Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook

One of the best things about this recipe collection is that it focuses on ONE type of flour ~ almond. I love this cookbook precisely for this reason (and because the recipes rock, of course). Elana doesn't require me to whip up specialized flour combinations ahead of time, a radical departure from 99% of the other gluten-free cookbooks out there.

Dozens of delicious, simple grain-free recipes!

This speaks to me as a foodie, as a busy mom, and as a person who likes to cook spontaneously. I want recipes that are straightforward, easy to play with, and can be used as inspiration in the kitchen ~ not a directive to create and store bulk batches of an author's favorite flour blends.

If you've been cooking gluten-free for a while I'm sure you know how the routine typically goes ~ make one blend for pancakes, a different one for breading chicken, another for making muffins... ugh. If you're tired of wading through lots of prep work before you can even begin baking then this cookbook might be for you!

For those following a paleo/primal diet, the focus on almond flour make these recipes grain-free as well! Most of them are also soy-free and dairy-free, too. She also rates most of the recipes based on their sweetness level, helpful for those cutting back on sugar. Check out the author's extensive website at Elana's Pantry for more gluten-free and paleo/primal friendly recipes using organic ingredients.

You can find sample recipes from The Almond Flour Cookbook, like this one, on Elana's website.

The bulk of recipes in the cookbook are for baked items like pie crust, muffins, cakes, breads, cookies, and pizza dough ~ these are the items that are hardest to replace when going gluten-free. Store-bought versions can be difficult to find and when they are available they're often expensive and loaded with too much sugar for our taste.

A great recipe for savory pie crust caught my eye right away ~ Why, helloooo, quiche! How I've missed you!  The kids were not impressed with my attempt at crust-less quiche, so thank goodness for this find.

The author sticks with her preferred ingredients throughout the book, such as grapeseed oil and agave sweetener, which may not appeal to everyone. She does explain why she uses these particular ingredients and has a section in the back with info on where to find these items, useful if you want to stay true to her exact recipe or if you're just getting started cooking gluten-free and are unsure where to buy ingredients. However, the recipes are so wonderfully simple it is also fairly easy to make substitutions and experiment with what you have on hand.