Peach Blueberry Crumble
desserts, food, gluten free
6th Sep 2010
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The market today was filled with luscious-looking summer fruits – juicy peaches, plums, nectarines and even some late blueberries. I couldn’t resist picking up a few large peaches and a pint of blueberries for a crumble.
Since I’ve been gluten free, I’m always looking for new ways to make old favorite recipes. For this one, I turned to the Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook for inspiration. Elana Amsterdam, of Elana’s Pantry, has created a collection of recipes that is truly delicious. The thing I like about Elana’s recipes is that she’s very health conscious. The foods that she makes have little refined sugar (if at all), include lots of healthy fats (like nutrient dense almond flour) and use the highest quality ingredients possible.
So I was delighted to find this recipe in her book that not only has healthy ingredients, but doesn’t include any sugar in it at all. I know, you’re probably thinking that it can’t be any good, but I promise you it’s completely delicious.
One thing that I did change (because I didn’t have some of the ingredients) was – I subbed some of the almond flour for unsweetened coconut and used coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid that, contrary to what you might have heard, is very good for your overall health – and it is antiviral and antibacterial.
Peach Blueberry Crumble
Filling
4 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced, or 3 cups frozen peach slices, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed
Topping
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the filling, place the peaches and blueberries in an 8-inch baking dish.
To make the topping, combine the almond flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until coarsley blended and crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let the crumble cool for 30 minutes, then serve warm.
You can pick up the Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook and many other great recipe books at Amazon.
Gingerbread Men
desserts, food, gluten free
24th Dec 2009
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I’ve baked so much in the past few days, I can’t get the scent of cinnamon out of my nose. I hope everyone enjoys all of these delicious goodies – I certainly don’t want to eat them all on my own.
Another recipe from the Gluten Free Almond Flour cookbook, and also very good.
Gingerbread men
3 cups blanched almond flour
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
1 ¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup agave nectar
1 TBSP vanilla extract
¼ cup yacon syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon zest
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, baking soda, and cloves. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, vanilla extract, yacon syrup, egg and lemon zest. Stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Cover the dough and let chill in the freezer overnight.
Roll out the dough to ½ inch thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper. If the dough is sticky, dust it with almond flour. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut out the cookies using a gingerbread man cookie cutter (to prevent sticking, dip it in cold water after cutting each cookie). Transfer the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes, then serve warm.
Chocolate cherry cookies
desserts, gluten free, recipes
23rd Dec 2009
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I’m on a gluten free kick, and this year I’m doing some gluten-free holiday baking. I met Elana Amsterdam from Elana’s Pantry earlier this year when she was on her book tour for her lovely Gluten Free Almond Flour cookbook, and I’m starting to experiment with the recipes. I’m looking forward to my birthday next month when I can try out her recipe for chocolate cake! Yummy.
Chocolate Cherry Cookies (gluten free)
Try these cookies – they are delicious:
2 ¾ cups blanched almond flour
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup grapeseed oil
¾ cup agave nectar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate
1 cup dried fruit-juice-sweetened cherries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Fold in the chocolate and cherries. Spoon the dough 1 heaping tablespoon at a time onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops of the cookies look dry and start to crack – be careful not to overcook. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then serve warm.
Note – if you replace the agave nectar with a dry sweetener such as sucanat (like I did) you’ll either have to add ¾ cup water or reduce the amount of flour by ¾ cup. I added water, ¼ cup at a time, until the batter was soft and combined well.
Peach and blueberry glace pie
desserts, food, gluten free, tasty tuesdays
25th Aug 2009
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I made this very delicious pie the other day, but unfortunately I didn’t get to take a photo – guess I will have to make it again.
Peach and blueberry pie with nut crust
Crust:
2 cups walnuts, almonds or pecans
1 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar
2 slightly beaten egg whites
Place nuts in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process till nuts are finely ground. Stir together nuts, agave, and egg whites. Using a spatula, press mixture onto bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust appears dry. Cool on a wire rack before filling.
Filling:
4 cups peaches, sliced
1 cup wild blueberries
1/3 cup agave syrup
2 Tbsp corn starch
In a blender container or food processor bowl, combine 1 cup of fruit and 1/3 cup water. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Add enough additional water to the mixture to equal 1 1/2 cups. In a medium saucepan, combine agave and cornstarch and stir in blended fruit mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat til mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Then cool for 10 minutes without stirring.
Spread about 1/4 cup of the glaze over the bottom and sides of the crust. Arrange half of the fruit in the crust.
Carefully spoon 1/2 of the remaining glaze over fruit, thoroughly covering each piece of fruit. Arrange remaining fruit over layer and spoon remaining glaze over second layer of fruit. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Serves 8
Recipes: Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies
desserts, gluten free, recipes
29th Aug 2007
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I had a couple of these cookies at a sugar talk that Donna Sonkin, one of my health coaching colleagues, gave last night. They’re a totally delicious, healthier version of a perennial favorite. Just remember that even though they are healthier, they are still a treat and should be consumed as such – i.e., don’t eat the whole batch in one sitting.
1 cup raisins (golden raisins produce a lighter-color cookie)
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup oil
1 cup oat flour or finely ground oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 malt-sweetened chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Soak the raisins in the juice overnight. The next day, puree them together in a blender, then add the oil and blend again briefly. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a mixing bowl, making sure to mix well. Add the raisin-juice mixture and stir just until mixed. Drop heaping teaspoonfuls of the batter onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
(From Ann-Louise Gittelman’s Get the Sugar Out)
Healthier Brownies
desserts, gluten free
13th Feb 2007
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I’ve made these brownies for several friends and family members, and it’s always surpises people that they’re grain free. While this isn’t a diet food, it is a more gentle form of a familiar treat.
Brownies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 12-16 brownies
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups carob semisweet chips
2 cups canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
2/3 cup agave nectar or 1 1/4 cup date sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
- In a small bowl melt carob chips in microwave for 2 minutes. Or place carob chips in a heat resistant bowl on top of a boiling pot of water until melted.
- In blender or food processor, combine beans and eggs.
- Add sweetener, baking powder, and chips. Process until smooth.
- Pour batter into a 9 inch non-stick pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Allow to cool, cut and serve.
Variations: try these with semisweet chocolate chips instead of carob or substitute adzuki beans for garbanzo beans. Adzukis are the little red beans used in Asian sweets. You can usually find them in health food stores.
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