Skinny Bitch_ Ultimate Everyday Cookbook - Kim Barnouin [28]
Flour
What to Buy: Unbleached flour (organic)
Chemicals like potassium bromate and benzoyl peroxide are used to chemically whiten flours.86 Unbleached “all-purpose,” whole-wheat, and buckwheat (gluten-free) flours are all good choices and really depend on preference and food allergies. Organic is always a good option since they are milled from crops grown without synthetic fertilizers and chemicals. I swear by King Arthur’s unbleached all-purpose flour, while their 100-percent organic whole-wheat flour is the top seller.
www.kingarthurflour.com
Butter
What to Buy: Earth Balance
If I could have Earth Balance’s babies, I would. (Yes, I know butter can’t procreate.) The buttery all-natural spread contains zero trans fats and is full of omega-3 fatty acids. Earth Balance has also been shown to increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol while lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. www.earthbalancenatural.com
Eggs
What to Buy: Ener-G Egg Replacer
A must-have for the vegan baker, Ener-G is an egg replacer that is a piece of cake to use in recipes. The eggless product caters to all types of allergies, with no gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, egg, yeast, soy, nut, and rice. I owe my signature cookie recipes to this stuff. www.ener-g.com
Mayonnaise
What to Buy: Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart
An eggless mayonnaise substitute for vegans, Vegenaise has a diverse product line that is delicious and all-natural. The reduced-fat version, made with flaxseed and olive oil, has half the fat of regular mayonnaise and zero cholesterol. They also offer an organic option.
www.followyourheart.com/vegenaise
Oils
What to Buy: Grapeseed oil, extra-virgin olive oil, sesame oil, safflower oil, walnut oil, canola oil.
Cooking oils are essential to baking, salad dressings, marinades, and deep-frying. I use grapeseed oil for most of my cooking, because it has a high flash point, and has a light, neutral taste. But I do flirt with other oils too—they all have their own unique taste, and lend varying flavors to a recipe. You’ll use all of the above-listed oil in this cookbook. Canola oil is one of the most popular cooking oils in the kitchen. It has a very mild, almost bland taste, which makes it a great all-purpose oil because it produces no interfering flavors. Safflower and sunflower oils can also withstand high heat and carries a very mild, nearly neutral flavor. Olive and sesame oils are good alternatives for cooking and stir-fry dishes.
BITCHWORTHY: WHEN CHOOSING A CANOLA OIL, ALWAYS GO ORGANIC. NON-ORGANIC CANOLA OIL CAN BE GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GM).87
There are some oils that are best used on foods already cooked, such as walnut, flaxseed, and hempseed oils. They are best on salads, pasta, grilled veggies, and in dressings and smoothies. For optimal flavor and quality, buy expeller and cold-pressed organic serving oils.
Vinegars
What to Buy: Apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar, white-wine vinegar, white vinegar
They all get the Skinny Bitch stamp of approval. Apple cider vinegar and rice vinegar are both high in minerals and amino acids. Balsamic vinegar has a more pungent flavor and helps to prevent fatigue and anemia. White-wine vinegar can serve as a salt replacement and is ideal in sauces, marinades, and salads. Lastly, distilled white vinegar freshens wilted vegetables (and can clean your floors!).
Pasta
What to Buy: Whole grain pasta
Unlike white pasta, whole grain pasta still retains all the disease-fighting nutrients like folate, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, selenium, and a whole army of other healthy powerhouses. It also contains more fiber and can contribute to weight loss. I am a fan of Eden Organic whole grain pastas (www.edenfoods.com) and I love, love, love Pappardelles. The online resource is great for amazing and unique varietals of pasta. I discovered them at a farmers’ market in Florida, a few years ago and