Boulder food blogger Elana Amsterdam has celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that’s triggered by eating gluten, and so does her son. After the diagnoses, Amsterdam knew she was going to have to cook differently, but she decided whatever she made had to taste good as what used to cook.
That challenge has led her to write several cookbooks. The latest is called "Paleo Cooking from Elana's Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes,” which just made the New York Times Bestsellers List. Elana’s Pantry is the name of her popular blog.
Amsterdam spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner, and provided these recipes to try at home.
Recipes
Paleo Bread
Makes 1 loaf (about 12 slices)
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup golden flax meal
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted over very low heat
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 7 by 3-inch loaf pan with coconut oil.
In a food processor, pulse together the almond flour, flax meal, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, coconut oil, honey, and vinegar and pulse until thoroughly combined.
Scoop the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, 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.
Breakfast Sausage
Makes 8 patties
I’ve modified Alton Brown’s recipe for classic breakfast sausage by increasing the sage and removing the refined sugar. For sausage with a milder flavor, reduce the amount of sage to 1 tablespoon.
1 1/2 pounds organic ground pork or turkey
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, sage, rosemary, honey, salt, and pepper, using your hands to mix the ingredients thoroughly.
Using a 1/3-cup measuing cup, form the mixture into 8 patties, each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the patties, turning them once and gently pressing them down to flatten, for 5 to 8 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy. Transfer the patties to a paper towel–lined plate and serve.
Reprinted with permission from Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes by Elana Amsterdam (Ten Speed Press, 2013).
