Polenta Cornbread

ingredients:
1 cup gluten-free flour blend (such as Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup polenta (corn grits or very coarse corn meal)
2 T cane juice crystals or sucanut
2 1/2 t baking powder 
1 t celtic sea salt
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk or water
1/4 cup coconut oil melted or room temperature

directions:
1. Mix dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients and mix till batter is moistened.
2. Pour into greased 8-inch square or round pan.
3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes till lightly browned and baked through.

Optional: add 1/2 cup shredded cheese, or 1/2 cup crumbled feta and 1 T fresh dill

Almond Flour Spiced Apple Muffins

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
1/4 cup gluten free flour
3/4 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1/2 t celtic sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
optional: chopped dried apple pieces or raisins

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease muffins tins or line with baking cups.

Combine dry ingredients and stir well. Add wet ingredients and stir till everything is wet.

Stir in chocolate chips or raisins if desired.

Bake 15-20 minutes for mini muffins, about 20-25 for regular sized muffins, till golden brown.

Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
1/4 cup gluten free flour
3/4 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
1/2 t salt
1/2 of a 16 oz can or about 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or freshly made)
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
optional: chocolate chips or raisins

directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease muffins tins or line with baking cups.

Combine dry ingredients and stir well. Add wet ingredients and stir till everything is wet.

Stir in chocolate chips or raisins if desired.

Bake 15-20 minutes for mini muffins, about 20-25 for regular sized muffins till golden brown on the top.

Peach Blueberry Crisp

Recipe Adapted from Elana's Pantry

What to do when you have 25# of fresh organic peaches from Michigan? Make peach crisp!

ingredients:

6 or 7 peaches, sliced

1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
1 T fresh lemon juice
3 T arrowroot powder
1/4 cup cane juice crystals or sucanut
1 1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey

Mix together fruit, lemon juice, arrowroot, and cane juice crystals. Pour fruit mixture into pie pan.

Mix together with a fork or pastry blender: almond flour, salt, coconut oil and honey.

Crumble the topping over the fruit mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or till topping is browned.

Enjoy! 

Green Dressing

Inspired by a cooking class yesterday...I am experimenting with ways to make my bounty of CSA lettuce even more delicious!

Blend together on high:
about 1/2 cup fresh mixed herbs (cilantro, basil, mint....ect)
1 small pickle cucumber or half of a regular cucumeber
2 cloves garlic
2 pieces candied ginger
juice of one lemon, about 1/4 cup
about 1/2 cup olive oil (till desired consistency)

Cucumber Fennel Salad

ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
3 T olive oil
2 T rice vinegar (more if desired more tang)

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 apple, cored and thinly spliced (if using organic leave on the peel for added color)
1 peach, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced

1-2 T red onion, diced 

1 handful of fresh herbs (any combination of dill, mint, lemon balm, cilantro or parsley)
sea salt to taste

fresh nasturtium for garnish

directions:
(Prepare 2-4 hours ahead of time and chill before serving)

Mix together lemon juice, olive oil, rice vinegar and salt in a jar or bowl.

Combine all other ingredients in a bowl, pour dressing over and toss together. 

Fermented Dill Pickles

ingredients:
small pickling cucumbers
2 T course sea salt
1 T fresh dill (or more if you like)
1 t mustard seeds (optional)
2 to 4 cloves of garlic, quartered
a dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
filtered water

variation: add a few carrots, cauliflower or any other veggie

Directions:

• Place your ingredients in a quart sized mason jar and fill within one inch of the top with filtered water. (Use a small jar or fermenting weight to weigh down the cucumbers inside the large jar. You want the cucumbers fully covered with liquid.)  
• Cover the jar with the mason jar lid, screw the lid on and ferment in room temperature on your counter for 5 to 7 days. (Whole veggies take longer to ferment than shredded, so I like to leave mine for about 7 days) 
• Refrigerate to stop the fermentation process and enjoy! You know they are ready when they taste tangy and fermented instead of salty.