecans. I use them all the time for everything like salads, crunchy dishes, desserts… I buy them raw and unsalted and I bake them myself so I control what is added.
2. Seeds: pumpkins and sunflowers are really good roasted.
3. Grains: quinoa and buckwheat are my absolute favorite since they are gluten-free and flavorful. I make salads, pancakes and even desserts with them.
4. Nut butter: my favorite is almond butter because even if the taste is strong it fits with everything. Walnut and hazelnut butter are really good too! I buy it already made sometimes but you have to control that it’s only made with almonds and nothing else!!
5. Gluten-free flour: I use almond flour for almost all my cakes, it’s absolutely divine!! I also use brown rice flour which is delicious too for intense dough. Hazelnut, walnut and other nuts flour are great too for cake but same specs than nut butter, you can’t mix them with everything unlike almond flour. I also buy regular gluten-free flour when I make gluten-free bread: it’s a good mix of gluten free flours and it’s good to have it in your food pantry.
6. Oils: I have walnut, almond, coconut, avocado and olive oil in my pantry. and that’s it!! I avoid absolutely canola oil or other vegetable oils that are full of statured fats that you body doesn’t digest correctly like gluten. I also use earth balance if I don’t want to put too much oils in my cakes.

7. Stevia and raw brown sugar: Even if I have sugar in my pantry I also use stevia when I don’t want to use too much sugar. The sweet taste is strong but let chemical than white sugar.