Cooking and baking ingredients to help us prepare our favourite dishes. Their use is very wide and must not be missing in any kitchen. The most common are sweeteners and flavourings, ghee oils and butters, spices and salt, flours, cereals, pulses and cocoa. They add just the right flavour and, in some cases, valuable nutrients to food.
Cooking oils and ghee are used in baking and frying. The most commonly used oils are coconut oils, such as virgin organic coconut oil from Allnature and Wolfberry. These oils are mostly unscented and cold pressed. Less common oils include, for example, RAW flaxseed oil from Wolfberry. Also avocado oil, olive oil and sunflower oil. Oils have different flash points so it's important to choose the right one. Some are also more suitable for cold cooking. Ghee butters, or clarified butters, are also popular, as they have a higher burning point. One quality brand that offers these butters is Czech Ghee.
Another large group of products are fitness sweeteners and flavorings. They also appear in organic quality and serve to flavour dishes. A popular category of sweeteners are those without sugar, i.e. with sweeteners such as sucralose, stevia, acesulfame K and aspartame. These can help us with diets or when we simply want to save a few calories and stay fit. They come in the form of drops or powders for easy dosing and the most well‑known brands that offer these products are Bodylab and Frankys Bakery. Real cocoa can also serve as a flavoring agent. Again in organic quality and for example in the form of crushed cocoa beans. You can also use Amylon Organic Vanilla Sugar as an alternative to conventional sugar. If you want to spice up your meal, don't be afraid to reach for Country Life Tamari Soy Sauce, which has a distinctive taste and aroma even though it contains no flavour enhancers.
Not forgetting the various spice blends and salt. Whether it is chilli, Himalayan pink African salt or perhaps various herbs, they play an irreplaceable role in cooking. Popular types of salt are pink Himalayan salts, for example Country Life Himalayan Pink Salt - Fine in 1000 g or 500 g packs. In addition to other spice manufacturers, the Wolfberry and Allnature brands are of course represented here. The spices are often in the sought‑after organic quality.
Various mixtures for food preparation are becoming increasingly popular. We include real delicacies such as fitness pancake mixes and mug cake. The advantage is the ease of preparation and the opportunity to enjoy a healthier version of classic dishes. Bodylab High Protein Pancake Mix can be found in a large variety of flavours and can also be used to make waffles. The Nutrend Protein Pancake product is similar. We also include pizza mixes such as Amylon Whole Wheat Pizza Dough BIO. We must not forget the puddings, which are very easy to prepare and can fill you up.
Flours are another big category. We can divide them into several sub‑categories, such as wholemeal flour, buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, spelt flour, rice flour and almond flour. Wolfberry Organic Coconut Flour in a 400g pack has a relatively high fibre and protein content, as does a similar product from Country Life - Organic Coconut Flour in a 250g pack. Another alternative is Green Apotheke Wholemeal Rice Flour, which is low in fat. Almond flour is again represented by Country Life and spelt and buckwheat flour are offered by Wolfberry.
For pasta, there are also a number of different variants. Gluten‑free, wholemeal and low‑calorie fit spaghetti are popular. Other alternatives include Green Apotheke Red Lentil Spindles, Graham Spaghetti and Whole Wheat Spindles from the same company. The protein trend is also evident in pasta, which is why you will find, for example, Green Apotheke Complete High Protein Pasta or Seaweed Protein Pasta. Among the most popular products is Green Apotheke Gluten Free Pasta, which combines 4 different types of pasta - red lentil, pea, chickpea and buckwheat. There are also low‑calorie Miyata Shirataki Wok, Udon and Spaghetti, which have minimal calories and are therefore suitable for low‑carb diets.
Legumes and cereals which include quinoa, bulgur, buckwheat, couscous, lentils and chickpeas are an integral part of our diets and serve as a tasty side dish or snack. Quinoa contains more vitamins and trace elements than regular rice, so you won't go wrong by including it in your diet. It is easily digestible and gluten‑free which is an added bonus. The specific products are Wolfberry BIO Quinoa - 500 and 200 g and Green Apotheke Red Quinoa. Green Apotheke Bulgur dark is also a tasty alternative to classic side dishes, plus it is free of sugars and saturated fats. Lentils probably need no introduction, but it is worth mentioning Country Life BIO Red Lentils peeled and shelled, which are mushy when cooked and have a high protein content. Chickpeas from the Natura Jihlava and Green Apotheke brands have a slightly nutty aroma and are a plant‑based source of protein suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Moreover, it has a very unique taste that is definitely worth trying.
There are a lot of ingredients for cooking and baking and there is something for everyone. As well as flavouring your dishes, they can add valuable macro and micronutrients and can also make the whole preparation of your meals much easier in the form of pre‑prepared mixes. The wide range of side dishes will then satisfy even the most demanding eaters, as you will find all kinds of pasta, legumes and cereals. A large number of products are of organic quality and some are RAW. Don't be afraid to experiment and try new flavours!