When life gives you almond meal, make macaroons!

Ah macaroons.  A cookie for the gluten free souls.  Since macaroons usually have coconut in them, I never tried one until my husband brought home a gluten free almond macaroon from the bakery where he works. (Yes, there is a lot of irony in the fact that both my husband and I can't eat gluten, yet he works in a bakery!) The macaroon  was delightfuly rich, buttery with a hint of a crunch.

Since I'm on a cleanse, delightfully rich and buttery things aren't really in my meal vocabulary right now, save for perhaps almonds, which have been my saving grace during the past few days when I need something "extra" after a meal.  After my almond milk adventure yesterday, I was left with the glee of almond meal.  So  many posibilities for this healthy "flour" went through my mind, but after seeing both the macaroons at the bakery the other day (which are not cleanse friendly!) and catching a glimpse of Megan's macaroons over at Angela's Valentine's Recipe Contest, I knew I had to try my hand at making cleanse-friendly almond macaroons -- without coconut.  Did you know that originally, macaroons were made with almonds, and the coconut was added later?  I had a bit of fun reading about macaroons over at The Nibble.

  Cleanse Friendly Almond Macaroons

• 1 3/4 cups almond meal see my post on almond milk to make your own almond meal!
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 16 drops liquid stevia - vanilla flavored
• 1/2 cup unsalted raw almond butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, making sure the almond butter is well incorporated into the mixture -- it's going to want to stay in one spot, so show it who's boss and push it around a bit!  I floured my hands a bit with some millet flour to make it easier to roll the dough into small balls.  Place these lovlies onto a greased sheet pan, and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a warm golden color graces the bottom edges of your macaroons.

When I tasted these, they immediately satisfied my need for a treat.  With a delicate crunch and softeness, these macaroons were just the texture I needed to go along with all the greens I've been eating!  Packed with protein, fiber, and vitamins, they're healthy too!

Today's green smoothie breakfast was garnished with some of the slivered almonds I used in my cookies

And you better believe I had a couple macaroons along side my hearty salad at lunch

For dinner I'm dreaming up a creamy brocolli soup -- perhaps with sweet potatoes to add a bit of heft.  Drizzled with almonds and served with a side of macaroons...I'm getting hungry already!

What did you have for breakfast and lunch today?  What treats did you have?