More Bread!

Another recipe, thanks to Elana's Pantry...I love her blog and baking recipes! This recipe can be found in her cookbook, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook...I just bought it today. The thing I love about this book is her use of almond flour. Many gluten-free recipes out there substitute in a gluten-free, premix or some sort of not Paleo-friendly flour, but that is not the case here. Great recipes, beautiful pictures, and plenty of Paleo inspiration! I can't wait to experiment with more recipes in the next few weeks.

I'm going to use this bread tomorrow morning to make french toast for Scott, as it is more comparable to a white bread and should be nice. I'll keep you posted on his reaction and post bread pictures tomorrow.

Flax Seeds:

Ground Flax Seeds (I grind them right before use, for optimum freshness and nutritional value):

The batter:

Floured bread pan:

A standard bread pan will only be filled about 1/3 full:

Scrumptious Sandwich Bread
Makes 1 loaf or 6 two-slice servings

Coconut oil, for greasing pan
Almond flour for dusting pan

3/4 cup creamy roasted almond butter, at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground flax meal

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 7-by-3-inch loaf pan with *grapeseed oil and dust with almond flour.
2. In a large bowl, mix the almond butter with a handheld mixer until smooth, then blend with the eggs.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder, salt, baking soda and flax meal. Blend the almond flour mixture into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let the bread cool in the pan for 1 hour, then serve.

Saturday

Breakfast:
Toasted "Nutty Bread" w/Two Poached Eggs

Lunch:
Sandwich (on toasted "Nutty Bread") w/Avocado, Mixed Greens, and Watercress
Grilled Shrimp (tossed in EVOO and sea salt)

*Tip: I buy a large bag of frozen jumbo prawns, from Costco, and just thaw them out the day before I want to use them. If I want to use them sooner, I soak them in cold water for about 15 minutes and then pat dry; they don't take very long to thaw. Buying frozen, prepackaged wild salmon, shrimp, or other fish provides a time-saving way to add protein to your meals. Such fish can be grilled the night before, while preparing your regular dinner, and can then be flaked into a salad or mixed with a little homemade mayonnaise and lemon juice to create a tasty sandwich, using this bread.

Dinner:
Butternut Squash and Cauliflower-Leek Soup

I bought a bundle of four leeks to use in my Alaskan Halibut en Papillote (tomorrow's dinner) and thought that the remaining three would be good in a Potato-Leek Soup of sorts. So, instead of the usual starchy potato, I used some leftover butternut squash and cauliflower (chopped up and ready to go from earlier in the week). Here's my recipe:

Butternut Squash and Cauliflower-Leek Soup
3 Leeks (white and light green part only), sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 1" half rounds
3 Celery Stalks, sliced
1 Medium Butternut Squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 Cauliflower Head, cut into florets
1 T. Coconut Oil
4 C. Water

You can add a little coconut milk for creaminess, if desired.

CrossFit Workout:
"Angie"
100 Pull Ups (I did 50 pull ups before my hands started to tear...and decided to stop at 50)
100 Push Ups
100 Sit Ups
100 Squats

Friday

Breakfast:
Toasted "Nutty Bread" w/Two Poached Eggs

Lunch:
Yellowtail and Salmon Sashimi

Snack:
Apple Pie Lara Bar

Dinner:
Broccoli-Cauliflower Soup
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

CrossFit Workout:
400M Run
10 Pull Ups
~and~

15 Power Cleans (45lbs)
~and~

15 Kettlebell Swings (35lbs)
~and~

Power Cleans
65-85-90-95-100-100-100lbs
~and~

1000M Row

Thursday

Breakfast:

Toasted "Nutty Bread" w/Two Egg Whites

Snack:

Banana Bread Lara Bar

Dinner:

Celery Root Soup

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

Celery Root Soup:

1 Softball Sized Celery Root, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

1 Celery Stalk, sliced

1/2 Yellow Onion, peeled and sliced

1 tsp. EVOO

2 C. Low-Sodium Vegetable Stock

Sea Salt, to taste

In a heavy-bottom pan, sweat the vegetables in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add vegetable stock and bring to a low boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are fork tender, about 20-25 minutes. Puree and enjoy!

And, this is a celery root:

Don't be scared...it's tastier than it looks. Just use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, to peel away the outer ruggedness, and enjoy the inside as you would any other root vegetable. It has an intense celery scent and flavor that adds a freshness to this seemingly rich soup. I wonder who first decided to eat this thing!?

