Almond Flour Thyme Crackers, Almond Flour Drop Biscuits, Lentil & Herb Salad and Lavender & Honey Raw "Cheese" Cake (Kopie)

*****
Almond Flour Thyme Crackers
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBSP fresh thyme, chopped
3 TBSP water

Combine first three ingredients and slowly add in water until dough sticks together but isnt too moist. Form into a big patty and place on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top and using a rolling pin roll dough flat to cracker height. Remove top layer of parchment and place bottom parchment (with dough) on a baking sheet. Score dough with a knife or pizza cutter to make cracker shapes. Place in 350F degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 20 crackers

Almond Flour Drop Biscuits

(adapted from The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook)
2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup ghee (or oil of your choice)
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the ghee or oil, honey, and eggs. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Drop scant 1/4 cups of batter 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean. Let cool briefly on the baking sheet. Serve warm.

Makes about 6 biscuits

Lentil & Herb Salad
1 cup of dried french green lentils
2 1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 TBPS ground coriander
1 red onion, chopped
juice of two limes
red wine vinegar (I didnt measure this, I just did several dashes)
olive oil (I didnt measure this either, sorry!, just enough to coat the lentils)
salt and pepper to taste

Soak lentils for 24 hours to help break down the phytic acid. Drain and rinse.

Place the soaked lentils and vegetable stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower temp and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until lentils are cooked yet still firm, you do not want to overcook and have mushy lentils! Drain any remaining liquid. Allow to cool and toss with onion, herbs, lime juice olive oil, vinegar, coriander and salt and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serves 4

Lavender & Honey Raw "Cheese" Cake

For the Crust
1 cup raw almonds soaked overnight
1/2 dates, pitted (about 7 or 8 dates) if dates are really dry, put them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes, discard water

Place almonds and dates in a food processor and mix until chopped and well incorporated. Pour into a 9in spring form cake pan and spread with a spatula (or your fingers).

For the Filling
3 cups raw cashews soaked for three hours
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup raw honey (you can use regular honey if you don't want to go 100% raw)
3/4 cup raw coconut oil (Artisana is my favorite brand) you do not have to warm it, just use it straight out of jar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp dried lavender (the lavender in this dish is very subtle so you could add 1/2-1 tsp more if you prefer...but be careful cause lavender is very strong!)

To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, lavender and sea salt. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste. (For the best results you need to use a high speed blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix!)

Pour mixture on top of the "crust" and carefully tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.

Place the pan in the freezer for at least three hours or overnight. Before serving place on counter to thaw slightly. This is best served semi frozen, soft enough to run a serrated knife through.