Get Nourished...: hold the peanut butter please!

(source)

Before I discovered a year and a half ago that my princess Cailyn had a peanut allergy, it never really crossed my mind to use such things as almond butter or sunflower seed butter in my baking. Now they have become quite a staple in our home and peanut butter is all but obsolete!

We don’t go out to eat very often, but when we do I think I’ve become the “annoying” mom who asks the server at a restaurant a million and one questions before we order…

what kinds of oils to you cook with?
what is that sauce made out of?
what types of flours do you use?

(this article is a good resource as to what foods to avoid if you have a peanut allergy.)

And then I make the all the “special requests”…please leave this off, can you sub this for that, and the list goes on! Between the peanut allergy and the gluten intolerance, maybe this is why God has blessed me with my love for cooking and baking at home!!

The hubs may say that I’m addicted to baking, but some days I’d have to say I’m addicted to searching for good recipes on other amazing “foodie blogs!” In my quest for using more almond butter this week, I first checked out Katie over at Chocolate Covered Katie. I enjoy her recipes because not only do they involve lots of chocolate, but they are either naturally gluten free or easily adaptable to be made gluten free. While chocolate and peanut butter seem to be a favorite combination among most people, I’ve come to discover that chocolate and almond butter can have the same effect!! Which is the case here…

Good enough for breakfast, lunch or dinner in my book!

Almond Butter Quick Bread (gluten free and vegan)

(inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie)

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups Pamela’s Baking Mix

1/2 cup creamy, unsalted almond butter

1/2 cup raw coconut crystals

2 Tbsp organic brown sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup allergy free chocolate chips – optional (I used Enjoy Life mini chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients, in order, to the dry and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips, if using.

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 40-45 minutes. Let cool 15-20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

If you don’t have a big sweet tooth, this bread is perfect for you! It is definitely not overly sweet and the nutty flavor of the almond butter shines through in every bite. Maybe next time I’ll leave out the chocolate chips and try a piece toasted with a little jam…Almond Butter and Jam Toast!!