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Whole wheat-almond thumbprint cookies recipe (vegan)

I think I might be the only person who owns Gwyneth Paltrow’s book, My Father’s Daughter, to finally be making the recipe called “Lalo’s Cookies.” The book was published a few years ago and I am just getting around to this recipe. I was at my friend Alex’s house a few weeks ago and she said to me, “you know what recipe my kids love?” I was all ears. “Lalo’s Cookies from Gwyneth’s book.”

“Why have I never tried those?”

“I don’t know, but they’re so easy my kids can make them!”

What I should have done that day was go straight home and do laundry, pay some bills, respond to my emails, work on my book proposal, prep dinner and take the dog for a walk. Instead, I went straight to Whole Foods to buy barley flour (an ingredient in the recipe) and then went home to make the aforementioned cookies. I was obsessed and nothing else seemed to matter. Mr. Picky would just have to wear his soccer jersey a second time, emails would wait until tomorrow and we could eat cookies for dinner!

Alex was right — the cookies were delicious and super easy (ONE BOWL!!) Because they’re egg-less, they have a shortbread-like quality to them and the perfect subtle, nutty sweetness. They are slightly crumbly, without falling apart and I really loved the texture. I love the look of a thumbprint cookie, too. There’s something so homey and old- fashioned about them. I used some no sugar-added jam in some, and a Hershey’s kiss in others since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. So cute, don’t you think???

I think this is among the more healthful cookie recipes I have seen, but I couldn’t help but make a few tweaks which, please don’t tell Gwyneth, I have to say made the cookies even better, both taste-wise and nutrition-wise.

Gwyneth’s recipe uses barley flour, like I mentioned. But who in the heck has barley flour laying around? Random ingredients is one of the biggest pet peeves of my cooking class students. Not that there’s anything wrong with barley flour — it’s actually amazing and really high in fiber and protein, but it’s just not an ingredient I have ever seen in anyone’s pantry. Except Alex’s, of course. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead. I also subbed unrefined, virgin coconut oil for the canola oil, which is a big no in my book since it’s always refined and almost always GMO (i.e. it’s a big bottle of free radicals and inflammation.) I love coconut oil in baked goods. I think it enhances the sweetness and I really can’t detect any coconut taste. Then I decided to use almond meal instead of using the food processor to grind almonds, only because I thought it would easier not to break out the food processor.

The difference in the two batches seen here is barley flour and ground almonds with Hershey kisses vs. whole wheat pastry and almond meal with jam. My family and I preferred the cookie that had the whole wheat pastry flour-almond meal, but loved the chocolate kiss element of the other. I know there are a lot of nut-free schools, so I think you could probably make these with ground sunflower seeds, but I can’t be 100% sure. To make these GF, I would try a good GF flour blend like King Arthur Multipurpose GF Flour and add a pinch of xanthan gum.

All I can say is that these would be perfecto to make with your kiddos on Valentine’s Day! Spread some cookie love!

Whole Wheat-Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Pamela, adapted from "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or barley flour
1 ½ cups whole raw almonds crushed in a food processor or 1 ½ cups almond meal or flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup unrefined coconut oil melted
½ cup pure maple syrup Grade A or Grade B
No sugar-added jam such as raspberry, strawberry or blueberry or 25 unwrapped Hershey’s kisses

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a Silpat mat.
Combine all ingredients except for the jam/kisses in a large bowl with a spoon.
Take a tablespoon of the dough and shape into a ball. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Using your finger, make a dent in the center of each cookie. Fill with a small bit of jam. If you want to use Hershey’s kisses, do not add to cookie until after baking.
Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, about 20 minutes. If you want to use the chocolate kisses, when the cookies come out of the oven, place the piece of chocolate in the indentation and allow to cool.

