LEMON AND OLIVE OIL ALL-IN-ONE PAN COOKIE
I love taking ingredients with proven anti-inflammatory properties and turning them into an easy, all-in-one, delicious recipe for the whole family to enjoy. This is a high protein recipe loaded with healthy fats, and prebiotic fibre and contains no grains, no sugar, and no dairy. It has the perfect combination of nutrients to keep blood sugar levels nice and steady and packs a powerful punch in keeping inflammation under control. I have used cashew flour, which is basically ground up cashews because it is loaded with oleic acid, found in olive oil. You can substitute with any nut flour or ground flaxseeds/linseeds or even plain gluten-free flour if you are happy to use grains. You can serve this as a quick breakfast or as a snack or even as a “treat” dessert. It keeps really well in an airtight container for several days or if you need to keep it fresh for longer than keep in a Tupperware box in the fridge. Our favourite Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the moment is Querubi.
At our clinics, we work with many children and young adults who have underlying low-grade inflammation which has been shown to impact cognition, mood and can result in symptoms like; stimming, OCD, aggression and self-injurious behaviour. The anti-inflammatory properties of oleic acid found in olive oil and cashews have been proven many times over but we now have new research showing that Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) can withstand a temperature of over 180 degrees Celsius with little impact on its health benefits. In fact, amongst all the oils tested, EVOO was the most robust oil making it a wonderful choice in cooking and baking.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground raw cashew nuts
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 medium eggs
- 1/2 cup honey or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 whole lemon - zest and juice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 160 degrees Celcius if you are using a fan oven.
- Use a tsp of olive oil to grease a 10 inch cast iron frying pan. Set aside.
- Get the zest off the lemon and then squeeze the lemon so that you have a combination of the zest and juice in a small bowl.
- Grind the raw cashews in a food processor or in a coffee grinder. Place ALL the ingredients in a food processor and run the machine until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Leave to rest for 10 minutes and then pour into the prepared cast iron frying pan.
- Bake in the oven for between 25 and 35 minutes. Once cooked remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack and don't cut into it until it is thoroughly cooled down.
THE SCIENCE BIT
EVOO is one of most powerful anti-inflammatory foods available to us and contains the famous oleic acid which has been shown to have cell-protective properties. EVOO is also loaded with polyphenols which have a direct impact on helping create a balanced gut microbiome. The fat in CASHEWS is almost entirely made of oleic acid.
