Paleo Cooking from Elana Amsterdam

We have a lot of students interested in gluten-free, as well as Paleo cooking and what better way to learn than from one of Boulder's best cookbook authors, Elana Amsterdam? Her new cookbook is filled with inspiring recipes that make you rethink what constitutes a full meal (and how to prepare it as well). Here's a taste to get you going.

Reprinted with permission from Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes by Elana Amsterdam (Ten Speed Press, 2013). Photo Credit: Leigh Beisch.

Upside-Down Apple Tartlets

Serves 8  Sweetness: Medium 

Crust

2 cups blanched almond flour

¹/₂ teaspoon sea salt

¹/₄ cup coconut oil, at room temperature

¹/₄ teaspoon vanilla crème stevia

Filling

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¹/₄-inch slices

1 cup apple juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place eight 1-cup wide-mouth Mason jars on a large baking sheet.

To make the crust, pulse together the almond flour and salt in a food processor. Add the coconut oil and stevia and pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.

To make the filling, place the apples, apple juice, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Transfer the apples to the Mason jars so that each one is overfull. Divide the remaining juice from the bottom of the bowl between the jars.

Remove the dough from the freezer, place between 2 pieces of parchment paper generously dusted with almond flour, and roll out the dough ¹/₄ inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment.

Using the top 
of a wide-mouth Mason jar, cut out 
8 circles of dough and place one on
 top of each apple-filled Mason jar.Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Serve the tartlets hot out of the oven.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Makes 1 cup  Sweetness: low 

This dairy-free whipped cream recipe calls for full-fat canned coconut milk. The fat is what makes the recipe creamy and luscious; light coconut milk won’t work and results in a watery mess. Serve over Upside-Down Apple Tartlets.

1 (13-ounce) can Thai Kitchen coconut milk

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 drops vanilla crème stevia

Pinch of sea salt

Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before making the whipped cream, so it is well chilled. Chill a metal bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Take the coconut milk out of the refrigerator and remove the lid. Gently scoop out the coconut fat, placing it in the chilled bowl. Pour the remaining liquid into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator, saving it for another use.

Using a handheld blender, whip the coconut milk fat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Whip in the honey, vanilla extract, stevia, and salt.

Use right away or store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.