A MESSAGE FROM PEGGY

Joy! Joy! I love spring and summer! Warm weather is a great time to enjoy homemade cookies with homemade ice cream or sorbets. I’m sharing a couple of favorite cookie recipes I make often. Warmer weather always brings out the grillmaster in us as well. We love barbequed chicken, beef, and salmon with a fresh salad full of greens, herbs and tomatoes from the garden, and a grand finale of delicate cookies with homemade ice cream or banana pudding. The tea cakes are great to form the crust for my delicious Banana Pudding Recipe.

Jeff and I had the honor of meeting and working with Chef Peter Reinhart (bread book author extrordinaire) in May at the Whole Foods “Health Starts Here” Bakery Summit in Aurora, Colorado. The premier Whole Foods Market bakers, hosted by Chef Peter Reinhart, gathered for three days of baking healthy breads and pastries, of course using lots of our sprouted flours. A grand time was had by all! Jeff is pictured trying his hand at making a sprouted multi–grain pizza crust.

Since we all spend a lot more time outdoors this time of year, I will remind you to build up your sun time slowly to avoid burns. Beware of the chemicals in most sunscreen products. Health stores now carry several safer brands of sunscreens. Farmers’ markets are opening here in Alabama and the “buy local” campaign is in full swing. Fresh summer veggies and fruits are the best, but just because you’re getting locally grown produce doesn’t mean the farmer down the road doesn't use sprays and chemical fertilizers. Always ask before purchasing.

I finally set aside some time to read and review a few books which I’ve listed for this month’s bookshelf. If you have favorites I’d love to pass on the good reads (or warnings not to waste our precious reading moments). I enjoy reading the reviews of books and documentaries in the WAPF Wise Traditions journals and find some great reading and research from their recommendations.

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I know I’ve shared this recipe with you previously, but just in case you forgot about it or missed it, it’s a great accompaniment to ice cream, sorbets, or topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Tea cakes are a great healthy alternative to boxed vanilla wafers in my Banana Pudding recipe.

• 1 cup butter, softened (raw or organic)
• 1 cup maple sugar, muscavado, coconut sap sugar, or your choice
• 3 pastured eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups sprouted flour (wheat, spelt, brown rice, or combination)
• 1 teaspoon aluminum–free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, blending well. Add the flour and baking powder slowly until well mixed. Roll dough on a floured surface and cut into circles. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are golden, about 10–12 minutes.

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This recipe is taken from my church’s cookbook that I think was published 30 years ago. So simple and oh so wonderful, and a much healthier version than the original.

• ½ cup raw organic butter, softened
• ½ cup maple sugar
• 1 pastured egg, lightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sprouted wheat or sifted sprouted spelt flour (lightly measured, not tamped down)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar. Add the egg and blend. Add the flour and salt. Beat vigorously. Add vanilla. Drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet like small marbles, well apart. Place a crispy walnut or pecan piece in center of each cookie (optional). Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

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Always a southern favorite in the summertime. Can’t be beat.

• 12 oz. heavy raw cream
• 12 oz. raw milk
• 5 pastured egg yolks (save the whites for meringue)
• 1 – 1 ½ cups coconut sap sugar (you can use your choice of sweetener)
• 5 tablespoons sprouted wheat or spelt flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 5 tablespoons raw organic butter
• 4–5 ripe bananas, sliced

Line a 9 x 13” glass or ceramic dish with tea cakes (see recipe above). Cover the tea cakes with sliced bananas. In a heavy sauce pan whisk together cream, milk and egg yolks. Stir the flour into the sugar and add to liquid in pan. Blend well with whisk. Add vanilla. Cook on medium heat, stirring often until thickened (pudding consistency).

Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted and blended. Pour pudding over bananas. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place egg whites in a clean bowl. Using an electric mixer beat until stiff peaks begin to form. Add a pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons coconut sap sugar. Beat a little longer. Spread meringue evenly over pudding. Brown slightly in oven for 5–10 minutes. Dig in!

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• Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival, by T. S. Wiley. – Ok. In all honesty, I came away from this book with doubt and skepticism. Just when I was wrapping my mind around their science of how sleep can affect our health, they’d go long on a Darwinian tangent and lose me.
• The Liberation Diet by Kevin Brown and Annette Presley – I’m revisiting this book because of its practical application for a healthy, traditional diet–based way of eating. No calorie counting here. My way of eating!
• The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken by Naomi Zacharias – Deeply touching book. Expands your world to personally consider others' experiences. My favorite passage is “It is only courage when we know the cost of failure. It is only faith when there is the potential for doubt. And it can only be won when we have to fight for it.”
• Baking Artisan Bread: 10 Expert Formulas for Baking Better Bread at Home by Ciril Hitz – I just discovered this book at the HSH Summit so I haven't tried any recipes yet, but the photo illustrations and captions promise great bread!.
• Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart – I’ve enjoyed baking via Peter’s wisdom and shared knowledge for great bread. This book is yet a continuation of his expertise and artistry.

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