MY KITCHEN STAPLES
Things I can't imagine living without ;)
The kind of post I always love reading! And there are absolutely few essential things that can take your food to an exceptional level and that can elevate your plate!
Here is my list of things I have been truly loving, I use pretty much every day and that I recommend you do too :)
Flakey sea salt - a game changer, an extra texture to every meal, even bread and butter gets an instant boost! I personally love sprinkling it on both sweet and savory dishes! Obsessed!
Extra Virgin Olive oil - an essential fat that brings up the flavors of almost everything and lets the dish shine, vegetables, fish, eggs, grains, chocolate mousse, ice cream, anything and everything just tastes better with olive oil!
Tahini, runny in a glass container - that’s my addiction to be completely honest! I inhale tahini and love adding it to breakfast, lunch and dinner and have to control myself a bit haha. Perfect mixed with some water olive oil and miso and drizzled over any salad, gain or egg dishes, actually over anything! So versatile!
White miso - a secret ingredient of many of my dishes, both sweet and savory! I personally love miso to the point I dip veggies in a jar but it’s a perfect dressing or marinade ingredient that elevates the meal.
Dukkah - again, a non negotiable staple that goes like tahini pretty much on top of everything. I make mine from scratch and often play with the ingredients. The base: cumin, coriander and fennel slightly pan toasted and grounded. Enriched with sesame, some nuts and salt. Delish!
Nuts and nut butters - I usually have a batch of nuts pre soaked and roasted on hand to snack on or use for pestos or cake crusts. When it comes to nut butters I tend to buy my favourite almond or pistachio one which has nothing else but nuts. However, lately I have made my own, hazelnut one and it took me 2 minutes, so I think I am onto something :) I love that you can add some spices and salt and make it the way you like it! Again, amazing to drizzle over pancakes, banana bread, yoghurt, porridge, chocolate mousse, or make it a base of savory sauce for the salad or grain bowl.
Almond milk - something I make every week at home and then use it for my matcha, cacao, crepes, buckwheat or rice porridge and more. Almonds, water, salt - cmon! Forever better than a store bought! You can add a date and a pinch of cinnamon for an elevated version that is so dreamy and creamy!
Grains - my pantry staple that I just love to eat on a daily basis. I choose between rices - black, red, regular jasmine and brown rice, buckwheat, millet, quinoa - also in different colours. Again for both sweet ish meals and savory bowls!
Gluten free pasta - my go to when I don’t know what to eat. Love it with olive oil, tahini, salt and dill, or with some broth and tofu, or served with a fish and some veggies. It never disappoints, I love either rice noodles or brown rice pasta.
Lemon - favorite way to balance flavors, to squeeze over avocado, add to my morning water, finish the fish dish once it’s baked and perfect every single sauce and dressing. Essential :)
Dark chocolate - a quality, bean to bar one as you can make magic with it! Melt and drizzle over any fruit, pancakes, dates or make a chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, date bark or hot chocolate whenever you feel like! It’s also amazing to grate a square on top of a cake, breakfast bowl, fruit etc.
Medjool dates - it’s a dream snack with some salt and tahini :) But, it can be also chopped and fried with nuts to elevate the rice, added to a salad, blended into a sauce or nut milk, added to a hot chocolate or used as a base for quick desserts and tarts. Dates are gold!
This list can go on and on and turn into tools so I will keep it short and sweet for this time and just focus on ingredients I use to make elevated dishes! I am curious what are you favorites, if you want to share please do in the comments and tell me which ones are you gonna try to add to your daily essentials :)
Big hug,
Mags :)