My Allergy Friendly Kitchen

I'm lucky to have a mostly dedicated gluten-free kitchen, thanks to the help of my boyfriend, who isn't exclusively gluten-free. He's a kitchen whiz and a fast learner. Sometimes I think he knows how to handle my allergies better than I do. So when we're at home, this is where the magic happens. I happily spend most of my time in this room. Some readers have been asking about how I keep my kitchen functional and allergy friendly at the same time so I decided to give everyone an inside look at the staples, setup, and equipment that are always in my kitchen.

Left to right: Centrifugal juicer, Sodastream Maker, Black & Decker High Speed Blender

 We set up an exclusive beverage station since raw juices, smoothies, seltzer water, and homemade soda are constantly happening in our kitchen. Instead of coffee, we down a large glass of green veggie juice or a fruit and veggie smoothie which I feel is even more energizing than a large cup of joe. The vitamins hit your system immediately and alkalize on the way. What better way to start the day?

A wide variety of spices are always on hand in my kitchen. My parents are big on bold flavors and it definitely rubbed off on me. No matter how simple a dish, you can always spark it to life with a good combination of herbs and spices.

I love that most herbal tea is naturally allergen free and gluten-free. Our tea and bar cabinet is a great addition to keeping things organized. Some of the liquors on the bottom are exclusively Y's since we haven't checked the whiskey for gluten content yet (please excuse the Wild Turkey...) My staples include a good organic red wine, chamomile, pau D'arco, some Yogi teas, and all Traditional Medicinal teas.

Fridge magnets hold up our Ph balancing chart, which is a basic breakdown between some highly alkaline and highly acidic foods. I believe a slightly alkaline body is a healthy goal to shoot for, so we try to minimize our intake of highly acidic foods. We usually eat meat 1 to 2 times a week and always have vegetables and greens on hand via juices, smoothies, sautes, and more. Low glycemic fruits such as berries and apples are also a staple on the menu.

Some of my favorite flours/gluten-free grains to cook and bake with are quinoa, millet, buckwheat/buckwheat flour, almond Flour, hazelnut flour, brown rice flour, coconut flour, corn meal.

Staples in the pantry: Black rice, brown rice, wild rice, Tinkyada brown rice pasta, canned olives, canned pumpkin, coconut milk, raw nuts and seeds, Terra sweet potato chips, almond milk, xylitol, coconut sugar, agave nectar, coconut oil, olive oil, Namaste foods mixes, King Arthur gluten-free mixes, Enjoy Life snacks and more.

Many meals are happily shared here (but no "Happy Meals" mind you!) If any soy or gluten does make it's way into the kitchen on occasion, we have dedicated dishes and pans for keeping things segregated.

Our kitchen has lovely natural light that I love utilizing in my photography. At the end of the hallway, it takes a right towards the backdoor which leads out to one of our mini gardens...

And what would a gluten-free, allergy friendly kitchen be without a raw produce section on hand? We call it the farmacy. It's getting cold out, but our mighty kale is still standing strong. The flavors of fresh produce and herbs is truly incredible and I'm lucky to walk out my door to have my pick. I hope you enjoyed the inside look!

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