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Whole grain buttermilk waffles recipe (refined sugar-free, gluten-free adaptable)

I never posted my waffle recipe on my site because I really didn’t know if most people owned a waffle maker. Plus, I don’t want to nudge anyone to buy an expensive appliance that s/he may not get much use out of. Annnnnd, I had never found a good waffle iron that wasn’t lined with Teflon. But if you saw in my Friday Favorites back in October, I found the waffle maker of my dreams and it’s under $40. No Teflon, easy to use, no PFTE’s or PFOA’s. Go check out my link if you are interested in more of the specifics. Sooooo, since so many of you have asked me for the recipe on Instagram, I am finally happy to oblige.

This waffle recipe isn’t that much different from my Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancake recipe, but it’s designed to have more heft. These waffles are still light but hearty and subtly sweet. My kids are so used to whole wheat pastry flour and whole spelt flour that whole grain pancakes and waffles taste “normal” to them. But if you haven’t used whole grain flours yet or your family doesn’t like the nuttiness, try going half and half or even using 1/2 cup whole flour and 1 1/2 white flour to start. I personally enjoy whole grain flours because they actually have some flavor, as well as the fact they don’t leave me feeling like I ate a candy bar for breakfast. I like to see what bits of random flours (e.g., oat, buckwheat, cornmeal) I have in the fridge that I can use up for a truly multigrain waffle.

These waffles are the perfect backdrop for tons of different seasonal fruit combos with or without maple syrup or a dollop of yogurt. Sometimes I let Mr. Picky add some mini chocolate chips for fun. He doesn’t use maple syrup, so I’m ok with the small amount of extra sugar. I usually like to finish the batter and make all the waffles even if it’s too much for all of us, and either save them for the next day or freeze them for another time. They go right into the toaster oven for a re-crisping. You might even try using homemade waffles out as sandwich bread for a quick PB&J.

I wish I had posted this yesterday or last week for you all you snow bunnies who have been cooped up with schools closed again. Waffles are a great breakfast if you’re not in a super big rush since you can only make one at a time. Although my kids are staggered out the door in the morning and I taught them how to use the waffle iron, so it works out pretty well for me on a weekday. There are a few occasions coming up when it might be a nice treat to make waffles. February 14th is obviously Valentine’s Day and it’s on a Saturday this year, so that’s a perfect day to make these. Or if everyone’s off from work and school on Monday, February 16th for President’s Day, that would also be a good time to try this recipe out. And since we’re celebrating something, why not go all out with some organic whipped cream piled high? I approve!

Whole Grain Buttermilk Waffles

Pamela

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Servings -5

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour white whole wheat flour or whole spelt flour or a blend of these and other whole grain flours*
1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups buttermilk**
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Melted unrefined coconut oil for brushing the waffle iron

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron to desired heat level.
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium bowl or 4-6 cup measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and melted butter until well blended. (A blender can do this easily, too.)
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Brush the inside of the waffle iron with coconut oil and spoon about a scant ½ cup of batter onto the middle. Add blueberries, chocolate chips or diced banana to the surface, if desired. Close the waffle iron and follow the manufacturer’s directions for cooking the waffles.

Notes

*Or you can use GF flour blend, such as 2/3 cup oat flour, 2/3 cup buckwheat flour and 2/3 cup brown rice flour. Millet flour can also be use.

**No buttermilk? Sub half unsweetened yogurt and half whole milk.

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Vegan Queso Recipe

My oldest daughter is a freshman in college, if you can believe it. I totally cannot believe because I feel like I was just in college! She’s going to school in Texas where she is enjoying a lot of (shocking, I’m sure) Tex-Mex food. When we went to visit over Parents’ Weekend, our first meal was at Torchy’s Tacos and the first thing my daughter ordered was two quesos.

Normally my daughter is a pretty healthful eater, but I know she has a weakness for Sprinkles cupcakes and melted cheese, although let’s assume not in the same bite. Not that “queso” is actually cheese, even though that’s exactly what it means in Spanish. “Queso” in a Tex-Mex restaurant is basically doctored up melted Velveeta or a Land O’Lakes product called Extra Melt. Uh, that to me isn’t real cheese. And even if it were real cheese, pasteurized cow dairy is not awesome for you. Small amounts, ok. Fermented or cultured, a little better. Sheep or goat dairy, I’m in.

