On Friday night, we said Goodbye to the one and only, Elena DiGiralomo.  The Best.  The General!  In the weeks leading up to the big send-off (which was a blast, thank you LeAnna – and to the entire Sheehan Personal Training family), I thought about what dishes I wanted to bring to celebrate this event.  I’ve known Elena since 2000.  Elena taught me to be an AFAA group exercise instructor way back in 2001.  I knew that I had to bring only my very best recipes to this party.  So, I brought the ever-famous Avocado Salsa.  And, for dessert, I brought Catherine Katz’s Almond Chocolate Chip cookies.  

Dr. Catherine Katz, a neuro scientist and culinary expert, is the creative force behind the renowned blog Cuisinicity.  Married to internationally acclaimed nutrition expert, Dr. David Katz, Catherine has spent years developing nutritional educational programs and “loving food that loves you back” recipes.  In fact, our children in Mansfield Public Schools have been positively influenced by Catherine and David’s work as they developed the Nutrition Detectives program that we have in our elementary schools.  I had the honor of working closely with Catherine Katz, preparing, photographing and blogging many of her amazing recipes, when I worked for NuVal, the nutritional scoring system founded by Dr. David Katz, several years ago.  I have never met a Catherine Katz recipe that wasn’t simply divine.  Every recipe is “company-worthy” – as in, it’s something you might make to bring to a dinner party.  

I don’t even have to look up Catherine’s Almond Chocolate Chip cookies any more.  It is so easy.  There are 4 ingredients.  I do add one egg as I find it helps to bind the dough together (so for me, 5 ingredients).

Catherine Katz’s Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3 cups Almond Meal/flour (finely ground, NOT super fine)

• 6 Tbsp canola oil

• 6 Tbsp agave nectar*

• ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

• 1 egg (optional)

For mixing and baking instructions, see the Cuisinicity Blogpost.

*You can replace agave nectar with honey or 100% natural maple syrup.

For Elena’s party, we doubled the recipe.  Whenever I make this recipe, these cookies disappear in a matter of minutes.  If I make them for home, they make great lunch box snacks – and they even make a fairly nutritious breakfast cookie when paired with fruit or non-fat yogurt.  

I feel like for this party, we brought only the very best together – the best people, the best recipes, the best of the best in their fields.  We’ll miss Elena – but it’s good to know that we can continue to connect with her by sharing photos, stories – and recipes.  She won’t seem so far away.