Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Sweet, salty, nutty and buttery. These cookies are simply irresistible and will have even wheat-eaters stealing from the cookie jar. A twist on a traditional peanut butter cookie, this is definitely one of the best Gluten Free recipes we have ever created! No doubt you will agree...

In a medium sized bowl mix:
1 cup Coconut Flour
1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shredded coconut

In a large bowl beat:
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened
12 Tablespoons (3/4 cup) butter, softened
2/3 cup organic peanut butter (creamy or smooth)
1 cup sucanant or rapadura (replaces brown sugar used in traditional recipes)

In a small bowl mix:
1 Tablespoon freshly ground flax seeds
3 Tablespoons water
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Set aside:
1/2 teaspoon sea salt for sprinkling

Pour egg and flax seed mixture into the oil and butter mixture. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Mixture should be firm yet moist. Form batter into balls and place onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Press each ball down with the back of a fork to flatten. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 350º for 9-12 minutes or until golden. Best if served chilled.

Makes approximately 2 dozen small cookies.

Gluten Free Cooking Classes

Down to Earth Food is now offering cooking classes in San Francisco!
Classes are held at Green Home Center (1812 Polk Street).

GLUTEN FREE COOKING CLASS
@ Green Home Center
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
5:30-8:30 PM
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Join Natural Food Chef, Caroline Wallace, and Holistic Food Coach, Lauren Mendez, for an enlightening and inspiring hands-on culinary experience—one that will help you take one step closer to vibrant health. Recipes and nutritional information on the class topic are provided at the end of each class.

Our Gluten Free class will show you how to prepare simple, creative and delicious dishes and snacks using alternative grains and flours. Save money by learning how to make many of the specialty food items you find in health food stores.

$75 per person per class.

For more information or to register visit
www.downtoearthfood.com
or call or visit GREEN HOME CENTER
1812 Polk Street, San Francisco
415.567.3700

**Private or group cooking classes also available in your home.

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Public transportation is encouraged. Secure bicycle parking is available.
Easy metered street parking on Polk between 5:15 and 5:30 pm.

Chilled Tomato Soup with Herb Infused Olive Oil

This month I had the honor of being a guest chef for Slow Food Nation's Eat-In dinner in San Francisco. The Saturday before the dinner I was given four sous chefs and approximately 20 lbs of a variety of tomatoes, a bundle of herbs and two bottles of olive oil. We had ten minutes to decide what we were going to do with all those tomatoes before we got busy in the kitchen. We decided that this delicate soup would be a wonderful way to showcase the sweet flavorful tomatoes at the peak of their season. After all the tomatoes were chopped, cooked and strained we had enough soup to feed over 100 people. The highlight of the dinner was personally delivering a cup of this soup to Ms. Alice Waters who has been my greatest source of inspiration in the world of food, farming and community service. Who is Alice Waters you dare ask? Visit http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgalice.html and be inspired!

From the Kitchen: Large Pot, food mill or strainer/seive with cheese cloth

Ingredients

2 pints Sun Gold Tomatoes
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs fresh herbs, finely chopped
(try a single herb or a combination of herbs: dill, mint, basil, thyme, cilantro, parsley, etc)

sea salt to taste

Pluck the stems off the tomatoes and rinse them. Add them to a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid with the shallots, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 cup water. Cook over medium high heat, paying attention to the sounds of the pot. Soon you will hear the tomatoes popping. Take a peek after a couple of minutes to make sure there is sufficient moisture. You do not want the tomatoes to scorch. After the skins have popped and the tomatoes have released their juices, lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes keeping the lid on the pot.

While the soup is cooking combine the olive oil and finely chopped herbs. Mix well.

Run the tomatoes through a food mill or chinois. You will have about 2 cups of puree. Chill well and then taste for salt.
Spoon the soup into chilled cups, divide the infused oil among them and serve.

Serves 4-6

Note: Other varieties of tomatoes can be used for this soup, but the skin of Sun Gold tomatoes easily separates and is preferred. If you decide to use larger tomatoes, chop them first for quicker cooking time. Be sure to avoid getting seeds and skins into the soup when straining.

