The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook Breakfasts, Entrees, and More

by Amsterdam, Elana

• ISBN13: 9781587613456
• ISBN10: 158761345X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-28
• Publisher: Celestial Arts

Summary

The prevalence of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity among millions of adults and children has created the need for gluten-free recipes that are as nutritious and tasty as their traditional counterparts. Popular food blogger Elana Amsterdam offers ninety-nine family-friendly classics--from Pancakes to Eggplant Parmesan to Chocolate Cake--that feature her gluten-free ingredient of choice, almond flour. Because these recipes are low glycemic, low in cholesterol and dairy, and high in protein and fiber, they are also ideal for people with diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. So whether you're looking for a quick breakfast treat, a comfort food entrée, or a show stopping dessert, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook proves that gluten-free cooking can mean healthy eating for everyone.

Author Biography

Eco-entrepreneur and gluten-free guru Elana Amsterdam is the author of The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook, published by Ten Speed Press in July 2009. On her website, Elana's Pantry, she shares weekly recipes and ingredient selection alongside purchasing, preparation, and meal-planning tips with her readers and visitors (traffic 50,000 unique hits monthly). Visit her website at www.elanaspantry.com.
 
She has written for publications including the Denver Post, the Boulder Daily Camera, Delicious Living, Delight Magazine, and Elephant, and has been featured in a variety of publications including 5280, Working Woman, Crain's New York Business, Fortune Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on CNN and MSNBC.
 
Elana lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband, two boys (chefs in training), two bunnies, and five chickens.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments • viii
Introduction • 1

Using Almond Flour • 3
Stocking the Almond Flour Pantry • 7
Breakfast • 13
Breads and Crackers • 25
Entrées • 39
Pies, Pastries, and Crusts • 65
Cakes and Cupcakes • 83
Cookies and Bars • 97
Toppings, Syrups, and Sauces • 121

Sources • 127
Notes • 129
Index • 130

Excerpts

In European countries where wheat and corn don’t dominate agriculture, vibrant, centuries-old traditions make delicious use of almond flour in dishes such as marzipan, macaroons, and tortes. These cultures discovered the secret of almond flour long ago: it tastes delicious, it’s easy to use, and it’s a superfood.


Taste

Almond flour tastes sweet, rich, and buttery, making it somewhat indistinguishable from wheat flour in baked goods and other dishes.

As opposed to the dry, gritty texture of rice flour and other gluten-free flours in baked goods, almond flour is smooth and has excellent mouth feel.

Ease of Use

Almond flour is as easy to use as wheat flour and much less tedious than complex gluten-free flours, which require numerous supplemental ingredients such as xanthum gum, cornstarch, and potato flakes for binding purposes. Because it requires numerous additional ingredients, gluten-free baking has traditionally been known as a painstaking, time-consuming task. This is not the case with almond flour baking, which is actually even quicker and easier than most traditional wheat-based recipes that require yeast and rising time.


Superfood

Almond flour is a highly nutritious superfood that is low-carb and rich in vitamins, minerals, and “good” fats. Almond flour is not only the healthiestflour around, it is also higher in protein and far richer in nutrients than wheat flour and its gluten-free counterparts; a serving of almond flour is packed with protein and fiber.

Almond flour is not only full of incredible antioxidants and found to be allergenic in only 1 percent of the population, it is also an ideal recovery food for cyclists and other athletes.

Vitamins and Minerals: Almond Flour versus Other Flours During the 1990s, the medical community began to discover the health benefits of almonds; numerous studies now point to increasing almond intake as beneficial for stabilizing blood sugar, controlling appetite, preventing obesity, and providing antioxidants as well as numerous other nutrients. Such studies also tout almonds as a heart-healthy food.

Unlike its high-glycemic wheat and rice flour counterparts, the high protein content of almond flour makes it an optimal ingredient for stabilizing blood sugar. It is thus the ideal fare for diabetics and those who experience difficulty metabolizing sugar, which is a common issue among people with celiac disease.

Recent research indicates that diabetics and those with celiac disease share a similar strand of DNA, enhancing the appeal of almond flour as a tool to simultaneously go gluten-free while lowering one’s glucose intake. The recipes in this book use almond flour and low-glycemic sweeteners rather than sugar, allowing people with food restrictions to enjoy their favorite desserts without worrying about spiking blood sugar levels.

Because almonds enhance satiety, they are an ideal food for those looking to maintain or lose weight. Researchers concluded that almonds’ heart-healthy monounsaturated fat helps to satisfy appetite and prevent overeating. A 2003 study in theJournal of Obesityfound that “adding a daily ration of almonds to a low-calorie diet enhanced weight loss as well as significantly improved risk factors associated with heart disease.”

The American Heart Association has further determined that the “good” fats in almonds actually lower cholesterol, making almonds a star ingredient for patients with heart disease.

Finally, there is no reason for almond flour to be limited to the above populations on special diets. Almond flour provides a return to wholesome eating in an era of increasingly processed food, proliferating food allergies, and health ailments. As you will see in the following recipes, almond flour is the king of alternative flours.


The recipes in this

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Excerpted from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook: Breakfasts, Entrees, and More by Elana Amsterdam
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.