Elana Amsterdam’s Paleo Pantry

I spent last week in Boulder, Colorado, where I got a chance to meet up with a blog friend — Elana Amsterdam, who writes cookbooks on Paleo and grain-free cooking, and who blogs at Elana’s Pantry (remember her strawberry gluten-free cupcakes? So yummy!). So I thought it would be especially appropriate to bring you a peek into Elana’s real-life pantry. What does a Paleo pantry look like? What does she stock and use regularly? Come take a peek…

Elana and her husband were just finishing an enormous renovation of a historic home in Boulder, and sadly the kitchen was not quite ready yet for a full kitchen tour (next time, I hope — it looked gorgeous!). But Elana’s pantry was the very first thing she set up in her new home. 

Here are a few questions for Elana about her pantry, and some photos of her impeccably stocked and enviably well-organized pantry. 

1. How did you come to the decision to go Paleo/grain-free? 
I was diagnosed with celiac disease and although I adhered strictly to the gluten-free diet, I saw little to no improvement of symptoms after 3 years on it. After 2 months on a grain-free diet, my symptoms lessened and my gut and body actually began to heal.

2. What do you find most important in stocking a Paleo pantry? 
I love almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, and loose organic bulk dried herbs for tea (I use herbs to heal many little day-to-day ailments that my children and I experience such as sniffles, sore throat, tummy ache, etc.). 

3. What do you use most often out of your pantry? 
Coconut oil.

4. What’s changed in your pantry since going Paleo, and why? 
I began eating grain-free in 2001 and there are many items that are no longer in my pantry — think gluten-free grains and flours such as rice flour, potato flour, corn meal, etc. I no longer consume those items since going grain-free more than a decade ago, and since I feel so much better eating this way, I don’t really miss them.

5. What’s your favorite part of your pantry? 
Glass jars for storage. I do not like plastic and prefer glass because it is cheaper than plastic, more aesthetically pleasing (glass is just pretty), functional (you can see what’s inside!) and healthier (no endocrine disrupting petrochemicals). Glass is a win-win all around. 

Thanks so much Elana! 

• Elana’s Pantry
• Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes
  
• Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes Made with Almond and Coconut Flour
  
• The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook

(Images: Faith Durand)