Recipes: Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Gluten-Free Almond Flour Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These delicious little treats taste exquisite fresh out of the oven -and they only take 15 minutes to make, so they are a perfect delight to whip up on a moments notice. They are made with protein and nutrient rich almond flour, sweetened with raw coconut crystals (palm sugar) which is a low-glycemic index food -win! I got the basis for the recipe from my favorite gluten-free blog, www.elenaspantry.com, but made some changes to suit my liking.

2 1/2 C. Almond Flour (must be blanched, and for some reason Bob's Red Mill brand doesn't work well. I order my almond flour from www.nutsonline.com).
1/2 C. Raw Coconut Crystals
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbsp. Organic Vanilla (gluten-free)
1/2 C. Organic Coconut Oil
1 Organic Egg
1 C. Super Dark Chocolate Chunks (I love using Bakers Semi-Sweet Chocolate Squares -I chop them into chunks myself)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl and mix well, then combine with dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chucks.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and form dough into 1 in. balls and space approximately 1.5 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes (usually 9 minutes works for me, 8 if they are smaller size balls of dough).

Enjoy with a glass of unsweetened almond or coconut milk -Mmm-Mmm Good!!!

Namaste,

Recipes: Balsalmic & Pesto Black Eyed Salad

This was another one of my spur-of-the-moment lunch creations. I knew I wanted salad, needed protein, didn't feel like meat, and wanted to feel like I just had something delicious and light for lunch.

Excuse the iPhone shot of the salad, as I was nearly halfway through eating it before I realized I forgot to take a picture of it for the recipe. :) Ah, Mommybrain.

1 C. Organic Baby Spinach
1 C. Organic Mixed Greens
Several leaves of fresh organic Basil, sliced
3-4 Organic, multi-colored sweet small peppers, thinly sliced
3-4 Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1-2 Organic green onions, sliced
1/2 C. Organic Black Eyed Peas (unsalted, then sprinkle with a small amount of seasoned sea salt)
1/2 package of Organic Basil Pesto seasoning (I use Simply Organics when no time to make from scratch)
2 Tbsp. Fig Balsamic dressing (or plain balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of grapeseed oil)
1 tsp. balsamic glaze (if you have it, or reduced balsamic vinegar)
1 tsp. grapeseed or coconut oil

Toss spinach and spring mix together in a large bowl, along with the green onions, mushrooms and peppers. Place black eyed peas (well rinsed, then lightly sprinkled with sea salt) in a separate bowl, along with the 1/2 packet of pesto seasoning and 1 tsp. grapeseed oil, and mix together. Drizzle balsamic dressing over salad, then layer with the black eyed peas. Garnish with freshly sliced basil, and enjoy!!!

Namaste,