Baked Salmon Cakes with Flax and Fresh Herbs

If you haven't yet noticed I LOVE to use flax seeds in my recipes. Golden flax, brown flax, whole flax, ground flax—I always have a couple of pounds in my freezer because I have found it is such a versatile ingredient, not to mention that it is considered one of the world's great superfoods. Like salmon, It is extremely high in Omega-3s, a fatty acid that we don't get enough of in our diet. It is also a great source of fiber and adds a warm earthy and subtle nutty flavor to many dishes. In this recipe ground flax seeds are used instead of breadcrumbs as a filler. The mucilagenous property of these seeds also helps the cakes stick together. These delicious baked salmon cakes can be enjoyed as a main course with vegetables or a salad, or as small bite sized appetizers (as seen in the picture above) and served with Yogurt Dill Dip (recipe below).

From the Kitchen: Medium sized bowl, non-stick cookie sheet or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 Tbs fresh dill, chopped fine
1 Tbs green onion, chopped
1 lb salmon, cooked and chilled, broken into pieces
1/4 cup ground flax seeds plus an extra 3 Tbs reserved
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. In a medium sized bowl combine lemon juice, dijon mustard, beaten egg, parsley, dill, and green onion and mix well. Add the salmon and 1/4 cup ground flax seeds and carefully toss the mixture until well combined, leaving some chunks of salmon for added texture. The mixture should resemble tuna salad. If it is too moist gradually add flax 1 teaspoon at a time until you have reached the desired consistency, if it is too dry add a bit of lemon juice or water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mixture can be prepared the night before and kept in the refrigerator.

Using the mixture, form 6 two inch cakes or small bite-sized cakes, coating each side with the reserved ground flax seed. Place the coated salmon cakes on a non-stick cookie sheet or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350º for approximately 20 minutes, flipping the cakes after approximately 10 minutes. The salmon cakes are ready when they are firm and browned. Keep in mind that baking time will vary depending on the size of the patties.

Serve the salmon cakes with your favorite salad greens, cucumbers, and Citrus Vinaigrette (recipe below) or as an appetizer with Yogurt Dill Dip (recipe below).

Makes 6 two inch cakes or approximately 20 small bite-sized salmon cakes.

Vanilla Scented Apricots - A Sweetly Simple Dessert

If you're a farmers market fanatic you may find yourself referring to the seasons in terms of when your favorite fruits and vegetables are at their peak. We enjoy citrus season, sweet pea season, pumpkin season and, perhaps the sweetest season of all, stone fruit season. It is but once a year that we get to enjoy fresh juicy peaches, plums, plouts, apricots and nectarines plucked right off the tree, so I suggest that you make the most of summer and throw yourself wholeheartedly into this delicious season. There is no love affair sweeter than indulging in the soft fuzzy skins and juicy flesh of freshly picked peaches and apricots. And if you haven't yet been seduced by a vanilla scented apricot garnished with lavender, then perhaps you haven't experienced the most elegant side of this precious little fruit. It's a simple summer pleasure you won't soon forget.

From the kitchen: Roasting pan (optional), parchment paper and/or aluminum foil

Ingredients
4 ripe apricots
1 vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise
4 tsp water
Fresh lavender springs or edible flowers for garnish

Preheat oven to 400º. Place two apricots on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Add 2 teaspoons of water and one half of a vanilla bean to the package and close it off by folding the top edges together and then gently folding each side to prevent any juice from leaking out. Prepare a second package with two apricots in the same way. If desired place the packages in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet to catch any leaking juices. Roast at 400º for approximately 20 minutes or until apricots are soft. Remove the apricots from the oven, open up the packages and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a plate and garnishing with lavender or edible flowers. The apricots' natural juices will create a light syrup on the plate, perfect for holding little lavender flowers in place. Serve warm on its own or with your favorite organic vanilla bean ice cream.

