Eat-Clean Recipe :: Crispy Quinoa and Cashew Date Cookies

Hello guys!

Have you ever found serenity and calmness when you're baking? Or the excitement and enthusiasm when you are waiting for the timer to ring off? Because I know I do, but that doesn't mean that girls are meant to be in kitchen all the time lol!

It is just so surreal when I get to try experimenting with new ingredients and it turns out good. I am currently trying out on this unique ingredient called Quinoa [pronounced Keen-Wah]. Pretty sure you have heard it once or twice but never really try it before, am I right to say that?

This superfood is "a grain crop grown primarily for its edible seeds", as stated on Wikipedia, and known to be a high-protein seed, in a way that per 100 calories, it is higher than brown rice, potatoes, barley and millet, but is less than wild rice and oats. Also, it lacks gluten, a.k.a gluten-free food which I will do a separate post on it. Currently, eliminating gluten from my diet (referring to my eating lifestyle), I just found out that I am gluten-intolerance. So, I would update you more about it on another post.

No doubt that Quinoa has just entered my list of superfood. I really reckon you to give it a try by replacing your white rice with this quinoa seed, or making these grain-free, sugar-free and gluten-free cookies recipe that I am going to share today.

Trust me, you won't be able to keep your hands off the cookie jar, 'cos it is happening to me now lol! ;-)

Recipe:
Ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa flour*
• 1 1/2 cup cashew flour (or almond flour)
• 1 tbsp Manuka Honey (or pure raw honey)
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Date Syrup (or 1/4 cup honey, and more to taste)
• 1 tbsp Applesauce
• 1 tbsp Macadamia Nut Oil/ Almond Oil/ Grapeseed Oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 300°F.
2. Mix quinoa flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add honey and applesauce until crumbly dough forms. Add the honey slowly, making sure the dough is crumbly. The key is to make sure your dough is crumbly, so you can cut cookies out of the dough. Shape the dough in a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Lay parchment paper on the kitchen counter, put the dough in the middle and cover with another parchment paper on the top. Gently roll the dough in 1/4 inch thickness. Using cookie cutter make 2 inches circles and place them on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have about 20 to 24 cookies.
4. Bake cookies for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown, turning it over after 10 minutes mark.
5. Let cookies cool completely and store in air-tight container. 

Making Quinoa Flour* :

1. Pour Quinoa to a non-stick pan and put it on a medium heat.

2.Toast the quinoa in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Quinoa will make a light popping sound, when the toasting begins, for about a minute or two.

4. Let quinoa cool.

5. Add to a food processor and blend on high until you get a fine flour. 

I didn’t want to just be on a diet for a couple of months, I am actually cultivating this healthy lifestyle for  the rest of my life. Right now, I am eating 6-7 small, nutrient-dense meals on 2-3 hours intervals. I realised that meal planning was critical if I wanted to eat 6-7 meals a day! 

The key to eating healthy throughout the day is to keep healthy foods readily available. Trust me, by making your food in advance, you would definitely remain on track without blindly eating whatever food is available in front of your sight. So I learned to make some easy healthy snacks that would satisfy my cravings.

Here's a cookie for you, and as always, eat clean and stay beautiful.