I accidentally posted instead of scheduled this…a day early.. Not on a Friday. So pretend it’s Friday. Thanks, guys 🙂
When we tried the Paleo diet a while back, I discovered a new favorite: almond meal (aka almond flour). While we haven’t stuck to Paleo, we have kept a lot of the principles we learned while doing Paleo, and we have kept using almond meal. If you are gluten free, this is a great protein rich substitute. I know nuts are high calorie, so coconut flour is also a good alternative, but for the occasional treat, almond flour is wonderful.
At first almond meal may sound intimidating. What even does that mean? It’s a flour substitute and I’m here to tell you how you can make it at home.
It’s that easy folks. That’s it.
Almonds + a food processor = almond meal. No fancy ingredients. It is just ground almonds. You could use your ninja or vitamix if you don’t have a food processor. It works great as a flour substitute, and the nutty flavor is just so satisfying. It’s cheaper to make it at home, and you can make only as much as you need at a time. I buy almonds in bulk at Costco, and I use them in all kinds of recipes. When you are done, almond meal looks like this.
Some of our favorite almond flour recipes for all you skeptics:
Almond Flour Pancakes. We don’t make regular pancakes anymore. I don’t even want regular pancakes. These are just that good. Spread some peanut butter and top with strawberries and real maple syrup to take breakfast to a whole new level. Trust me on this one. Here is the recipe.
Almond Flour Cookies. These are always delicious, but the consistency is hit or miss. Sometimes they turn out flat, sometimes they are perfectly gooey. I don’t know what the trick is, but I like them every time.
Coconut Oil Fried Zucchini with Almond Flour. This is an original recipe, but it is similar to this recipe.
Zucchini, sliced
1 Egg, beaten with a small amount of water
Almond Flour
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Any other spices of your choice.
I mix the almond flour with spices until I think it is good (this is not an exact science). Then I dip the zucchini in the egg and then into the almond flour mixture and pan fry in coconut oil. Delectable.
Have you ever tried almond flour? Did you buy it at the store or make your own?
allpreciousandpleasant 