Many of my personal chef clients have special dietary needs such as gluten intolerance. As I do also, this works well for me. I have done a lot of experimentation over the years, searching for satisfying healthy ingredients. I did baking this winter and spring for a local cafe and made scones every week. Then I often used frozen blackberries. Now, we are in the height of summer fruit season and the farmers’ markets are overflowing with beautiful berries, as well as the stone fruits such as cherries and peaches, both of which would be yummy in this scone recipe. All berries, especially the dark ones, are high in antioxidants and so good for you and so satisfying.

In my own personal dietary path, I generally avoid flours of all kinds, not just the ones containing gluten. I have a hard time digesting refined carbohydrates if I eat too much. There also seems to be an almost addictive element there for me.  But, a baked good now and then is something to look forward to and savor.

Gluten Free Blackberry Scones

1 1/2 c. Almond meal ( I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1 c. Gluten Free baking mix ( again, I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/6 cup melted coconut oil ( 3 T)

1/6 cup melted butter ( 3 T )

3 – 4 T. raw local honey, depending on your sweet tooth and the sweetness of the berries

2 pastured eggs

1 c. fresh local organic blackberries ( of course ALL of your ingredients should be organic)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the blackberries and stir. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing gently. The dough will be sticky. Spoon it into mounds on the baking sheet. This recipe makes 6 large scones. Sometimes, I make 12 smaller ones. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes. I usually turn the baking sheet halfway through the baking to help ensure evenness.

You could substitute many other kinds of fruit. Strawberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches, or a combination. Just make sure the pieces are a nice small size.

So, make yourself and your loved ones a batch of scones. Take a break and sit a moment and enjoy the summer with a scone and an iced tea/coffee/coffee substitute. Life is sweet.

This post is part of the GNOWFGLINS  Tuesday Twister and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. Check out the other interesting reads, please.

I was inspired today by the challenge to actually go through the freezer and see what was in there. Not much really. Lesson revisited: My vacuum sealer isn’t just for my personal chef clients. Duh, I really should be using it often. I had to throw away a package of lamb shanks ( deciding to donate that $20 to Haiti, so it won’t be an entire waste of money) and a package of freezer burned turkey parts, as well as some soup that was just plain too old.  I did find a little package of frozen strawberries that is also very old but it is vacuum sealed ( thanks Nancy) and will taste yummy this week with some of the bag of mango that is in there. ( note to self – vacuum seal it after you open it!) There is liver – some beef liver from the farmers’ market and a container of chicken livers. I had the first container of them yesterday, so I think that is enough liver for me for the week. There is a large container of beans, undated. I have so many beans in the pantry, I may throw these beans away. Peas! we have already discussed these. 1/2 a package of corn, still ok. a mostly there container of parmesan crisps, that I threw in the freezer because I am not sure I like them ? a few bags of various nuts and seeds, quite a few ice packs, a couple of small containers of chicken broth and that is it.

I also worked on the pantry and took a bag of unusable or way too old items to the trash. I have a bag of very strange items to go to the food bank. I hope someone will want organic pudding mixes, a bran muffin mix, and a couple of bags of non wheat noodles. Here is one of my pantry shelves. This photo makes me proud!

Cooking today involved making some yummy soup for lunch. It is blustery, rainy, and wild weather here in Santa Cruz this week. The perfect day for soup. I used a container of stock made from this recipe that was in the refrigerator. ( oh, and there is another container of it in the freezer, I forgot to mention). I used shrimp from the freezer and I still have more in the fridge now for another meal. I have so many packages of seaweed in my pantry, it is silly, so I used some seaweed from there , some dried daikon radish that was unearthed, and some dried miso, also from the pantry. With fresh spinach added for some color and freshness, it was delicious.

Pantry Miso Soup

maybe 3 cups of pork stock

2 packages of dried miso ( was a bit too much)

large handful dulse

large handful dried daikon ( sliced fresh would be good)

2 minced garlic cloves

1/4c. mirin

1/2 bag fresh spinach

1/2 lb (?) shrimp, peeled and deveined.

I just put it all except the shrimp in a large saucepan and let it simmer for about 10 mins. I added the shrimp and cooked a few more minutes until the shrimp was nice and pink.

A successful reducing the supplies day for sure ! Tomorrow I tackle the other pantry shelves and re organize the grains, beans, and flours. eek.

As a person working on living gluten free for almost 15 years, I have struggled with finding good bread. Believe me, I have tried many brands and have worked on learning to bake it myself. In one word, ugh! Most gluten free breads do not taste good, most are a weird texture. In the past few years, I have basically given up. And, recently, am moving towards a world that is not only gluten free, but flour free, so bread is out. But, there are those days when a sandwich calls my name.

I have mentioned the name Mark Sisson before in another post. He advocates a caveman diet… no grains! He recently gave a link to this recipe which is the reason for this post. You can find the original recipe here, which gives the nutritional info and it is always interesting to read peoples’ comments.

Foccacia Style Flax Bread

2 c flax seed meal

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1-2 T sweetening power from artificial sweetener ( I will NEVER advocate using artificial sweetener. Please inform yourself about aspartame. I used xylitol, which kept it very low carb but have no problem recommending sugar. It just would change the nutritional information)

5 beaten eggs

1/2c. water

1/3 c. oil ( I used olive)

Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare pan ( a 10×15″ pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Mix dry ingredients well. Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren’t obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter ( if you look at the photo carefully, you will see that dreaded string!) Let batter set for 2 or 3 minutes to thicken up some ( leave it too long and it gets past the  point where it is easy to spread) Pour batter onto pan. Spread it out from the center into a rectangle an inch or so from the sides of the pan. Bake for aboutg 20 mins, until it springs back when you touch the tope. Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want.

oh, this is good. It is moist. There is a bit of a bitter aftertaste from the flax but it is not really noticeable.  I actually followed the recipe exactly, which is unusual for me but in recipe testing, that is important. I can see many variation possibilities. How about adding some soaked raisins and cinnamon for a breakfast treat ? Or, add some garlic and rosemary for a more traditional foccacia ?

As a personal chef, I often have clients who are gluten free and I plan on making this a regular part of my menu. It is easy. It is delicious. It is healthy. What more could you ask for ? A simple thing like a tuna fish sandwich brought me much satisfaction today. And yes, there was mayonaisse involved.