So I said to my daughter, “I can make a vegan version of this that I think is even better and won’t give you zits in the morning.”

“Whaaaat??? Since when? You’ve been holding out on me!”

Maybe so. In the meantime, I passed on the so called “queso.”

I did teach this vegan queso-type dip in my classes last year, and I figured it would be perfect to share before the Super Bowl. This recipe is actually a twist on my vegan mac and cheese recipe, jazzed up with jalapeño, black or pinto beans, and my new favorite product, Whole Foods organic frozen fire-roasted corn. If you haven’t made the mac and cheese, I am in love with it. Delicious and mostly veggies – no fake cheese, no nutritional yeast but still crazily resembles cheese sauce. And this version is a Tex-Mex-healthy-not-cheese-party that I am in love with, too.

This vegan “queso” I have used on nachos for the kids, on baked potatoes with salsa, on breakfast tacos and on spaghetti squash. Love it! I will come clean and tell you I much prefer it with butter over Earth Balance. Updated: Miyoko’s vegan butter works perfectly. If you absolutely cannot have butter, use the Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. If you have a choice, use the butter. I always use butter. Because it’s better. And then this isn’t vegan, but it’s cheese sauce made out of vegetables!!

This queso can be made a day or two ahead and reheated. It does not freeze well. Updated: it will be fine frozen, but you have to reblend it after defrosting it. But you won’t need to freeze it because you’re going to eat it ALL!! I don’t even care who wins the game on Sunday. Just give me a super bowl of queso!

2.06.21 I am updating the recipe to reflect the fact that some salts may be “saltier” than others.

Vegan Queso

Pamela

I often serve this with no add-ins. So feel free to leave out the jalapeno, corn and beans if you like.

5 from 3 votes

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Servings -6

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons chopped shallots
1 cup about 7 ounces chopped Yukon gold potatoes (you can leave the peel on)
¼ cup chopped carrots about 1 small carrot
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup water
¼ cup raw cashews soaked for 1-5 hours and drained if your blender is weak*
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter not vegan or Miyoko's or organic Earth Balance (both vegan)**
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons sea salt use less if using vegan butter or if you've never made this before
¼ teaspoon garlic minced (about 1 medium clove)
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice optional, but add it if you have it
¼ teaspoon black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 small jalapeno seeds discarded, diced (about 3 Tablespoons)
½ cup frozen fire-roasted corn defrosted
¾ cup cooked pinto or black beans rinsed and drained if using canned
Accompaniments: tortilla chips sweet potato chips, baked sweet potato wedges, baked fingerling potato halves

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, add the shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion and water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
Place the cashews, butter, salt, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Add the softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender or food processor and process until perfectly smooth. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning if needed.
Pour sauce back into pot, and add the jalapeno, corn, and beans. Warm over medium-low heat for 4-6 minutes. Can be made ahead and reheated.

Notes

*Options here: to save the step of soaking cashews, cook the cashews with the vegetables. OR use the same amount of RAW cashew butter or JOI almond butter base (it's blanched and raw and has no flavor) or cooked white beans if you are nut-free.
**only use Earth Balance if you can't use Miyoko's vegan butter or can’t or won’t tolerate butter. The dip turns out better with Miyoko's or dairy butter, in my opinion.

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butter carrot cashew dijon garlic onion potato shallot

Roasted Cabbage Wedges Recipe

I teach five recipes in a typical cooking class and there’s usually a dark horse in there — a dish that no one is expected to be wowed by, but ends up being the surprise hit of the menu. Case in point is this recipe for roasted cabbage wedges, which everyone went crazy over and I heard multiple times, “I wasn’t thinking this was going to be anything special, but I love it!”

First of all, no one is ever wowed by cabbage, sadly. I am a huge fan of the whole cabbage fam, and wrote about it in one of my recent Friday Favorites posts. It’s such a nutritious, VERSATILE, inexpensive, and delicious veg which is grown domestically all year round. Most people think cabbage and think cole slaw, which is fine but there are many, many more delicious (and healthful) ways to enjoy cabbage.

