Recipe Test: Italian Lace Cookies

I just love taking old recipes, especially Italian ones being Italian myself, and making them into gluten free, healthful recipes.  Now I am not saying to eat these cookies or any sweet treats to excess or on a daily basis, since we know moderation is key in all things for optimal health.  But using sugars that actually contain some healthful properties rather than over processed table or corn sugars is a wise choice.  Using organic ingredients ensures that you are getting the vital nutrients from all your ingredients, so when possible purchase organic.

This weekend was about old fashioned Italian Lace Cookies, like the ones we used to get at our favorite Italian bakeries.  The flavor of these are addicting!  The only downfall to this first batch was that the edges are a bit on the crumbly side.  Since the flavor was fantastic, I am not going to change too much, just see if I can adjust some minor things to make them just right.

Almond Italian Lace Cookies

*Use Organic Ingredients*

1/2 Cup Almonds, ground (food processor is easiest)

5 TB Coconut Oil Ghee

1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

2 TB Turbinado Sugar

2 TB Pure Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Brown Rice Flour & Almond Flour, sifted together

1/8 tsp Real Salt

3/4 tsp Vanilla Powder

1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate, melted (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, vanilla powder & salt and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, heat the ghee, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and maple syrup until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, stirring often. Increase the heat to medium high and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture JUST to a boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour into the flour mix.  Stir in the ground almonds.

Mixture may become dry, but don't worry.  Roll dough into small 1/2" balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets, and flatten with the palm of your hand.  Set up all cookie sheets with dough & bake in oven for 8 - 10 minutes, or until flattened out and golden brown in color. 

Be careful to let the cookies cool completely before trying to remove them from the parchment paper.  

If you would like to dip or drizzle chocolate on the cookies, double boil the chocolate & dip one side of each cooled cookie into the chocolate.  Place on sheet and refrigerate cookies with chocolate for 10 - 20 minutes.

Chocolate dipped/drizzled or plain, store in glassware layered between parchment sheets.

Happy baking everyone!!!

Cast Iron Cookware: Healthful items to cook with

Your Great Grandmother was right (about a lot of things of course)! Her times were much more about simplicity, quality and frugality.
Now in the year 2012, we are living in a time where things are made to be cheap & disposable.  It feels great to do things that go back to our roots and get back some of that simple more sustainable living.

For all you that have cast iron wares from your ancestors, congrats! You are some of the luckiest people around. For the rest of us there are a few good options out there that wont take 20 years to be seasoned the right way.
We have had great luck with Lodge Cast Iron cookware, the trick is in the care you give them (more on that in a moment). 

Cast Iron Cooking & Health

Cast iron cooking has many benefits to our health and the health of the environment.  They last practically forever if you take care of them, which is why they are the #1 cookware items that get passed down for generations.  Since iron is a great heat conductor you get a nice even heat for cooking and browning.  You never have to worry about harmful chemicals making their way into your food.

We favor our cast iron pans not only because they are durable and cook well, but they also are a safe choice to cook with.  There are many cookware items out there that are simply unsafe to cook with.  The chemicals used to treat the metals for "non-stick" pans, leach into the food you cook as well as into the air you breathe in your home (this is especially important if you have small animals or children in your home, they are very susceptible to the chemical in the air when teflon is heated).  It has been linked to birth defects, cancer, hormone gland malfunction, and more.  America's obsession with teflon coating is simply a huge step in the wrong direction for the health of our world and the people in it.
Read more about chemical coating dangers here.

You can have a "non-stick" pan without any help from a chemical treated coating.  

Cast iron cookware simply does that.  You create your very own non-stick coating every time you use it!  Seasoning your pan is what will make your pan last for many generations and creates a non stick surface.  Your secret weapon...Fats & Oils.

• When using your pan be sure to heat up your oil or fat in the pan first.

• After cooking wipe out pan with water only (NO SOAP), use a scrubber pad for any stuck on food if necessary at first (over time you will only need to rinse with water to get a perfectly clean, ready to use pan).

• Give your pan a light coating with oil and place it in a warm oven to get the oils to bake on

• Be sure to allow your pan to dry thoroughly.  Air drying is fine, as long as there is no water pooling.  If any water is left on the pan for too long it will create rust spots (if you do get a rust spot, simply scrub out the spot, season with oil and bake in oven).

Lodge Cast Iron has a whole page of more tips on how to care for cast iron cookware. 
Click here.

Happy cast iron cooking everyone!

*This post also is featured on a great blog:
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways

Love filled Food from our Past

 I have a lot on my plate this week,
or really I should say that
I'm dreaming up lots of delicious things to put on my plate this week.

When planning what to make for our family gatherings this Sunday, we wanted to bring back some old dishes from our wise and talented relatives.  We have a lot of Italian in our families, so naturally we chose to make some old Italian dishes.

So, we will be making versions of Manicotti as well as Baked Breaded Pasta with Anchovies as our, making old dishes new, and gluten-free of course!

A habit I will never break, is making old dishes new and safe for those of us who can not tolerate a molecule of gluten.  For me, it is always exciting to do this, especially with old family recipes.  It makes me feel that much more connected to my ancestors, and thus that much more connected with my food.  And we all know deep down, that food feeds much more than our bellies, it also has a direct line to our hearts.  Which is why it is so important to fill our foods with love to ensure a filled heart.

Dishes on the menu this week before Sunday Family FunDay....
Shrimp Cakes & Fish Tacos
*Crock Pot Coconut Curried Lamb
*Cinnamon Bread
Chocolate Macaroons
Roasted Chicken, *Millet Stuffing & *Mushroom Gravy
Almond Biscotti
*Carrot Cupcakes
Sweet & Savory Crepes
*Cinnamon French Toast
Egg in a Hole in a Bread....recipe below

*All recipes marked can be found in my cookbook, "Organic, Gluten-Free & Delicious"

A breakfast I have been bringing back into my morning is, of course, an old Italian breakfast my mother used to make for us, Egg in a Hole in a Bread.  Such a simple, but satisfying breakfast.

Egg in a Hole in a Bread

2 Slices Udi's Multigrain Bread
1 Organic Egg
Organic Coconut Oil Ghee or Organic Ghee, to taste
Sea Salt with Sea Vegetable Seasoning, to taste
 
In a skillet heat about 1/2 TB Coconut Oil Ghee until hot, but not smoking. 


Prep 1 slice of bread by cutting a hole out of the middle, about 3 inches in diameter.  Can use the rim of a glass, or I use the lid of a clean jam jar.  Once you have a circle cut out of 1 slice of bread, feel free to toast the circle and the full slice of bread, and spread ghee on to your liking.


When pan is hot, place your holed bread in the center, crack your egg into the hole in your bread, and let cook for about 2 minutes, or until the egg whites have solidified enough to flip the bread over.  Flip egg in a hole in a bread, and cook 1 minute longer for a runny yolk to dip your extra toast in.


Serve your egg in a hole in a bread, with a sprinkle of sea salt with sea vegetables, and enjoy!