Inside Franco Laurel’s gluten- and dairy-free kitchen

Franco Laurel will soon be back on set to shoot a new teleserye for ABS-CBN called “The Broken Marriage Vow.”

“It’s the Filipino adaptation of ‘Doctor Foster’ (United Kingdom) and ‘The World of the Married’ (Korea),” he told Lifestyle.

Since March 2020, the actor, 48, had been working from home, “taking care of the family.”In this week’s Food Slambook, Laurel takes us into his kitchen.

Food confessions

Describe yourself as an eater. I love food! I really love to eat! But as I got older, I became more conscious of what I put in my body for health reasons. I have not had beef, pork, lamb for almost 10 years now. I have also taken out gluten and dairy products from my diet. I try to avoid anything with refined sugar. I don’t eat potato, eggplant and I also try to avoid peanuts.

What’s your favorite thing to eat at home? I love eating everything my wife Ayen cooks. She knows I love her cooking so much that she modified her recipes based on my dietary restrictions, and she has been doing everything to perfection.

Do you cook? I do. I describe myself as “a cook whatever you have in the refrigerator/freezer/pantry” cook. I don’t measure my ingredients. I usually do it based on taste. I think of what will go well with whatever dish I am cooking that day and I just put it all together.

What’s your specialty? I love cooking all kinds of sotanghon and making chicken spreads using organic ingredients. If you can only eat one food every day for the rest of your life, what would it be? Sotanghon with chicken!

What’s one food you will never eat? Balut

What’s your guilty pleasure? Chicharong balat ng manok (crispy chicken skin)

What’s your favorite midnight snack? I try not to eat after 10:30 p.m. but if I have to give in, I love Honest Junk’s cheese barks (nondairy) and their carrot cake and cocoa nib cookies.

Favorite food delivery app/service: Pick-A-Roo! Almost everything is there!

Franco Laurel in his kitchen

Kitchen raid

If we were to walk into your kitchen today, what would we see? Ayen dedicated a corner for me with my stock of gluten-free and dairy-free products.

What are kitchen gadgets/appliances you can’t live without? I can’t live without my Nutribullet for my smoothies, and my food processor. It saves so much time using them when I do my prep work.

Favorite mayo

What’s always in your refrigerator? Fresh fruits, True Tea iced tea, dark chocolate, nondairy butter, oat milk, coconut milk

What’s always in your pantry? Sotanghon noodles, chicken stock, gluten-free products.

Favorite . . .

Butter: Chilled Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread Soy-Free Dairy-Free

Milk: Oat Milk by Oat-Ly

Rice: Black and brown rice

Pasta: Cadia Brown Rice pasta products from Healthy Options and Skinny Carbs from 7 Grains Pantry

Cereal: Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Oatmeal

Favorite butter

Catsup: UFC Banana Catsup

Mayo: Follow Your Heart Reduced Fat Vegenaise

Fruits: Cherries

Veggies: Lettuce

Herbs and spices: Everything from Healthy Options and Real Food

Bacon/hotdog/sausage/ham: UnMeat’s Hungarian sausage, Berry’s chicken hotdog, Delicachino’s chicken longganisa, Corner Pantry’s chicken longganisa

Cooking oil: Extra-virgin olive oil and grape-seed oil

Soy sauce: Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce and 7 Grains’ Skinny Seasoning

Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar

Canned products: Canned tuna

Frozen food: Homemade ice candy, Corner Pantry’s chicken nuggets, UnMeat’s chicken nuggets and burger patties, Beyond Burger’s patties

Snacks: Honest Junk’s cheese barks, carrot cake and cocoa nib cookies

Chocolates/candy: Honest Junk’s gummy bears and Auro dark chocolate

Cake: Little Miss Aileen’s Flourless Chocolate Cake with Grapes

Ice cream: Super Scoops Dairy Free Ice Cream’s Choco Brownie Madness

Drinks: True Tea iced tea

Other favorites: My daughter Mariella’s Golden Dough PH’s cookies! INQ

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