And there is even more to love:

Apricots are beautifully orange colored fruits full of beta-carotene and fiber that are one of the first signs of summer. Fresh apricots offer up a plentiful supply of vitamin C and are in season in North America from May through August. Any fresh fruit you see during the winter months have been imported from either South America or New Zealand.

Nutrients in apricots can help protect the heart and eyes, as well as provide the disease-fighting effects of fiber. The high beta-carotene and lycopene activity of apricots makes them important heart health foods. Both beta-carotene and lycopene protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which may help prevent heart disease. For the most antioxidants, choose fully ripened fruit–research conducted at the University of Innsbruck in Austria suggests that as fruits fully ripen their antioxidant levels actually increase.

Apricots contain nutrients such as vitamin A that promote good vision. Vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant, quenches free radical damage to cells and tissues. Free radical damage can injure the eyes' lenses.

Apricots are also a good source of fiber, which has a wealth of benefits including preventing constipation and digestive conditions such as diverticulosis. But most Americans get less than 10 grams of fiber per day. A healthy, whole foods diet should include apricots as a delicious way to add to your fiber intake.

How to select the perfect apricot:
Apricot season in the U.S. runs from May through August. In the winter, apricots are imported from South America. Look for fruits with a rich orange color while avoiding those that are pale and yellow. Fruits should be slightly soft. If they are too firm they have not been tree-ripened, and tree-ripened fruits always taste best.

For more nutritional information on apricots please visit
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=3

Homemade Oatmeal - Breakfast in Less than 5

Getting through the cold blustery winters in Michigan wasn’t easy, but my mom made getting out of bed in the morning worthwhile by mixing up a warm bowl of oatmeal. Little did my mother know that 25 years later I would still be enjoying this tasty hearty breakfast as a morning treat. These days, however, I have left the ‘variety pack’ behind and have moved on to create some tempting combinations that include Blueberry Flax and Mango Coconut. This healthy breakfast can be made to suit any taste and can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes—without the use of a pot!

From the kitchen: 1 10oz-15oz jar with lid, tea kettle (optional)

Ingredients
1/2 cup quick cooking Irish oatmeal ( I recommend McCann’s)
http://www.mccanns.ie/p_QuickCook.html
1 cup purified hot water
1 tsp natural sweetener like Grade B Maple Syrup, Agave Nectar or Honey (optional)
salt to taste
your favorite ingredients

Fill a teakettle or pot with purified water and and heat over the stove until hot but not boiling. If you have boiling water let it sit for a couple of minutes until it cools slightly.

In a glass jar add oats, water, sweetener (optional), salt and your other favorite ingredients. Place lid on jar and close tightly. Shake gently to mix the oats and water together. In about 5 minutes your oatmeal will be ready to eat. Since it’s already in a jar it’s also a great portable breakfast!

Please keep in mind that sweet fruits like bananas and apples can often replace the need for a sweetener. Also, the right amount of salt will naturally enhance the flavor of the oatmeal and it's ingredients, making extra sweetener unnecessary.

Favorite Combos:

Blueberry Almond, shown above in picture
Blueberries or other berry, fresh, frozen or dried
Almonds, chopped
Flax, whole seeds
Agave Nectar
Cinnamon

Mango Coconut
Mango pieces, fresh, frozen or dried
Dried Coconut flakes
Ginger, freshly grated or dried ground
Honey

Apple Raisin Walnut Spice
Apples, thinly sliced, shredded or chopped into small pieces
Raisins
Walnuts, chopped
Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cardamom and ginger

Banana Vanilla Maple
Sliced Bananas
Maple Syrup
Hazlenuts, chopped
Vanilla extract


Be creative and experiment with other ingredients!

Irish Oats are also a great alternative to wheat cereals. Those that are sensitive to wheat and gluten should know that purchasing IMPORTED IRISH oats is usually safe for those with an allergy or intolerance. See the link below for more information:
http://www.mccanns.ie/pages/faq.html

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Why We Love Our Oatmeal:

· Lower Cholesteral Levels
· Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
· Enhance Immune Response to Infection
· Stabilize Blood Sugar
· Substantially Lowers Type II Diabetes Risk
· Antioxidant Benefits
· Protects Against Cancer
· Protective Against Childhood Asthma
· A Well-tolerated Wheat Alternative for Children and Adults with Celiac Disease

This grain contain beta-glucan, a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than echinacea, reports a Norwegian study. When animals eat this compound, they’re less likely to contract influenza, or even anthrax; in humans, it boosts immunity, speeds wound healing, and may help antibiotics work better.

Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism.

Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a study conducted at Tufts University and published in The Journal of Nutrition.

In addition to its fiber benefits, oats are also a very good source of selenium. A necessary cofactor of the important antioxidant, glutathione peroxidase, selenium works with vitamin E in numerous vital antioxidant systems throughout the body. These powerful antioxidant actions make selenium helpful in decreasing asthma symptoms and in the prevention of heart disease. In addition, selenium is involved in DNA repair and is associated with a reduced risk for cancer, especially colon cancer.

Studies also show that beta-glucan has beneficial effects in diabetes as well. Type 2 diabetes patients given foods high in this type of oat fiber or given oatmeal or oat bran rich foods experienced much lower rises in blood sugar compared to those who were given white rice or bread. Starting out your day with a blood sugar stabilizing food such as oats may make it easier to keep blood sugar levels under control the rest of the day, especially when the rest of your day is also supported with nourishing fiber-rich foods.

Your optimal dose: At least one in your three daily servings of whole grain

http://body.aol.com/health/fall-health/food-power
http://www.whfoods.com/

Earth Day, Every Day

Every April 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day. Some may plant trees, some might carpool to work while others may decide to take one small step in incorporating more earth-friendly habits into their daily lives.

While it is important to have one special day to celebrate planet Earth, I believe we should do our best to celebrate Earth Day every day. There are many things we can do as individuals to contribute in helping our planet. We can reduce our time spent in our cars, turn off the lights when leaving the room, turn off the water when we’re not using it, buy eco-friendly cleaning products for our homes and, of course, RECYCLE what we can!

When it comes to the food we eat, it is also important to be conscious of how our eating (and disposal) habits affect our bodies and the environment. Here are a few tips for Earth Day.

Buy Organic:
A new report shows that organic fruits, vegetables and grains are 25 percent more nutritious than conventionally grown plant-based food.
http://www.lohas.com/articles/101166.html

Buy Local:
It is estimated that the average American meal travels about 1500 miles to get from farm to plate. Why is this cause for concern? There are many reasons:
http://www.cuesa.org/sustainable_ag/issues/foodtravel.php

Find a local farmer’s market in your area:
http://apps.ams.usda.gov/FarmersMarkets/

Compost your food scraps and garden waste:
Reduce the amount of waste that goes into your garbage can. Composting enriches soils, helps cleanup contaminated soil, helps prevent pollution and offers other economic benefits:

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/composting/benefits.htm

http://www.marquisproject.com/composting101/whycomp.html

Practice Conscious Eating:
-Be aware of where your food comes from.
-Cook with a light happy heart, the energy you put into your food is the energy that is consumed.
-Take a moment before eating to give thanks for the food you have before you.
-Eat slowly savoring the flavors and enjoying every bite to the fullest.
-Conscious, relaxed eating promotes better digestion and better health.
-Notice any adverse reactions that you may have to certain foods. Become aware of your body and it’s relationship with the food you eat.

http://www.focalpointyoga.com/conscious_eating.htm

Food storage and buying tips:

· Bring your own bags when food shopping
· When possible buy food in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging
· Look for seasonal local produce and foods that haven’t traveled long distances
· Don’t buy more than what you need!
· Consider purchasing a water purifier for your faucet to reduce plastic bottle waste
· Consider replacing your nonstick pans with stainless steal, copper or cast iron materials
http://www.eartheasy.com/article_healthy_cookware.htm
· Think twice before you throw out your pickle jar! Opt for glass jars when storing food. Plastic containers are known to leach toxic chemicals into food creating possible health problems.

Let's all do our part to help celebrate Earth Day, EVERY DAY!