I’m hooked. My new favorite ingredient is almond flour. A little spin around the internet turned up recipes using almond flour. There are suggestions for using it in low-carb recipes. And gluten-free recipes. I found recipes for everything from cookies, to using almond flour as a coating, for cutlets of meat.

Some recipes call for substituting some of the flour in a recipe for almond flour. The flavor of what you are making would certainly benefit from the nutty flavor. But, the sticker shock is a factor for sure. It’s not the same price as white flour. At all.

Thanks to J.M. Hirsch’s wonderful blog, http://www.lunchboxblues.com/, he shares his adventures in food with his eight-year-old son. His target audience is pretty much the same as mine. I do have to say, aside from a few phases here and there, my guys are not picky eaters. Hirsch writes about his idea to coat broccoli spears with the almond flour. He says it was well received by his son. This is no small claim. Hirsch shares his son has always considered broccoli  to be “a dirty word.” 

Broccoli spears get coated with egg whites. Hirsch suggests that this recipe is a good excuse to buy the carton of egg whites. They are mixed until frothy. The broccoli are coated in the egg whites. Then, they are dredged in the almond flour, that is flavored to taste. We added some kosher salt, smoked paprika, and onion and garlic powders. Place broccoli on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Allow the broccoli to roast in the oven at 400 F. The broccoli are done in about 15 minutes, when they are lightly browned.

The roasting softens the broccoli spears. The almond flour bakes to a crunchy coating. They have the consistency of something that came out of a fryer. But, these are good for you. And highly addictive. 

The broccoli spears, with the nutty-flavored coating, was a hit with my guys. We couldn’t stop eating these tempura-like treats. And really, as J.M. Hirsch puts it, this recipe is “stupidly simple” to make.

“Did he really say that?” my guys wanted to know when they asked where I got the recipe.

So, thank you Mr. Hirsch. My guys are fans of your broccoli and almond flour recipe. And they are still laughing that a food editor used the phrase “stupidly simple.”