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Healthy Chicago Cooking Classes

almond flour

Simple 4-ingredient Lemon Almond Cake {gf, df}

This Simple Lemon Almond Cake is a snap to make with only 4 ingredients and cooks in 20 minutes.

It’s a dense little cake that makes me think it would be served with high tea in London. The kind of cake that your great-grandmother served when you were a kid that you didn’t care for. It’s basic, simple and nutty without the distracting splash.

Berries and cream bring a light sweetness to this Lemon Almond Cake. A drizzle of a lemon & powder sugar icing could do the trick too. I found this simple gluten-free cake to be unexpectedly addicting … but I’m also not a fan of basic white sugar/ white flour cakes anymore. Reach out and let me know your thoughts when you make it.

Happy eating,
~Monique

Simple 4-ingredient Lemon Almond Cake

1.5 cups almond flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut sugar
zest of three lemons
Optional: sprinkle with sliced almonds, berries, coconut whipped cream, honey

Preheat the oven to 350 °. Grease a pan (mine was a glass pyrex roughly 7×11″).

Separate the yolks and whites. Whip the whites until stiff. Whip together the yolks and coconut sugar until fluffy and pale. Mix in the almond flour and lemon zest. The batter will be pretty stiff at this point.

Fold in half of the egg whites, then fold in the second half. top with almonds if using. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool. Top with whipped cream, fresh berries, and a drizzle of honey.

Note, I used a hand mixer to whip the whites and yolks; by hand with a whisk works fine and builds more muscle!

2-Ingredient Almond Flour Cracker {gf}

My easiest cracker ever. Measure, mix, drop, smoosh and bake.

These 2-ingredient Almond Flour Crackers are done in about 30 minutes and they’re gluten and dairy free. These almond flour crackers are a light density than many of my typical crackers, like these lentil crackers. They are great for lighter snacking, but not hearty enough for spreading thick cheese or dip on.

I use a new technique to flatten the cracker, instead of rolling between two sheets of parchment, my typical method to easily roll out a batch of cracker dough, this time I use a cookie scoop to drop teaspoons of dough and then smoosh it down with the bottom of a glass to a thin cracker shape.

Happy Snacking!
~Monique

P.S. I don’t count water and salt as an ingredient!

2-Ingredient Almond Flour Cracker {gf}

3/4 cup fine almond flour
1 tbls olive oil
1 tls water
pinch salt
Optional: Seasoning to flavor

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the ingredients. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper. Use a small cookie scoop to drop scoops of the dough onto the parchment. Smoosh the balls down using the bottom of a jar or measuring cup; you may need a sharp knife to scrape the cracker off (I have found it keeps its shape really well.)
Option to roll the dough between two parchment sheets and score the dough instead.

Bake until light and crispy~ about 30 minutes. Crackers will crisp a little more upon cooling.

GF Almond Flour Bread

I love bread as much as you.

I also really like feeling my best *most* of the time. I’ve learned that too much gluten can weigh me down, affect my mood, thinking, skin and digestion.

So I still indulge when I really want to; during those moments I take my time to really really enjoy the hell out of it.

That doesn’t mean I never eat bread on those days that I’m not indulging. It does mean that I make wiser choices and sometimes that involves rolling up the sleeves and turning the oven on.

This is a very simple mix-it-and-dump-it gluten free bread recipe void of gluten and yeast. It won’t rise much so expect a denser bread. I prefer this bread (and almost all gf breads) toasted.

Try this Gluten Free Almond Flour Bread in this simple Avocado Toast recipe for hearty and filling meal anytime of the day!
~Happy Eating,
Monique

GF Almond Flour Bread

2 1/2 cups almond flour, blanched
1/2 cup seeds (I used sunflower and pepitas)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, heaping
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (see the image below).

In a food processor, pulse together the dry ingredients.
Add the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil and vinegar, pulse/blend until well combined, about 20 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed. The dough will be like a very thick batter, but should be thin enough that it doesn’t roll into a ball.

Pour dough into the parchment-lined loaf pan, the dough will fill about half way. Sprinkle with a few extra seeds if desired.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Test by inserting a toothpick; if it comes out clean from the center it’s done.

Remove from oven. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting. Wrap in foil and store in the fridge.

GF almond flour bread

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper, overhanging the edges, for easy clean up.

Almond Flour Cookie – v,gf

I call these little vegan Almond Flour Cookies one of my ‘Freezer Cookies’. They’re good right off the pan, but I actually prefer them straight out of the freezer. Make them small, just a tablespoon per for the best results.
Happy Eating,
~Monique

Vegan Almond Flour Cookie

1 cup almond flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbls maple syrup
1.5 tbls melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Add the almond flour and mix to combine- it will feel stiff, but using a wooden spoon helps. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop small spoon-sizes on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool before removing.

little vegan cookie

sheet pan pancakes (gf)

I’m serving breakfast to 15 people and I really wanted to make pancakes. But the idea of standing over a hot skillet making a couple pancakes at a time while everyone is waiting just didn’t interest me.

Could I just bake them in the oven all in one shot? Seemed logical but would it really work? I tried it and yup, it’s a real option. I challenged the situation by making them both gluten and dairy free* too. These sheet pan pancakes are almost reminiscent of a cake; lighter, fluffier and moister than a typical pancake. A little butter (ghee) and maple syrup makes them a real breakfast treat.

Test it out and let me know what you think. I’m betting your holiday mornings just got a lot easier and more delicious!
Happy Eating,
~Monique

Almond Sheet Pan Pancakes

2 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
Toppings: berries, pecans, bananas, chocolate chips, coconut flakes.

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a baking pan (see note below on pan size) or line with parchment paper.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Let the batter sit a few minutes to thicken; the consistency should be thicker than a typical pancake batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with any toppings.

Bake 30 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center is firm to the touch. Remove, cut and serve.

NOTE: I used a 7×10 glass baking dish. A typical cookie or baking sheet pan (typically 12×17) works great too, but you will want to double the recipe so the pancakes aren’t too thin.
*ghee is butter that has had the milk solids removed. If you need these to be dairy free, try using melted coconut oil or olive oil.