Roasting cabbage will change your mind about this under-appreciated vegetable. It has become my favorite, and my family’s favorite, way to eat cabbage. Even Mr. Picky, my now 11-year-old son, likes it! That is cause for celebration here because there are very few cooked vegetables he likes. And even more reason for me to share this recipe plus this could not be easier to make.

Even though I call these “wedges,” I know they’re more like slabs. But the word “slab” is really unsexy and possibly a turn-off, so I had to do a little creative marketing here. When cabbage is roasted, it becomes very mild and sweet, almost buttery. If you’re lucky, the edges will get a little crispy and kind of smoky. For my family, I just serve the cabbage roasted as is, but I did teach this in my class with a lemony-mustard drizzle just for fun. I’ve also seen images on Pinterest and elsewhere where people take the roasted cabbage and separate the layers and make it feel like noodles. So clever!

I prefer to use a saturated fat like coconut oil when I cook at higher temps (like 400 degrees) because it doesn’t oxidize and create free radicals like an unsaturated fat does, like olive oil. I don’t think the cabbage tastes like coconut AT ALL, but coconut oil just makes the cabbage taste sweeter. I am in love with coconut oil-roasted veggies like sweet potato, winter squashes, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Give it a try sometime. If you are allergic to coconut oil or you just detest it, feel free to use olive oil in an equal amount. Roast these babies up and serve them with basically anything — poultry, fish, rice pilaf, cauliflower mashed potatoes and so on. It’s the perfect comfort food that won’t weigh you down and likely to fit into your January resolutions!

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Pamela

5 from 1 vote

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Servings -6

Ingredients

1 head of green cabbage cut through the core into 1-inch thick rounds
2-3 Tablespoons melted unrefined virgin coconut oil or olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Dressing: cabbage is perfectly delicious without the dressing
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons of finely chopped fresh chives
2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
Brush the cut side of each cabbage round with oil and place in one layer on the prepared sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast cabbage, about 40-45 minutes, flipping over after 20 minutes. Cabbage should be tender and lightly golden around the edges.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Drizzle cabbage with dressing if desired.

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cabbage coconut oil

DIY Gluten-free Multi-grain Porridge Recipe

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day not only because it jumpstarts your brain and your metabolism, gives you fuel to get going, provides energy until your next meal, but it also sets the tone for how you feel and what you crave the rest of the day.

Hypothetically speaking, if I eat a doughnut for breakfast, my blood sugar will surge, then plummet, making me cranky and not able to think very clearly. I will be hungry a short while later, and psychologically other things can happen. That sugar may initiate more cravings for sweets during the day. I might be annoyed with myself for eating something “bad” and feel depressed afterwards. I could even think my whole day of eating has already been “ruined” and so I throw in the towel and eat a whole other bunch of crap, which we all know is a crazy thing to do, but it happens to the best of us.

The key is to eat the right amount of the right combination of high quality protein, fats and complex carbohydrates at breakfast.

At least twice each week, I make a big pot of warm porridge, usually steel cut oats, but occasionally another grain or two. I set out a bunch of different jars on the counter so everyone can make their own “power bowl” with fresh or dried fruit, nuts or nut butter, seeds, coconut, granola, and the like.

Last year I decided to change it up a bit and mix a bunch of different grains I had lying around and see what would happen. It’s always a good idea to expose yourself to more nutrients and flavors! I chose grains that all had similar cooking times — millet, quinoa, rolled oats and “creamy buckwheat cereal.” The buckwheat cereal is just the cut version of whole buckwheat groats, so it cooks faster. I loved it and so did my husband! My son, who doesn’t like to try anything new, thought it was “ok.” But he finished his bowl and eats it all every time I make it. (I think he secretly likes it.)

