Below is a list of the essential ingredients in my kitchen and that I use daily to create my desserts. Note that all my ingredients are low glycemic, raw and unrefined. I buy most of my raw nuts and dried fruits from my local health food store or Whole Foods. All ingredients on the list below will also be available for you to easily purchase on amazon.
Please check out my amazon store to find brands and other products I frequently use in my recipes.
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Flours
Almond flour - I use blanched almond flour in my recipes. It is great for baking, high in protein and with a fraction of the carbs of wheat flour. My favorite brand is Honeyville Farms. Almond flour, also referred to almond meal is simply almonds ground up to fine meal. View almond flour recipes.
Coconut flour - nut and gluten free alternative used for baking that is a great substitute in baking for people with nut allergies. View coconut flour recipes.
Arrowroot powder - excellent gluten free thickener and substitute for cornstarch. Baking with arrowroot powder will help you achieve a light and fluffy consistency. View my arrowroot powder recipes.
Sweeteners
Raw honey - I love sweetening my recipes with raw honey and Mark Sisson explains in details some reasons why honey is good sweetener. Make sure to buy honey that has not been processed (i.e. unheated, unfiltered, unpasteurized, organic, raw honey).
Coconut palm sugar - Coconut Palm sugar has a soft caramel flavor, similar to light brown sugar, dissolves well in liquid and is great way to sweeten my recipes. It is low on the glycemic index and packed with nutrients. Look for unrefined, organic, gluten free coconut palm sugar. View coconut sugar recipes.
Stevia - Extracted from the leafs of the plant Stevia Rebaudiana, Stevia is an all-natural sweetener and has been used for more than fifteen hundred years in South America. It is low on the glycemic index, obtains no calories and is the most desirable sweetener for people with blood sugar, blood pressure or weight problems. Pure Stevia can be 70-400 times sweeter than sugar! Look for Stevia products that have been extracted with only purified water and no other chemicals or alcohols. Be aware of Stevia like products that mix some kind of sugar base such as dextrose, maltodextrin, xylitol and erythritol. Recommended brands of pure Stevia extract are Sweetleaf, Kal Pure Stevia Extract and Stevia Simply Stevia.
Lucuma powder- Lucuma powder is made from the subtropical fruit of the Pouteria lucuma tree, which is native to Peru, Chile and Ecuador. It is known for its sweet, maple-like flavor, impressively low sugar content and natural antioxidants. Lucuma is packed with nutrients like potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and has been used for centuries in South America for its medicinal properties. It provides a natural sweetening to desserts without increasing your blood sugar levels. View lucuma powder recipes.
Dates- Date is a very sweet fruit from the Date Palm and work wonderfully to sweeten my desserts. My favorite is raw dried Medjool dates. Dates are packed with nutrients and are digested very easily and are known to be an excellent cure for intestinal disturbances. They are also known for their ability to regulate a healthy nervous system, thanks to the rich potassium content and are rich in iron which means they can be beneficial to those who suffer from anemia. View my dates recipes.
Apricot - High in important nutrients like fiber, potassium and the antioxidant carotenoids. Look for organic dried apricots with no added ingredients. View my recipes using dried apricots.
Oils
Coconut oil - Coconut oil.... My favorite oil in the world! There are literally hundreds of uses for coconut oil besides adding great flavor and nutrients to my recipes. Here are just a few facts on the benefits of using coconut oil. Coconut oil is a stable fat (saturated fat less likely to suffer oxidate damage upon heating) and safe to use for high heat cooking or frying. Look for cold-pressed, unrefined organic virgin coconut oil. View my recipes using coconut oil.
Olive oil - True extra-virgin olive oil comes from the first pressing of the olive paste and the first press only. Look for organic, cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil. Olive oil oxidizes with heat so do not use it for frying or cooking at high temperatures.
Butter - Butter is one of the best fats to cook with and to enhance the flavors of your recipes! Look for butter that is organic and has been made from grass-fed cows only! Grass-fed butter is rich in vitamin A, D and K2, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), protecting against cancer and helping with weight loss. If you can not tolerate the protein Casein in butter, you can use Ghee instead. Ghee is simply clarified butter, which means the Casein has been removed. You can clarify your butter at home easily and here is a video tutorial. View my recipes using organic grass-fed butter.
