With effortless Beauty and great taste from her closet to her kitchen, co-founder of Canyon Coffee with boyfriend Casey Wojtalewicz (and one time TCM intern) Ally Walsh has become a bit of a modern LA wellness muse. Between running her small but mighty business (check out our morning with them here) to modeling for everyone on our radar from Everlane to Doen, Ally is all over the map — with glow to spare.
Ally has a relaxed yet highly-intentional attitude towards conscious living and balanced wellness. We asked Ally to give us a peek inside her pantry and fridge for our favorite series. We love her laid-back approach to nutrition (planty with plenty of room for natural wine), her eco-friendly ethos, and the cozy lentil stew recipe she’s sharing just ahead…
Food philosophy:
Vegan, but sometimes I eat fish!
Always in my fridge:
Green juice, kimchi, hot sauce, pesto, smoked trout, olives and almond butter.
Recipe staples always on hand:
Greens, avocado, lemon, coconut oil, Japanese sweet potato, fennel and black rice.
Must-have munchies:
Persimmons, dates with almond butter, Elemental bars.
Fave condiments:
Salsa Macha from Cookbook in Echo Park. It’s so good! It has guajillo chili, peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, white wine vinegar and salt.
Also, the Dukkah from Botanica. It’s a blend of cashews, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut, cumin, coriander and sea salt.
Ingredient that makes everything taste better:
Tahini!
Go-to protein:
Canned fish (I like Portuguese or Spanish sardines and mackerel), almond butter packets and salmon.
Best bargain food:
Refillable olive oil. We refill ours at Cookbook for $8. Great bargain and waste free!
Best label-reading tip:
Fewer ingredients the better. Always avoid products with added sugar, and always check the sugar content!
Favorite veggie + what you make with it:
Fennel. I love just slicing and roasting with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper, chili flakes and adding it to any salad or bowl.
Must-have pantry staples:
Lentils, Wonder Valley olive oil, curry, sesame seeds, apple cider vinegar, chickpeas, Canyon Coffee, Activist manuka honey.
Craziest thing I buy:
$16 loaves of paleo bread from Erewhon!
Go-to indulgence:
Honey Mama mint or spicy-cinnamon chocolate.
Non-dairy favorite:
Vegan ice cream from Sage or Magpies!
Skip labels that read:
Any added sugar.
I splurge on:
A bottle of natural wine and bee pollen.
For last-minute entertaining:
Salmon and veggies on the grill with some black rice and greens!
Best food memory:
My boyfriend Casey and I were on a road trip around Portugal. On the southern coast, we stopped at a generic grocery story near a beach and picked up a tin of Sardines, local wine and loaf of bread. We hopped on a little boat that took us out to a sand dune island, where we enjoyed all the food without any utensils or fanfare. It felt so special just to enjoy food together in that beautiful place!
Favorite places to shop:
Cookbook, Erewhon and farmer’s markets.
Simple go-to recipe:
Lentil stew: Sauté 2 onions or leeks, a healthy amount of garlic and ginger in coconut oil in a large pot for 5 minutes. Add about a tablespoon of cumin, curry and turmeric, a cinnamon stick and teaspoon of cayenne. After it becomes fragrant, add 1 cup red lentils, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, a can of coconut milk and a quart of veggie broth. Optional: Add Japanese sweet potatoes now.
Bring this all to a boil, then let simmer for about 30 minutes.