Many of my students have asked me for the “recipe” after seeing many a bowl of multigrain porridge on my Instagram feed. There’s really no one recipe for how to do this. I usually use 1 cup of mixed grains, so you can divide that equally into 1/4 cups of each of 4 grains. Or you can do mostly oats if that’s what is most familiar to you and a couple tablespoons of the other ones. (Mixing the grains makes for a more complex flavor than just one note.) I like to cook with water and when the grains are nice and soft and porridge-like, finish it off with something creamy like almond milk. If you are desperate to get more protein into your breakfast, you can certainly cook your grains with milk from the start.

You can also use other grains like wheat berries (not GF), brown rice, spelt (not GF), barley (not GF) and steel cut oats, but keep in mind those take longer to cook even if you soak them the night before (which you should do — see this post for why.)

There are infinite possibilities for toppings or add-ins, but I have included a few images of my latest creations (sorry there are no images of the porridge in the pot — the steam fogged up my camera and the pictures were a mess!) and you can check this post on some of my favorite oatmeal concoctions. Make your next breakfast count!

DIY Gluten-free Multi-grain Porridge

Pamela

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Servings -4

Ingredients

1 cup mixed gluten-free grains I like a combination of rolled oats*, quinoa, millet, and creamy buckwheat, preferably soaked overnight in water and drained
4 cups water use 3 ½ cups of water if grains were soaked
½ - 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice click here for how to make your own almond milk

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, combine the grains and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered.
Cook until all the grains are tender, about 25-30 minutes. If grains were previously soaked, they will cook much more quickly!
Stir in the almond milk according to whether you like your porridge is thick or thin until porridge is nice and creamy. Serve immediately or refrigerate for a few days. Reheat in a saucepan with a little water or almond milk to desired consistency.

Notes

*Look for specially labeled Gluten-free oats if you are gluten-intolerant or are trying to limit gluten.

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buckwheat millet oats quinoa

Wild salmon patties recipe (gluten-free and paleo)

Happy new year! I’m just curious, are you on a cleanse? Which one? There are soooo many, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed. I have noticed, because I live in LA and I teach cooking classes all the time and once I resume teaching tomorrow, I’m going to hear all about what cleanses my students are on!

Some are hard core and just drink juice all day. I swear. Just. Juice. No. Food. Others will suffer through a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup. Then there are easier cleanses where you can actually eat real food, as long as it doesn’t contain gluten, alcohol, dairy, sugar, red meat, or caffeine. Or peanuts. Or oranges. Or tomatoes.

I’m just having a little fun here. I think if a cleanse can help break some bad habits, great. I’m not really a fan of not eating food though, unless you are at a spa and you don’t have to work, drive your kids to school, help them with homework or make meals for your family.

I am a fan of thinking about the person you want to be – healthy, energetic, positive, creative, maintaining a healthy weight – and making a commitment to eat in a way that supports that vision. Continuing to overeat and drink after the holidays does not promote good health. Overdoing sugar and simple carbs doesn’t either. Maybe just a little more mindfulness and some specific, realistic goals are what we need.

How does all this tie into these wild salmon patties? Not sure. But my son, Mr. Picky, thought I should finally post this recipe. Yes, Mr. Picky loves these salmon patties. I know he probably shouldn’t be called Mr. Picky anymore, but I could give you 579 reasons why the name stays. Mr. Picky actually does like salmon, as well as many other types of fish. The more simply prepared, the better.

The first time I made these salmon patties, Mr. Picky said to me, “Mom, the next time you want to make salmon, think salmon patties!” Ok, little dude. These are a little different from many fish patties though, because they are lacking filler. They’re basically just salmon. No bread, breadcrumbs or crackers were used here. Maybe that’s why I thought they’d be a good, clean eat at the beginning of the new year when a lot of us are looking for good, clean eats.

They are also made with canned salmon, so this can be a last minute pantry meal if you happen to keep canned salmon around. I buy my canned salmon from Vital Choice because it’s the best I’ve found. It’s wild, clean, and the cans are not lined with BPA. What more can you ask for? (Unfortunately, it’s a tad expensive. But feel free to use whatever canned wild salmon is your fave.) I also love this recipe because you can prepare the patties in the morning, refrigerate them and then cook them up for dinner when you get home. Love recipes like this!

