Gluten Free Almond Butter Cookies

(makes about 30 cookies)

These buttery, delicate cookies will melt in your mouth!

3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut up
1 medium egg yolk
1/2 tsp almond extract

Place the almond flour, rice flour, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Remove the top and add the butter. With a fork, beat together the egg yolk and almond extract in a small bowl. Pour the egg yolk mixture evenly over the top. Run the motor until a soft dough begins to form.

Form the dough into two cylinders about 6 to 7 inches long and place into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut into slices just shy of half an inch thick.

Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. This dough will spread. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet; they break very easily while hot or warm.

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Brussels Sprouts with Almonds & Browned Butter

(4 servings)

Although there are still a lot of great looking vegetables at the market, a few of them have seen better days and I suspect this just might not be the right time of year for them anymore. The last couple of weeks I have seen some very sad looking green beans and brussels sprouts. This week I hit the freezer section instead and grabbed several bags of frozen vegetables. I'm pleased I did.

These frozen brussels sprouts were delicious, and dare I say as good as had they been fresh!

1/4 cup water
1 lb frozen brussels sprouts (do not defrost)
2 tbsp butter
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Add the frozen brussels sprouts, cover the pot and cook for 4-7 minutes (depending on their size) until they are just tender.

Drain and set aside.

Heat the butter in a skillet over a medium flame and add the garlic. Stir a few times until the butter begins to change colour, then quickly stir in the almonds. The thin slices will brown very fast, so keep a close eye on them and stir them frequently.

Add the drained brussels sprouts and stir until they are heated through. Season with salt and pepper, then quickly sprinkle the lemon juice over the vegetables and toss.

Place everything into a dish and serve immediately.

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