CrossFit Workout:
2 Mile Run

Wednesday

Breakfast:
Toasted "Nutty Bread" w/Two Poached Eggs
1/2 Apple

Lunch:
Grilled Shrimp
Broccoli-Cauliflower Soup

Last night I made two batches of soup; one being the Broccoli-Cauliflower soup that I had for lunch and the other a Celery Root Soup (see a picture of this gnarly looking root within yesterday's post). Prep time was about five minutes, sweating of the vegetables about five, and the cooking process about 20-25 minutes of simmering (just put a lid on and simmer over medium-low heat). Once the vegetables are cooked through (fork tender), the entire mixture can go into the blender or food processor to puree. I made enough soup to last me throughout the week. Just take the soup out and reheat while your protein is cooking.

Dinner:
Seared Scallops w/Butternut Squash-Beet Puree, Sauteed Spinach, and Watercress Pesto


*TIP: I prepped (washed, peeled, chopped, and put into tupperware containers) all of my veggies last night to make meal preparation a lot quicker.

I tossed a handful of butternut squash and another of beets with 1 T. of olive oil and then roasted them for about 15 minutes at 400F. Once I took them out of the oven I added them to my mini chopper (food processor) and pureed them with a couple of tablespoons of water, to produce a creamy texture. While the veggies were pureeing, I heated my pan and seared the scallops in 1 tsp. of EVOO. Once cooked through (about 3 minutes on the first side, one on the other for jumbo scallops), I set them aside and tossed two huge handfuls of spinach into the hot pan (takes about 30 seconds to cook down) and squeezed a wedge of lemon over the top. I then assembled my meal and drizzled the plate with a little Watercress Pesto.

Nutty Bread Recipe

Here is a link to a really great site that I found for gluten-free and, usually, Paleo-friendly baked good recipes: http://www.elanaspantry.com/nutty-bread/

If you find a recipe that sounds tasty, but is not Paleo, just experiment by omitting the non-Paleo ingredients (in this recipe, I've left out the agave and vinegar). I feel completely comfortable with my ability to experiment with cooking, but have less confidence in my baking creativity...this site has helped me to branch out a bit and satisfy my cravings for many things baked.


Nutty Bread
1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
¾ cup arrowroot powder
¼ cup flax seed meal
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
¼ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
¼ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds

In a large bowl, whisk eggs 3-5 minutes until frothy
To the same bowl, add almond flour, arrowroot, flax meal, salt and baking soda
Add nuts and seeds
Pour batter into a greased medium sized loaf pan
Bake at 350º for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean
Cool and serve

This recipe is perfect for "toast" and eggs, or as a substitute for the bread on that sandwich you've been craving. Thinly slice and toast before serving for the best texture and flavor. I love this "bread"!

I let the loaf cool and then put it in a tupperware container and then into the fridge (will last about a week or so). I end up with about 24 thin slices.

Paleo Day 12

Brunch:
Three Eggs (1 Egg/2 Egg Whites) Cooked Over Easy
Toasted "Nutty Bread"

I've had a craving for a piece of toast with an over easy egg (I just really like that runny yolk...) and was finally able to satisfy it late this morning. I'm seriously loving this bread and think that it could make my Paleo stint that much more enjoyable. If you're having any sort of bread craving, I'm telling you, you have to try this recipe! I'm going to make two loaves this weekend and do a little experimenting...I think it would be really good with the addition of some mashed up bananas or grated zucchini...which makes me think...either of those would make a really great french toast! YUM!

Snack:
Banana Bread Lara Bar
*Iced Espresso w/Coconut Milk

*I have not had coffee since my trip out to CA...and before that, who knows how long, therefore, I am not going to feel guilty about this "indulgence". :) I'm about to embark on a deep cleaning mission and decided that this would be just the sort of thing to kick me into gear! So, rather than the "Iced Quad Venti Two Pumps Sugar Free Vanilla NonFat Latte" that I might normally order, I went with an "Iced Venti No Water Americano", to which I added coconut milk and a splash of vanilla extract...actually pretty not so bad...hopefully this will get me motivated.

Dinner:

Red Leaf Lettuce Wrapped Grilled Shrimp w/Red Bell Pepper, Carrot, Microgreens, Jalapeno, Basil, and Mint