The magical “flour”

In my opinion, almond flour is magical. It’s low-glycemic, buttery in taste and smell, and very versatile. You can use it to make baked goods or savory dishes and it can be used in place of white or wheat flour in most recipes. It can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So why has this magical flour not caught on in the general public? Seriously, I’m asking. Now granted, it is a bit more expensive than all purpose flour but the health benefits greatly outweigh any negatives.

For those of you looking for great tasting almond flour recipes, please visit my favorite food blog out there: www.elanaspantry.com. Her cookbook is also quite amazing and is getting regular use underneath my Crate & Barrel cookbook holder.

Here is a great chocolate chip cookie recipe using almond flour. In fact, it’s from Elana’s website. You are probably now wondering why a nutritionist would post her first blog entry with a cookie recipe knowing full well that her patients are going to read it.  I will answer this question with something everyone has heard a million times before: everything in moderation. Do not eat cookies every day. But you can eat them a lot more often if they are made with low-glycemic flour and low-glycemic sweetener. Just trust me on this. They rock!

Gluten Free and Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ½ cups almond flour

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup grapeseed oil

1 tablesppon vanilla extract

½ cup agave nectar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, combine all wet ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Press ½ inch balls onto the parchment paper and bake for 7-10 minutes. Enjoy!

From www.elanaspantry.com