Build a Healthy Pantry

food

By Jodi Brown, the Ultimate Kitchen Commando

Build a Healthy Pantry As many of you know I cook with a lot of fresh ingredients but in order to get many of those ingredients to play well together, you need a good pantry to pull from. I have some criteria for myself that I think are important and I hope I can convince you of its importance too.

All my canned goods and plastic containers must be BPA free. “Bispenol A” is a synthetic hormone that

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March/April 2013

mimics estrogen in the system. The long term cumulative effects aren’t favorable. Avoid it at all costs, especially in containers that are holding acidic items because they help to speed up the degeneration more quickly, resulting in the BPA transferring to the food item (especially tomatoes). I buy only Eden brand beans because their cans are BPA free and I only buy tomato products in glass jars. I don’t buy much else in cans.

GMO Free and USDA Organic are my preferences when it comes to anything that isn’t fresh. Do your best to always buy foods with both of these labels. Always keep in mind that you are not using massive quantities of these foods, many just as flavor enhancers, so don’t make yourself crazy looking for the perfect version of them. Do the best you can with what’s available.

I use no soy products at all and suggest you consider doing the same.

I don’t think there are GMO free soy products in the U.S., even if they claim to be USDA Organic. Since over 90 percent of the crops grown in the country are GMO crops, with pollen drift and cross contamination, I don’t believe it is possible for any crops to remain clean. There are approximately 100 derivatives of soy on the market today. Learn to read labels in your prepared foods in order to avoid it.

Here’s what’s in my pantry. (* indicates that the food item has a strong flavor profile thus helps you to avoid excessive salt and fats to taste better).

Seasoning – Dry Cayenne Pepper* Chipotle* Raw Local Honey Mustard* (good quality, not yellow) Sun dried tomatoes* Sea salt Arrow root (thickener) Apple cider vinegar* Balsamic vinegar* Smoked paprika Cumin Turmeric Nutritional Yeast

Oils Extra virgin (cold or expeller pressed) coconut oil Extra virgin (cold or expeller pressed) olive oil Grapeseed oil Toasted sesame oil (use sparingly) Grains Quinoa Brown Rice Lentils Brown Rice Pasta Canned Beans Black Garbanzo Canellini Black eyed peas Herbs Magic Chef blackened redfish seasoning Basil Celery seed Crushed red pepper Italian seasonings Thyme Curry Bay leaves Miscellaneous All nuts and seeds should be raw Hemp seeds Black sesame seeds Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) Sunflower seeds Almonds Pecans Cashews Walnuts Chia seeds Medjool dates

About the Author: Jodi Brown is the Ultimate Kitchen Commando and loves to turn people on to delicious and healthy foods. She assists people with food transitions and teaches healthy cooking classes. She shares her time between New Orleans and Pensacola. To learn more, visit www.ultimatekitchencommando.com.

Dried fruits Vanilla Cinnamon Nutmeg Cacao Powder Vermicelli (rice) Nori Kelp granules Oats I also have a basic “pantry” of fresh food items that appear with great frequency in my kitchen.

They are as follows: Carrots Celery Garlic Ginger Bell Pepper Horseradish Jalapeno Onion Shallot Citrus* (lemon, lime and orange) Remember, pantry items are complements to fresh food items. A little bit usually goes a long way. Play with your food. Be fearless. You might be surprised what you end up with.

Canned/Jar Capers* Olives* Coconut milk Curry paste Fish sauce Nut butters Pumpkin Tahini Vegetable stock

March/April 2013

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