Almond Flour

Good news for the gluten-free crowd or anyone like me who is bored stiff of wheat flour: The availability of specialty flours such as almond is growing all the time.

Almond flour – made by grinding up blanched almonds - gives baked goods a great nutty flavor. Try it in tea cakes, pie crusts, sweet breads, muffins, brownies, cookies, crackers, fruit crisps, and even fish breading.

Nutrition perks include tremendous amounts of fiber, heart-chummy monounsaturated fats and the antioxidant vitamin E.

Because there is no gluten in almond flour, don’t try using it on its own in recipes that require a good rise. You can’t knead almond flour, so it’s also not good on its own for recipes requiring a dough formation.

If you can’t find almond flour in stores, you can try grinding your own from blanched almonds in a coffee grinder or, like I do, in the powerful Vita-Mix. Almond meal which often comes from grinding up whole almonds with the skin intact will lend baked goods a darker color and makes them more hearty because of the extra fiber. Some people like this, some don’t.

Bob’s Red Mill (www.bobsredmill.com) is probably one of the best sources for a wide range of alternative flours such as quinoa, brown rice, almond, amaranth and gluten-free baking mixes.

If you find yourself all gaga over wonderful almond flour, you may want to check out the Gluten-free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam over at www.elanaspantry.com

To get you started with this newfangled flour hear are a couple no-fuss recipes.


Almond Flour Pear Crisp












Topping
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
5 tablespoons oil

Filling
6 pears, sliced into thin strips (I usually leave the skin on for added nutrition and because I’m lazy)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup raisins or currants
2 tablespoons almond flour
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oats, walnuts, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cardamom in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil and stir until evenly moist. In a separate bowl, combine pears, maple syrup, raisins, flour, lemon juice and ginger and mix well. Transfer the pear mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the oat topping over the pears. Bake until the pears are tender and the topping is golden, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Berry Almond Tea Cakes













When I made this recipe I used red currants because they were in season but blueberries or raspberries can be used as well.

Makes 6 cakes

3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, spelt flour or a gluten-free baking mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a muffin pan, set aside. Mix together almond flour, other flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in applesauce and butter. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer for 4 minutes, or until a soft peak forms. Gently fold egg whites into almond mixture and combine. Fill each muffin cup half full with batter and top with an even number of berries. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. Cool 10 minutes before unmolding.

Yerba Mate

I’m really not one to imbibe in coffee but sometimes I need a little early morning or pre mountain bike race jolt, which is when I turn to steeping yerba mate tea.

Gleaned from leaves of a South American shrub, this national drink of Argentina contains three peppy stimulants: caffeine, theobromine (the ‘happy’ chemical in chocolate) and theophylline, without coffee’s jitters. Each cup of brewed loose leaf mate has roughly 85 milligrams of caffeine compared to 135 in coffee.

Traditionally used as a digestive aid, mate is awash in vitamins, minerals and active antioxidant phytochemicals, such as chlorogenic acid, not found in other teas. A new study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that subjects with high cholesterol numbers who consumed mate 3 times daily for 20 days significantly improved their cholesterol levels. Saponin compounds in this uber-drink are thought to help reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and inflammation. Moreover, a 2009 animal study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that mate’s phytochemicals may squelch oxidative damage to organs, such as the liver.

The flavor of yerba mate may remind you of green tea but even more grassy. Admittedly, it took me a little while to get used to it but once I did I was hooked on its vegetal flavor.

Though mate is now widely available in tea bags, I find that loose-leaf yerba mate outside the bag is the best way to enjoy it. It’s easy to prepare with a tea leaf strainer available at most kitchen gadget stores. A French press also works marvelously. Or you can go the traditional route and prepare it in a gourd with a metal straw. A mate latte can be had by adding milk and a sweetener of choice.



















When brewing up mate, it’s best to use a water temperature around 190 degrees (steam with large, lazy bubbles) and steep the leaves for 3 to 5 minutes. Unlike most teas, it does not become bitter when steeped for extended periods, and the leaves may be infused several times.

Consistently one of the best mate brands is green savvy Guayaki (www.guayaki.com). They have a wide selection of fair trade, rainforest grown loose leaf, bagged and bottled mate products.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are one of nature’s many rock stars. Their orange hue is a dead giveaway for their high beta-carotene levels. A potent antioxidant that is converted in the body to vitamin A, which boosts immune system functioning to help stifle impending winter sniffles. These bright spuds also harbor potassium, fiber, and vitamin B6. Now is the best time to get your sweet potato fix when they are abundantly available locally at rock-bottom prices.

Sliced and roasted with a bit of salt, pepper and rosemary is always a delicious way to enjoy sweet potatoes but if you’re looking for a new way to use them up try spreading this hummus on crackers or toasted pitas.

