Okay, I have to come clean - sometimes a girl just needs a bit of chocolate - right? And, after all, chocolate come from cacoa beans, which are actually fermented in order to bring out the chocolate flavor we all know and love. Before fermentation cacao beans have a very bitter taste and without fermentation, the rich chocolate flavor wouldn't exist. 

​And of course, this is not the first time that I have talked about the merits of fermented foods. If in doubt, you can refer to my previous blogs on kombucha and beet kvass. In short, the process of fermentation provides us with foods that are rich with natural probiotics which are extremely beneficial to feeding our gut bacteria and helping aid the distress of indigestion, bloating, ​and supporting overall health, vitality, immunity and happiness in the long run!

With all these wonderful fresh blueberries available, I had no choice but to make some fresh blueberry scones the other morning for me and my hubby. I love attempting alternatives to standard white flour recipes and this morning was no exception. 

​Now my husband is no pushover when it comes to me experimenting on him, and his background is Austrian - so think wonderful, delicate, delicious pastries and croissants. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink! He commented that they were good but didn't have the texture of a 'normal' scone. But guess what, of course they wouldn't - almond flour is much different than white flour. The finished product was delicious (if you love candied ginger like I do) but, yes the texture was a bit crumbly given it's nuts we are working with (the flour that is and not present company)!

​But I thought they were delicious and would make them again. Particularly, if you are someone that cannot tolerate gluten, I think these would appeal to you.

These days, more and more information is coming to the front about the merits of including nuts and seeds in our diet. This is not anything new - various cultures have been reliant on these nutrients for many years. If you can tolerate nuts and seeds, they are extremely healthy and nutritious for all of us. 

​Speaking of various cultures eating nuts and seeds in our life time - for those of you not familiar with the Blue Zones -  these are 5 specific areas identified in the world as having people living to 100+ years. These locations were discovered through the work of Dan Buettner, a researcher hired by National Geographic to lead a team of demographers to identify regions worldwide where centenarians exist. More importantly, they were asked to identify specific diet and lifestyle traits that supported why these people had the highest life expectancy. One of several factors identified was that the Blue Zones centenarians eat about a handful of nuts every day. 

For that very reason, I wanted to share with you a delicious nut and seed bread recipe that I came across, thanks to Megan Telpner! Not only are nuts and seeds delicious but perhaps you are one of those people who cannot tolerate gluten. This is a good alternative bread for that reason. I have made a few adjustments that make this more of a savory tasting bread (I've put astericks beside my changes). If you are interested, please keep on reading.