"Not My Kitchen" Essentials

This year, Doug and I decided to rent a house in East Hampton for the month of August. For as long as I can remember my family has spent summers in the Hamptons and I am very excited to have our own little corner of it to enjoy this month. Instead of going back and forth from NYC to East Hampton on weekends as I usually do, I have decided to stay put for the majority of August at my own personal summer camp of sorts. I plan to fill my days with lots of exercise, farm stand shopping, writing, working on projects, recipe creating, and time with family.

As we were packing up for the month I was presented with the task of what kitchen essentials to take with me. At home I have a kitchen full of tools, appliances, and pantry items at the ready whenever inspiration strikes. I knew it would not be the same in our rental house. While I didn't want to pack up our entire kitchen for the month I wanted to make sure I had the bare minimum essentials to make this new kitchen feel like home.

There are few things I loathe more than a dull knife, so whenever I am traveling ( and know I will be cooking) I always bring a chef's knife with me. I am currently obsessed with this Kyocera ceramic knife. It is incredibly sharp, and very light. It has replaced a lot of my fancy knives that I received as wedding gifts. Hey, whatever works right?

IMG_1009

I cannot imagine going a day let alone a month without my Vitamix. From my daily green smoothies, to salad dressings, to sauces and dips it is my single most used appliance!

IMG_1007

I like to keep large bottles of fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice on hand at all times. Pre-squeezing citrus juice at the beginning of the week is a big time saver when it comes to making lemonade, guacamole, pestos, salad dressing and margaritas! My citrus juicer makes juicing bags and bags of lemons quick and easy!

IMG_1004

I don't use a lot of specialty, fancy spices in my cooking but I do have a few pantry staples that get my through almost any recipe I make on a regular basis.

IMG_0996

From left to right:

1. Curry Powder- I like to use this when roasting vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower
2. Onion Powder- Great on any roasted veggie but I especially like it on roasted sweet potatoes.
3. Cinnamon- I use cinnamon in a lot of my smoothies and in most of my dessert recipes.
4. Nutritional Yeast- Not only is "nooch" a great source of B-12, but it adds a delicious cheesy flavor to pestos and Italian themed dishes.
5. Reduced Sodium Organic Tamari- This gluten free soy sauce is not only great on sushi but also goes into a lot of my dressings and sauces.
6. Sea Salt- This is the only type of salt I will use. Unlike traditional table salt it is full of good for you minerals. I use a pinch or two in all of my cooking.
7. Cayenne Pepper- Every morning I make myself a glass of spicy lemonade with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, water and stevia  to help wake up my digestive system and start my morning off right.
8. Vanilla Extract- A staple in most of my green smoothie and dessert recipes, I can't go long without it.
9. Liquid Stevia- This is the only type of sweetener I will use as it as zero glycemic impact. A little goes a long, long way!

Take these few essential tools and pantry items, throw in lots of fresh produce and I should be all set for a great month of eating!