Milk & non-dairy milk
Coconut milk - Coconut milk is the sweetest and creamiest none-dairy milk and is sometimes referred as coconut cream. I use it in a lot of my recipes and I absolutely love it! It gives your immune system a boost due to its high nutrient content (i.e. calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, copper, zinc, iron, selenium and vitamins C and E). Look for full fat unsweetened organic coconut milk in cans that are BPA free. Brands of coconut milk that come in BPA free cans are Native Forest and Natural Valley. View my recipes using coconut milk.
Almond milk - Almond milk is another great alternative to dairy milk that works well in recipes. Almond milk is simply made by blending raw almonds with hot water, then straining with a cheesecloth or strainer to extract the milk. View my recipes using almond milk.
Raw milk - milk from grass-fed and grass finished cows contain high levels of micronutrients and essential fats like Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA). Look for organic raw milk from 100% grass-fed cows.
Other dairy
Heavy cream, sour cream, yogurt and cheese - These are a great source of fat! As with raw milk, look for raw, organic and grass-fed options, often containing live active cultures and made from unpasteurized milk.
A note about dairy: It is true that dairy was not consumed in paleolithic times and people often ask me why I include dairy in my recipes if I am following a Paleo diet. My answer is simple... With the knowledge that we now have it is easy to determine if dairy should be part of one's diet. The question SHOULD NOT be: "Is this paleo?" The question SHOULD BE: "Is this going to have a detrimental effect on my health?" Everybody is different and if consuming dairy does not cause problems for you and your health, then by all means it is a nutrient dense food we can consume.
Chocolate
Raw cacao powder - Raw cacao powder is created by processing raw cacao beans through a cold-pressing process with the cacao fat removed. Raw cacao powder is not the same as cocoa powder. Cocoa powder are processed and usually contain added ingredients like oils and sugars. Raw cacao is a superfood that is rich in antioxidants and other nutrients like iron, dietary fiber, calcium, zinc, potassium, manganese, magnesium and sulfur. Brands I like are Earth Circle Organics and Essential Living Foods. View my recipes using raw cacao powder.
Raw cacao paste - (also called Cacao Liquor) is made by crushing raw cacao beans into a liquid. This liquid quickly solidifies at room temperature and the result is Cacao Paste. Because no heat is used in this process, Cacao Paste retains its natural properties. Cacao paste is naturally about 55% cacao butter and is an extremely smooth product great for use in any chocolate recipe. If you are looking for true dark chocolate, this is it. Not 80% or 90%, but 100% pure organic cacao. No additives, sweeteners or anything else. This product is essential for true cacao chefs who are looking for chocolate creations that are firm and silky at room temperature, or one-of-a-kind homemade healthy chocolate fudge. You can find raw cacao paste on amazon and some health food stores. View my recipes using raw cacao paste.
Cacao butter - Cacao butter, also known as cocoa butter, is a pure vegetable fat that is extracted from the cacao bean. It is a powerful antioxidant used to make chocolate and skin moisturizers. Adding sugar and milk to it makes white chocolate. The brand I like is Ecuadorian Truly Raw Cacao Butter. View my recipes using cacao butter.
Cacao nibs - Raw cacao nibs are made by removing the skin from the cacao seed and cracking it into small pieces. View my recipes using cacao nibs.
Chocolate chips - Very hard to find a good brand of chocolate chips. The only brand I know of that is dairy, nut and soy free is Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips. View my recipes using chocolate chips.
Nuts and nut butters
Nuts and nut butters- Look for raw nuts in the bulk section of your supermarket with no added ingredients or processing. It is easy and cheaper to make your own nut butters. All you need to do is place your raw nuts in the food processor or high speed blender and process until smooth like peanut butter. Here is a recipe for my Healthy Homemade Nutella
Nut-free butters
Coconut butter - Coconut butter, also called coconut cream concentrate, is not really a butter, but rather coconut meat in a concentrated form. To produce coconut butter, coconut meat is dried and then finely ground until a creamy consistency is obtained. No ingredient, not even water, is added. Source. It is a great alternative to nut butters if you are allergic to nuts. View my recipes using coconut butter.
Sunflower seed butter - the perfect alternative to peanut butter. It has the closest taste to peanut butter and is made of raw sunflower seeds.
Salt
Salt - Look for unrefined sea salt like Celtic, Himalayan, lava sea salt, Fleur de Sel and French grey. These are packed with more than ninety minerals, including sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, vanadium, and many more!
Please check out my amazon store to find brands and other products I frequently use in my recipes.