Ah – date night.
It used to be that date night was preceded by days of anticipation; the mind wandering off envisioning what was sure to be a special evening. And then there was the preparation; a long bath, legs being shaved, expensive lotions being slathered all over the body, an hour spent on hair and make-up, careful attention to picking out just the right outfit, shoes (with sky-high heels), and accessories. All so romantic.
Oh how life (for me anyway) has changed.
Nowadays I am so busy running here and there, my mind going in a million directions all at once, that my idea of a really great date night consists of not having to dress up or put on make-up, staying home, and watching a movie.
Of course, any date usually consists of food and while food is my business, I don’t necessarily have the time (or energy) to create a great date night meal.
A bowl of soup, a glass of wine, and some crackers sound like a great date night meal to me these days – especially if all I have to do is open a can of soup and heat it up.
If you shudder at the thought of opening up a can of soup as opposed to making it from scratch, let me just offer these words of sage wisdom. If the can of soup is made from scratch using all organic vegetables (that are hand chopped!), stock simmered slowly to release all the flavors, made with care and love, and even canned in non-BPA lined cans – in short, made the way you would make soup if you had the time and energy – and it takes just minutes to heat up as opposed to hours to cook, doesn’t that leave you with more energy to spend on other things? Such as romance? My pantry is always stocked with a variety of Amy’s Soups. You never know when you need some comfort in a bowl and need it quickly – the sniffles, a hard day at the office and too tired to cook, or … date night. And since they make soup the way I would make soup, I am happy to serve it up and take all the credit!
On a recent date night, I opened up a can of Amy’s Organic Quinoa, Kale & Red Lentil soup – perfect for sharing on a chilly night snuggled up in front of the TV watching Matt Damon potato farming on Mars. And just to show I could make some effort, I made heart shaped, grain free crackers to go along with it.
Romance in my life hasn’t died, it’s just morphed into something different (and so much more comfortable!).
Gluten Free Grain Free Parmesan Rosemary Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups finely ground blanched almond flour
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
Place the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the egg and process until the mixture forms into a dough.
Roll the dough between two sheets of waxed paper as thinly as possible – try to get it 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick.
Cut the rolled dough out with 2-inch cookie cutters or cut with a knife into squares. Place on the prepared baking sheets and sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt.
Bake for 14 – 15 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool on the pans for at least 10 minutes.
Servings:
A gluten-free recipe that makes about 2 dozen crackers, depending on the size.
Ready for dessert?
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Need a quick meal?
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