Welcome to my crazy world of real food cooking ...

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. -- Michael Pollan

I wish I could take credit for that because I think it sums up how we should eat. Simply -- eat stuff that really is food, instead of stuff that is food like substance. The supermarket is almost entirely food-like-substances, and, my friends, you should probably never ever eat them.

Fortunately, there is a world of deliciousness out there, and it can all be had in a way that not only doesn't harm your health, but in a way that benefits you hugely.

I think it's important to eat stuff that satisfies you, that keeps your blood sugar stable, and that gives you stuff your body really needs to run optimally.

But baby, it's gotta taste good.

I really like getting experimental in the kitchen. I love cooking, I love layering flavours, and I love coming up with really super yummy food. I have very strong opinions about what constitutes food, and there are a lot of things I won't touch in the kitchen. Bottom line? Pretty much everything I make is ridiculously good for you even if it tastes decadent. Although there are occasional big fat cheats ... but even those stick to real food, my friends.

For food that is usual gluten free, usually free of cane sugar, usually super low on the glycemic index, full of protein, fiber, flavour, and excellent energy, join me and Alice down the rabbit hole.

Every recipe on this blog is my own original effort and idea, so please pass 'em on, giving credit where credit is due.

Many thanks, and come back often. I'm really glad you are here!

:)

Thursday, 16 December 2010

Sugar Cookies -- lots of flavour, but no sugar


A couple of days ago I posted a recipe for sugar cookies made without sugar and without any grain flour. To be honest, these gluten-free cookies remind me a little of short bread cookies -- they have that kind of texture. Today I decided to make a sugar cookie without sugar, but in these I used some whole grain kamut flour in addition to almond flour. The texture is delicate and almost fluffy. They are pleasant and simple. Just the right kind of cookie to go with a cup of tea. And they partner well with the vanilla bean cookies from the other day -- different, yet charming in their own unique ways. The sweetener I have used is a clear, raw agave. I personally find cane sugar, whether organic or not, tastes great but disagrees with me. Agave is extremely sweet, so you need less of it, and I find it doesn't give me the headaches and racing heart I can get from cane sugar.

These aren't as sweet as the ones made with coconut flour and the reason for this is simple. Coconut flour absorbs so much liquid that you need very little of it, so that all the flavours and sweetners in the confection have much more potency. With these cookies, we are using twice as much flour, thus the potency of the sweetners and flavours are cut by half. If you followed this ramble, then it will be no surprise to you when I say the two cookies are different than each other.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup clear agave
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1 tsp finely minced orange zest (optional -- or lemon zest -- or go crazy and try lime)

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp cinnamon (I used ceylon cinnamon)
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup kamut flour


directions:

1. lightly melt the oil and combine with the agave
2. add in the vanilla and lemon juice
3. mix in the eggs (and zest if you are using)
4. add the sea salt, vanilla bean, and cinnamon
5. stir in the almond flour, followed by the baking soda
6. add the kamut flour last, and stir until fully combined
7. as with any recipe using a flour that contains gluten, try to stir it as little as possible, and work it as little as possible. This will prevent the gluten from 'activating', and limit the toughness that will ensue. All you pie pastry makers out there know what I'm talking about ...
8. wrap the dough in parchment and put it in an airtight container. Refrigerate until fully chilled.
9. divide the dough into quarters, and roll each piece between two pieces of parchment
10. cut with your favourite cutter, and place on a lined baking sheet
12. this recipe will fill two baking sheets
13. bake for a total of 14 minutes in the upper half of an oven that has been pre-heated to 345. If you are baking 2 sheets at once, switch their positions halfway through.
14. once the cookies have come out of the oven,  remove them from the baking sheets to cool on a cooling rack
15. store in an airtight container




4 comments:

glorious sandwiches said...

I think I will have to try this recipe. I'll link you when I get around to it. And thank you for the baked goods yesterday, I'm eating one of those ginger spice cookies right now.

stacey said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the baked goods! We certainly enjoyed having you over to eat them :)

Geneviève said...

O. and I bought a really cute set of cookie cutters yesterday with a squirrel and a moose! This will be the perfect recipe to try ;)

stacey said...

It sounds like you are going to have some cookie making fun :)
If you find this recipe is not quite sweet enough for 'kid taste', you could try adding a 1/4 cup of some dry sweetener (as opposed to liquid like agave or honey). Perhaps coconut sugar, or even xylitol. Xylitol is one of those things that sounds like a chemical, but is reasonably good for you in reasonable quantities, and is low on the glycemic index, so it doesn't spike blood sugar. Although, I do believe coconut sugar may be more easily tolerated by more people.

:)