HormoneSynergy® | Dr. Retzler's Kitchen

Mediterranean Sun-Dried Tomato & Garlic Almond Biscuits

With Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprouts, Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Italian Herbs

Recipe of the Moment | Inaugural Edition

Welcome to the first Recipe of the Moment from Dr. Retzler's Kitchen, a recurring feature of the HormoneSynergy® Longevity Letter. Our recipes celebrate the pleasure of preparing and sharing food while incorporating ingredients that support a thoughtful, nourishing approach to healthy aging.

From Dr. Retzler's Kitchen

Mediterranean cooking has always offered an appealing way to think about food. Rather than relying on rigid rules, it makes generous use of vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and flavorful ingredients that encourage people to enjoy the meals they prepare.

These biscuits draw on that tradition without pretending to be a conventional Mediterranean bread. Almond flour gives them a different texture from wheat flour, while sun-dried tomatoes and garlic provide much of their character. Greek yogurt and egg help bring the ingredients together, and Italian herbs round out the flavor.

The Himalayan Tartary buckwheat sprouts add another interesting botanical element. Tartary buckwheat has attracted research interest because of its flavonoids, particularly rutin and related compounds. The amount of these compounds in a finished biscuit depends on the powder used and how it is processed and baked.

What makes this recipe appealing is the combination of ingredients and the pleasure of eating it. Healthy dietary patterns are built through repeated choices over time, and satisfying home cooking can help make those choices sustainable.

Mediterranean Sun-Dried Tomato & Garlic Almond Biscuits

Preparation: Approximately 15 minutes
Baking: 20 minutes
Oven: 350°F (175°C)
Yield used for nutrition estimate: 12 biscuits
Serving: 1 biscuit

Ingredients

• 3 cups Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Natural Almond Flour
• 2 tablespoons Himalayan Tartary buckwheat sprout powder
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup Nancy's Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 package (3 ounces) California Sun Dry julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes, not packed in oil
• 1 organic egg
• 2 tablespoons dried Italian herbs
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a baking sheet by applying a very thin layer of olive oil.
2. Combine the almond flour, Himalayan Tartary buckwheat sprout powder, and dried Italian herbs in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Stir to distribute them throughout the dry ingredients.
4. Add the extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, and egg. Mix until the ingredients form a cohesive dough.
5. Shape the mixture into approximately 2-inch balls, then flatten each into a disk about ½ inch thick.
6. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes at 350°F, until golden brown at the edges.
7. Allow the biscuits to cool briefly before serving.

Kitchen note: The dough may feel different from conventional biscuit dough because almond flour does not contain gluten. The recipe contains no added baking powder or yeast, so these are shaped savory biscuits rather than tall, fluffy baking-powder biscuits.

Estimated Nutritional Information

Each biscuit provides a combination of plant-derived fats, protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. Almonds are the principal source of fat and protein in the recipe.

Nutrition values are preliminary estimates based on a 12-biscuit yield and a 3-ounce package of tomatoes. Photographs show six biscuits, but do not establish the full batch yield. If the entire batch made six, the per-biscuit amounts would be approximately double. The exact HTB powder composition and finished yield have not been verified. Fatty-acid subtypes are estimated from typical almond and olive oil profiles, not laboratory measurements. Actual values will vary.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Almond Flour

Almond flour provides a substantial nutritional foundation for these biscuits. Almonds contain predominantly monounsaturated fats, along with plant protein, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium. Using finely ground whole almonds also produces a naturally rich texture and distinctive nutty flavor.

Because almonds are energy-dense, these biscuits are more substantial than their size might suggest. A single biscuit makes a useful accompaniment to a meal.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the characteristic fats of Mediterranean dietary patterns. It provides oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid, along with variable amounts of naturally occurring phenolic compounds.

Research on Mediterranean dietary patterns has associated olive oil-rich eating with favorable cardiovascular outcomes, particularly when it replaces foods high in saturated fat. Here, olive oil adds both richness and flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Drying concentrates the flavor of tomatoes, creating their characteristic sweet-tart intensity. Tomatoes are a dietary source of lycopene, a carotenoid that has been studied for its antioxidant activity and possible relationships with cardiometabolic health.

Lycopene is fat-soluble, making the combination of tomatoes and olive oil particularly interesting from a culinary and nutritional perspective. The amount absorbed varies with processing, food preparation, and the overall meal.

Garlic and Italian Herbs

Garlic contains sulfur compounds that have generated considerable research interest in cardiovascular and metabolic health. The quantities and biological activities of these compounds change with chopping, crushing, cooking, and digestion.

Italian herbs contribute aroma and an assortment of plant-derived compounds. More importantly for everyday cooking, herbs and garlic make it possible to create satisfying flavor without relying heavily on salt.

Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprouts

Himalayan Tartary buckwheat is botanically distinct from conventional wheat. It has attracted scientific interest for its concentration of flavonoids, including rutin, quercetin-related compounds, and other phytochemicals.

Sprouting can change the composition of these plant compounds, depending on the growing conditions and processing methods. Research on Tartary buckwheat continues to explore its potential roles in metabolic health, oxidative stress, and inflammatory signaling.

The two tablespoons in this recipe make it an interesting addition to the ingredient profile. They should not, however, be interpreted as a clinically established dose or a treatment for any medical condition.

Ingredient used in this recipe: Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat Sprout Powder by Big Bold Health, made with HTB Activ™ sprouted buckwheat. We carry it in the HormoneSynergy® store for readers interested in cooking with this polyphenol-rich whole-food ingredient.

How to Enjoy These Biscuits

Serve them warm with a vegetable soup, alongside scrambled eggs and greens, or with a large Mediterranean salad dressed in olive oil and lemon. They also pair well with roasted vegetables, hummus, and a simple meal of fish or legumes.

Because the biscuits already contain flavorful tomatoes, garlic, and herbs, they need very little accompaniment. Their richness also makes a single biscuit satisfying.

Allergen note: Contains almonds (tree nuts), egg, and dairy. The specified almond flour is gluten-free, but check the HTB powder, herbs, and other packaged ingredients when strict gluten avoidance is required.

HormoneSynergy® Longevity Medicine
Portland • Lake Oswego • USA

Physician-informed nutritional education from HormoneSynergy®. Recipes and ingredient discussions are for general education and do not replace individualized medical or nutritional advice.