garlic in a large bowl with dry quinoa in a small bowl and a marble bowl of sea salt nearby on a white tablecloth.

The Pantry

I’ve never actually had a pantry here in Manhattan so when I return from the food store each week, I try to find a few spots around my kitchen to nestle in the extra jar of tomato sauce, the bag of quinoa, the pouch of sun-dried tomatoes and so forth. I realize some of you may actually have a pantry aside from those of you who, like myself, live in a city on an island that doesn’t really cater to the stay-at-home cook. I thought it would be fun to share a few items I love to have on hand – tucked somewhere in between my blender and food processor.

For starters, if you’ve read my first book, Eating Clean, then you know it’s been a challenge for me to eat any sort of packaged foods throughout the last two decades. My body literally swells up and it takes me a few weeks, sometimes even a month, to reset back to my normal state of being. I’m sensitive – quite sensitive to the typical pantry ingredients such as table salt and other inflammatory odds n’ ends that are often tossed into packaged foods. That said, I’m often asked what food brands are lurking in my pantry because if I can eat it and feel wonderful afterwards, chances are it’s probably incredibly clean.

So, without further ado, here is my go-to list of the foods I love to use on a weekly basis – let’s pretend I have a pantry even though we all know by now that it’s more of a makeshift pantry scattered throughout my kitchen. It works for me!

You’re welcome to take a peak into my Fridge + Freezer for how I store some of these items once they’re opened.

Condiments

Tomato Sauce

Full-Fat Coconut Milk

Coconut Cream

Green Olives

Kalamata Olives

Capers

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Tomato Paste

Strained Tomatoes

Nuts + Seeds

These are stored in my pantry then once opened, they go into my Freezer.

Whole Almonds

Sliced Almonds

Walnuts

Pecans

Pine Nuts

Pumpkin Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

Sesame Seeds (this brand is perfect for making tahini)

Almond Butter

Sunflower Seed Butter

Baking

Almond Flour

Hazelnut Flour

Coconut Flour

Pure Vanilla Extract

Pure Almond Extract

Grains + Beans

Quinoa

Buckwheat

Lentils

Spices

These are my favorites. For the full list see THE SPICES + HERBS.

Aleppo pepper

Cayenne pepper

Curry powder

Cumin

The Basics

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Sea Salt

Tea Bags

Roasted Dandelion Root Tea

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