Grain Free Paleo Grapeskin (Wine) Crackers & And a Winner is Announced!

Over the last week, my arthritic pain came back and I've been really trying to look into my diet for some clues as to what's brought it on. I thought long and hard and I've decided that most likely the issue is my allergy to dairy. After doing some research, I found that the alpha S1 casein protein has been shown to cause joint pain. Also, I noticed that the pain came back after I worked out rigorously at my first Crossfit class. Which made me think about lactic acid, which causes you to feel sore. Lactic acid build-up is why masseuses tell you to drink water after a massage. Lactic acid is also present in dairy products. I read an interesting article that mentioned that when you eat high levels of glucose, you tax the liver and it can't process all the lactic acid released as part of the glucose metabolism process. The acids in turn activate histamines which causes an inflammatory response.

I have to admit with all of my resent baking and experimenting, I've been eating a lot of unrefined sugar, significantly more than in the recent months.The hardest part is that I don't want to give it up! I love baking and I'm enjoying all the sweet treats. This whole pain thing sucks, but it's a work in progress and I am determined to get to the bottom of it. I'm going to talk to my doctor about testing for lactic acid levels in my blood to see if my hypothesis is correct. Stay tuned.

Another downfall of mine is dried fruit. A prune is a whole plum. When was the last time you ate 10 whole plums? Well I can easily eat 10 prunes in a sitting without even thinking about it! All I can do is continue being mindful and trying to control my unrefined sugar intake and be proud that my refined sugar intake in minimal. But I'm only human and can only manage so much. I've been cooking nightly to make sure that I have enough food to take to work the following day.

Cooking has been wonderful creative outlet that has helped me deal with the anxiety I get when my pain returns. Last night, I was super creative! A couple of weeks ago, a local company, Whole Vine, sent me some flour to try. This isn't just any flour, it's Grapeskin Flour! Grapeskin flour is incredibly interesting for another of reasons:

1. It has a very high antioxidant content
2. It's a creative way to utilize skins and seeds left over from the wine making process
3. It has a delicious nutty, tart taste

I decided to try using the flour in a cracker recipe I've been experimenting with. I used the Cabernet Savingnon variety in the recipe. This flour is quite dark and made the cracker very dark, but made me feel like I was eating chocolate! The flavor is rich, nutty, and slightly tart. This recipe is Grain Free, Paleo Friendly & Vegan.

Grain Free Grapeskin (Wine) Crackers
Ingredients
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Whole Vine Cabernet Sauvignon Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tsp of Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of water

Process:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl using either a mixer or your hands

2. Once all ingredients are mixed well, split into 4 equal balls

3. Place a ball of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out to be about 1/8mm using a rolling pin

4. Brush a little olive oil onto the dough and sprinkle with a tsp of herbs

5. Carefully place parchment paper onto a baking sheet

6. I cut out some circles before I baked the cracker using a bottle top. You can do that or break off pieces once baked

7. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

8. Serve with Hemp Seed Tabbouleh (come back for the recipe tomorrow)

9. Enjoy!


And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for! Marilyn, you are the winner. Please email me your contact info and I will get the prize pack shipped to you!