I serve these on a salad with avocado and baked sweet potato fries, or with cauliflower mashed potatoes and some greens. I suppose you could serve them on a hamburger bun, but only if you’re eating flour, grains, gluten and you’re not Paleo or grain-free. Just saying.

Wild Salmon Patties

Pamela

4.38 from 8 votes

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Ingredients

24 ounces canned wild salmon preferably without bones, drained
2 large eggs beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 small or 1 large shallot minced
2 garlic cloves minced
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
unrefined coconut oil or olive oil for sautéing

Instructions

Place the drained salmon in a large bowl and break it up with a fork.
Add remaining ingredients, except oil, to the bowl and gently mix until combined.
Form into patties with your hands and place on a flat plate or small baking sheet. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
Warm a griddle or large skillet over medium with enough oil to cover the pan 1/8-inch deep.
Place the salmon patties in the pan and cook until golden brown on the underside. Carefully flip the patty (I like to do this by sliding a metal spatula under the patty with one hand and flipping the patty against the side of the pan and allowing it to slide back down to cook the other side. This will help avoid splattering and breaking the patty.) and cook the other side until golden brown. You don’t have to worry about whether or not the salmon cakes are cooked through, because canned salmon is already cooked.
Serve warm with a side salad or on a rice bowl. I also like putting a little chipotle Vegenaise and some avocado on top.

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Dijon mustard shallots wild salmon

Dutch baby pancake recipe

When I think back to my childhood, I don’t think “deprivation” or “missing out.” But the fact that I didn’t know about and had never had a Dutch Baby until I was an adult makes me a little sad, like my family was out of the loop. So many people recall fond memories of leisurely Sunday family breakfasts with Mom pulling a puff of sweet heaven out of the oven. Wow. My mom did not get that memo. My husband came home when we were first married with a small pizza box from a restaurant called Dinah’s by Los Angeles International Airport. Inside was a very buttery, cinnamon and sugar-covered disc of sliced apples held together with a minimum of batter. “It’s a German apple pancake. Have you never had one of these before?” Wow. No, I had not. A Dutch Baby pancake, similar to the German apple pancake, is a puffed, kind of ugly pancake that is more egg-y than flour-y. It’s not quite like a pancake that you make on the stove in that it’s a little denser, but very delicious it its own way and so much easier because you make the batter in a blender and then bake the whole thing in the oven.

The best part of a Dutch Baby oven pancake is when you first pull it out of the oven. It goes in as a thin batter in a skillet, and comes out as an irregularly puffed, golden, warm pancake with a sweet aroma of vanilla. The. Best.

The Dutch Baby pancake recipes I have seen involve the regular suspects: white flour, white sugar, milk, eggs and butter. Those suspects are easily changed to whole grain or even gluten-free flour, maple syrup, almond milk, but I still keep the eggs and butter. You can change the butter to Earth Balance if you need to. But I’m not quite sure how to make a Dutch Baby without eggs. Plus that’s where the protein comes into play if you are wanting to serve this for breakfast on its own.

What you put on a Dutch Baby can vary from lemon juice and butter (very popular actually,) to fresh or cooked fruit to powdered sugar or maple syrup. We keep it simple in our house with seasonal fruit, like sautéed apples and pears in the fall/winter and berries in the summer. It is incredibly good with fresh blueberry sauce. Recipe here and you can make it with frozen blueberries!

I always take two weeks off around Christmas and New Years to spend with my family. Maybe you have a little time off too, or perhaps you are having friends for brunch on New Years Day. These are the days that I like to make breakfasts that are a little more special, that we can sit a savor for a bit longer. Hoping you can find some time to do just that this week. And if you do, this Dutch baby recipe is the perfect one to try.

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, peaceful and joyous 2015!

