Kitchen Corner

One of my favorite events while cooking is being invited to improvise when there is a missing ingredient. I frequently hear the Guide refer to loving that moment when you are walking along and you suddenly trip. This seems like a similar process. It’s that moment when Life tosses you a surprise and you just gotta get present!

This happened last week when we were happily going along preparing vegetarian meatballs with marinara served with spaghetti squash. The squash was a gluten-free alternative to pasta and something everyone enjoys. The groceries arrived and there was no squash that week! What are we going to do with the meatballs and marinara?

Life offered a great suggestion from one of the monks. How about meatball sandwiches on gluten-free French bread? Sounded good -- and maybe a lot more work than cooking a squash! In the interest of let’s just see, the cook took it on.

Our meatball sandwich lunch turned out to get big thumbs up from all the monks. An additional bonus is that it looked very elegant and tasted delicious. And, it was very easy! Maybe even easier than cooking squash. We would like to share this gluten-free French bread with you. We hope you too enjoy it.

In gassho,
Sequoia

Gluten-free French Bread

Credit: paleogrubs.com

1 loaf
16 small slices

Ingredients

1 ½ cups blanched almond floor

¾ cup arrowroot flour

1/3 cup warm water

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1 ½ tsp. honey

1 ½ tsp. dry active yeast

1 ½ tsp. olive oil

½ tsp. organic raw apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp. salt 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl combine the almond flour, arrowroot flour, dry active yeast and salt.

In a small bowl combine the water and honey.

Add the honey water mixture, egg whites, olive oil and apple cider vinegar to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough is formed.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet and form into a loaf.

Using a sharp knife, cut long lines going diagonally across the loaf.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until bread is lightly brown.