Sweet Potato Hummus















1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon cumin powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Juice from ½ lemon
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a microwave or steamer, cook sweet potato until very tender. (I usually leave the skin on for added nutrition). Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until creamy. You may have to stop halfway to whip down sides.

Gobble, Gobble

Here in Canada it's Thanksgiving Monday. So I thought this is an appropriate article about how it is getting harder to cook up an organic turkey for the holidays.
Organic Turkey: A Dying Breed
Though this piece is directed towards an Ontario readership, it is a good example of how big agriculture throughout North America is trying its best to degrade the quality of our food and put small farmer's out of business.

Hemp Oil

Hemp Oil



















A pantry should contain at least three different dietary oils: a good quality extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil for cooking and one other type for dressings, dips and other purposes where cooking is not involved. Consider making that choice hemp oil.

Hemp oil is pressed from the seeds of the hemp plant. Industrial hemp used to make this verdant oil is a varietal of the Cannabis plant that has virtually none of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Why hemp oil rocks:

Hemp oil has a wonderful earthy flavor with nutty overtones and a brilliant green hue.

The oil is loaded with the essential omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Because our bodies are unable to make them from other compounds, they must be consumed from food. What’s more, these fats are present in a 3:1 ratio in hemp oil; exactly what many health experts say is the best ratio for well-being.

Hemp is also one of the very few food sources of the omega-6 fat gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). A 2008 study conducted at the University of Manitoba, Canada suggests that GLA reduces blood platelet clumping which may help prevent dangerous blood clotting. Other studies hint that GLA is capable of halting the growth of cancerous cells.

Being, um, a hardy weed naturally resistant to most pests, hemp grown for food production does not need to be bathed in chemical pesticides and herbicides to thrive.

Hemp oil is not suitable for cooking because of its low smoking point and does not have an overly long shelf life. Therefore, use regularly and store it in the fridge. Try hemp oil raw in the recipes below or in smoothies, hummus and for accenting soups, baked potatoes and steamed or roasted veggies.

You can find hemp oil at most health food stores and some larger grocers. Also, find it online from Manitoba Harvest: www.manitobaharvest.com

Spaghetti Squash with Hemp Pesto












If you’re not familiar with spaghetti squash it’s a watermelon shaped winter squash with golden-yellow rind. Once cooked, the flesh pulls apart into slightly nutty, spaghetti-like strands.

1 medium spaghetti squash
1/3 cup hemp oil
1 bunch fresh basil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
¼ cup walnuts
Juice from ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a heavy duty sharp knife, cut of both ends of the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Lightly coat the flesh with oil and salt. Place squash, flesh side down, on a baking sheet covered with foil or parchment paper. Bake for about 45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, combine hemp oil, basil, garlic, hemp seeds, walnuts, lemon and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Blend until just slightly grainy. (Fellow Vita-mix users make sure to use the plunger).
With a fork, scrape squash flesh to make noodle strands. Combine squash noodles with a desired amount of pesto and top with cheese. Keep extra pesto in the fridge and use on toast and crackers.

Hemp Orange Vinaigrette













1 orange
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Juice from ½ lime
1/3 cup hemp oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and whirl until smooth. Drizzle onto salads.

Good Gourd!

When fall strikes, I find myself drawn to winter squash like freshman to free beer. What’s not to adore: Winter squash, be it pumpkin or whimsical turban, are packed with nutrients, easy to keep and store, ultra-versatile in the kitchen and crazy cheap when in-season.

To celebrate autumn’s heavy bounty, Well Fed Man will be brining you a bunch of different winter squash recipes that even culinary virgins can pull off.

Steal This Recipe: Pumpkin Swirl Brownies















These gems are adapted from Food & Drink magazine.

Makes about 16 brownies

1 ounce (30 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree (see note at bottom)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons pastry flour, sifted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Brownie:
6 ounces (175 grams) bittersweet baking chocolate or chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup pastry flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. For the pumpkin swirl, stir cream cheese with the sugar. Add pumpkin puree and mix well. Blend in egg, pastry flour, vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Mix in vanilla then eggs 1 at a time. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt and stir gently. Scrape half the batter into the baking pan and spread evenly. Spread the pumpkin mixture on top. Top the pumpkin mixture with the rest of the chocolate mixture and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool at room temp before slicing.

Note: At this time a year you can get a whole pumpkin for cheaper than canned. Look for smaller pumpkins for better flavor and easier handling. You can steam pumpkin slices/cubes and then cut away the tender flesh from the skin and use this for the puree. 100 percent canned pumpkin also works for this recipe.