It has been awhile since I have shared any of the foods that I have been cooking in my kitchen but ever since I made this recipe, everyone has been asking me to share it. I found this recipe in a cookbook that has been on display in my office for quite some time. This cookbook, Nourishing Meals, was written by a two fellow graduates of Bastyr University , Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.
When the book was released last year, they sent me a copy for my waiting room and to be honest, I placed it there and never really glanced through it. I am always talking about food with my clients and frequently inquire as to “what’s for dinner”. One of my lovely clients, Geri, told me that she was making a gluten free zucchini lasagna with pine nut ricotta that evening from the book in the waiting room. That recipe sounded very interesting and so I thought it might be time for me to glance through that cookbook and see what I could find. I must admit that I love cookbooks with photos and this one had a middle section with some very pretty glossy colored photos. The first thing I spotted was the gingerbread. I love gingerbread so I flipped to the page and found this recipe.
What I love about this recipe is that it is made without any flour. I will give you the recipe from the book but then I will tell you the changes that I made. It is a very bad habit of mine that I rarely follow a recipe exactly the way that it is written. Sometimes that is a good thing and other times, not so much!
Gingerbread
1 1/2 cups creamy almond butter
1/2 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1-2 teaspoons ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with coconut oil.
Place all ingredients into a food processor fitted with the “s” blade and process until smooth and combined. You can also use a hand held mixer but the food processor is easier and creates a smoother batter.
Pour batter into baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes. Cool and slice. Gingerbread will be fragile hot out of the oven but will firm up once cooled.
When I saw the ingredients in the recipe I could not believe that it would hold together. But it does and it is delicious. What a treat – a perfect high protein snack or breakfast.
So, as I said, I made a few changes. I don’t have a food processor any more, so I made it in my Vitamix. I did not think that the baking soda was going to be enough to make it rise, so I added a teaspoon of baking powder as well. I made it twice because the first pan was eaten very quickly. The first time I used the amount of spices recommended in the recipe. However, I like my gingerbread spicy so I increased the ginger to about a tablespoon and added cloves as well, maybe a 1/2 teaspoon. That did the trick. It was much more spicy amd more to my liking. Also, the first time I made it, I used regular almond butter from the jar. The second time I used fresh ground almonds from Earthlight. The freshly ground are not as creamy and a little drier so I added a little almond milk to make the batter smoother.
Anyway you make this gingerbread, you are going to love it! Let us know what you think. Happy baking!
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