Something happens to me in these first days of cooler weather; I get the urge to nest and purge, tidying closets, toy bins, streamlining shoulder bags…and of course, cleaning out and refreshing our pantry in preparation for fall and winter cooking. The summer season is so driven by produce, that there aren’t many spices, sauces or accompaniments needed to make meals happen. And I love an excuse to ride my bike out to pick up this ingredient or that – it’s not a pantry driven season. But fall and winter are different. Warm meals need more composition to make them shine. We might need a few tools, vessels and specialty items to make the goodness happen more easily.
This weekend, as the rain fell on the plains and the snow fell in the high country, I did a massive restock + refresh of our kitchen space. Here are the things I ordered up, brought in + welcomed as the first soups, one-pot meals and cozy lingerings started the season off right.
If you have yet to experience these gorgeous dates from the most incredible farm in Southern California, don’t wait another moment. I order these dates all year round 6lbs at a time, but often up my order by a couple of boxes as winter arrives so I have a greater supply to sprinkle them in rice dishes, add them to porridge, and make date bombs and granola bars with them.
You might know that I’m a collector of cookbooks – I have over 400 titles to my name. But it’s been some time since I brought a new title into my library and kept it. This much anticipated second book from the incredible Samin Nosrat is really something to be excited about and, while this is not an “Ayurvedic cookbook,” it’s filled with beautiful recipes, rituals and meals to share that speak to the soul. And that is everything that Ayurveda is about.
The only spices I buy come from Diaspora Co. Because frankly, once I learned about the stale, old, unfair spices on the shelves at Whole Foods, I frankly couldn’t unsee the beautiful pink boxes that Diaspora packages their gorgeous, fragrant, deep and true spices in. If you don’t know where your spices come from, it’s time that you do. And of course, I recommend that you order them from Diaspora. I order spices from them about 2-3 times a year, and typically place a big order (because things sell out!) We can all tell the difference between nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and even fennel that’s come from Diaspora – it’s fragrant, fresh. ALIVE> In my fall refresh, I purchased a chef’s tin of turmeric, a chef’s tin of black pepper, 3 tins each of cinnamon and ginger, a jar of their new Chai Nut Butter, and a box of wild cinnamon quills.
You’ve heard me praise this oil before; it’s incredible! Because heating olive oil the toxin acrolein is created when oils are overheated beyond their smoke point (this includes olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil etc) I always choose a cooking oil that’s unrefined and with a high smoke point. Ghee and algae oil are best at this, and I save my olive oil for finishing salads only. The taste is neutral, making it a safe and healthy alternative to refined oils and seed oils like canola. I blow through bottles like you wouldn’t believe in the summer, when we’re grilling and roasting in the pizza oven. As the temps fall, I imagine I’ll use this for sauteeing, stir frying and more.
Vinegar is an unexpectedly important component in winter cooking. The sour flavor (vinegar, citrus and fermented foods) helps to counterbalance the impact of Vata dosha, tonifying the cells, removing unnecessary moisture and reducing inflammation. I love a little squeeze of citrus over whatever I’m cooking, but this persimmon vinegar is so special and a lovely accompaniment to winter salads, vegetables, and even splashed over noodle bowls and grain bowls.
This is just the most gorgeous curry powder ever. It’s a Japanese style curry, instead of being rooted in other traditions of South + Central Asia, making it more sweet, less spicy, and more divine IMO. This is the curry powder that I use to make my Superfast Red Lentil + Sweet Potato Curry and I suggest you do the same!
Less a cooking ingredient and more a part of my cold weather apothecary, this Breathe Tea is a lovely support for cool months, when kapha congestion try to sneak in. Instead of making a kayasham, I sometimes brew myself a cup of this lovely, grounding tea to clarify the chest – where kapha accumulates most. Click this link to shop, and use the code LENTINE!% to save 15% on your order. : )
My stainless steel cookware is over 20 years old and still kicking. But my husband loves making eggs in a non-stick pan, so I finally broke down and picked up this one for him. So far, eggs, big pastas and hearty risottos are getting the most playtime here, but this little pan has easily stolen my heart with it’s easy to clean, non-toxic surface and pretty counter presence. Click this link to shop and use the code “lentine” for 10% off your order!
You’ve never met a tahini like this one! My friend Rachel makes just the most earnest, rich tahini I’ve ever tried and this is the season where it really starts showing up in my cooking. These cookies, added into dal, over roasted squash salads…I could go on?!
If you follow me on Instagram then you’ve seen these bowls parading across my feed. We use them for everything from porridge to grain bowls to soups, and in the face of soup season I bought an extra little stack to serve up grateful bowls of warmth to company. I am in love with the mission behind East Fork, and have a great admiration for what Alex and his family have pulled together.
I make many simple remedies in my own kitchen, but when it comes to elderberry syrup – an ingredient indispensible when it comes to managing colds, flu and bolstering immunity through the colder months, no one makes it quite like Anima Mundi. This little bottle lives on a shelf in the kitchen and is splashed into warm drinks, porridge and taken by the spoon when we need a little boost. Click this link to shop and use the code LENTINE15 for 15% off your order!