Dutch Baby Pancake

Pamela

5 from 3 votes

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Servings (but I swear I could eat the entire thing myself)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs at room temperature
¾ cup whole milk or almond milk at room temperature
2/3 cup whole grain flour such as spelt or whole wheat pastry or ¾ cup all-purpose flour or your favorite GF flour blend
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup or sweetener of choice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Accompaniments: fresh fruit preserves, butter, powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the butter in a 9-inch skillet or pie plate and transfer the skillet to the oven until the butter is melted. Brush the sides of the skillet with the melted butter.
Add eggs, milk, flour, salt, syrup and vanilla to a blender and process for 1 minute.
Pour batter into the skillet with the melted butter and bake until puffed and set, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately with desired accompaniments.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients, as well as whole milk and all-purpose flour make the pancake rise the best. But it will still turn out well with whole spelt flour and almond milk.

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eggs milk vanilla whole wheat pastry flour

Turmeric latte recipe

My friend Alex sent me an email a few weeks ago with the subject line: “new obsession”. Alex and I have very similar tastes in food and she is also not one for melodrama, so I knew this was an email I was interested in reading. She proceeded to write: ” I have a new obsession. Full out obsession” with the recipe for a delicious-sounding “Turmeric Tea.” Thank you, Alex! Right up my alley. Print!

I don’t know what has taken me so long to wind down an evening, any evening, with a cup of warm, anti-inflammatory turmeric tea or latte. It’s everything I love — soothing, nourishing, delicious and might even help me sleep better to boot. The same day I received Alex’s email, a text came through from another girlfriend, whose husband was instructed to follow and anti-inflammatory diet. “Can you tell me what foods are anti-inflammatory? Need to get on this pronto!” First thing I wrote back was … turmeric.

I love turmeric in curries, stews, juices and I even add it to my homemade taco seasoning. Because turmeric runs bright, flaming yellow, I also use it in place of saffron sometimes (like in Mediterranean fish stew and paella.) It is truly one of the most healing, powerful foods on earth. I already mentioned turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties, but it is also an antioxidant, wound healer, digestive stimulant, liver detoxifier, helps to lower cholesterol, and has a warming thermal nature. I use fresh turmeric in juices, and ground in everything else for practical reasons. Turmeric has a very distinct, but mild flavor. Since it is related to ginger, it does have a faint hint of ginger, but also a bitter, tart, chalkiness, too. A little is nice, but a lot can be offensive. It also stains like crazy — from clothing to countertops — so be careful!

Since Alex’s email, I have made this beverage many, many times and guess what? I’m OBSESSED! It’s my new favorite drink, just in time for winter when I don’t really drink cooling juices as much. However I’m calling this a Turmeric Latte, since the base of it is milk. I use almond milk, because it’s my go-to and I always have homemade on hand. Of course you can use regular milk or your favorite alternative milk, or a combo of milks. I recently started playing around with adding a little cashew milk to almond to add a thick, creamy richness. More on that another time!

This turmeric latte is beyond delightful and the perfect way to settle into a restful evening. It is also quite easy to prepare and you might even have all the ingredients on hand. I would start with the basic recipe below and then change it to suit your taste/needs. For example, it would be perfectly easy to use a few drops of stevia to sweeten instead of the maple syrup. Or a couple pinches of ground ginger instead of fresh. If you love turmeric, feel free to add more.

As we near the end of 2014, I know many of you have resolutions of better health and adopting new habits on the brain. I hope this post catches you in time, as I think drinking a turmeric latte a few times a week is a resolution I can stick to. How about you?

Turmeric Latte

Pamela

4 from 1 vote

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Servings

Ingredients

½ teaspoon ground turmeric or more if you like it
½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
pinch cayenne optional
pinch freshly ground black pepper helps absorb up to 2000% more curcumin
1- inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and cut into chunks or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
8 ounces warm unsweetened almond milk or half coconut milk-half almond milk, regular milk or cashew milk
other possible add-ins: pinch of ground cinnamon drop of pure vanilla extract, spoonful of unrefined coconut oil, chai spices

Instructions

Place turmeric, maple syrup, cayenne, and ginger in a mug. Pour in warmed almond milk. Stir and allow to steep for a minute. Enjoy!

Notes

Feel free to use this recipe as a base for your latte, then add other spices or more/different sweetener to taste.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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