i could go on forever about spring, about its beauty, its surprises, its gifts. one of the small changes we see around here is the amount of light we get in our apartment. every morning we wake up to the sun peering through our bedroom window. sometimes we complain about how bright it is, but most days we are so thankful for our personal wake-up call. likewise, the sunsets are beautiful. living in a small brooklyn neighborhood that sits right on new york harbor provides views of staten island, govenor's island, new jersey, and lower manhattan. we have been taking advantage of the warmer nights and longer days by starting to run (i should probably say jog, forget that, i should say that i move my legs quicker than when i walk). the (non) run begins by our apartment and takes us down to a row of piers that overlook both staten island and downtown manhattan. the few nights were particularly beautiful, the silhouettes of the trees by us, and the buildings in the city were perfect picture moments. i feel so grateful to live in a place that is able to give us so many of nature's little gifts.
there are only so many salads i can eat before my jaw starts hurting from chewing. so i thought to top a flatbread with greens and whatever else that called to me. flatbread, similarly to pizza, can be topped with whatever you please, which is the best thing about them! they're super adaptable to seasons, occasions, and diets. what's better than that? in any event, this recipe was adapted from caitlin at Roost, a blog i've followed for a couple of years. Roost a beautiful blog, one that almost transcends its readers to another place with its beautiful photos and recipes.
the original flatbread recipe called for eggs. i have used eggs before, but my clever fiance suggested i try using flaxseed meal instead. i tried it and it worked out really well; the bread yields a bit more delicate than the bread with egg, but it is definitely an awesome vegan option! i also added garlic to the dough because i am obsessed with it. if you're not, that's fine, this recipe is equally as delicious without it.
garlic flatbread with herb-spinach pesto + sprouts
flatbread adapted from Roost
| makes 2 flatbreads
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon flaxseed (or 1 egg, room temperature)
3 tablespoons water (for the flax)
| directions
preheat oven to 350°
in a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking soda with a fork or whisk
add 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal to 3 tablespoons of water. mix, and let it rest for about 10 minutes. once it has thickened, add the flaxseed and the olive oil. use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine
turn dough out onto a piece of parchment paper, cover with another piece of parchment and roll the dough out to desired thickness. i rolled mine out to about an 1/8 inch thickness. gently, pull the parchment paper off the top of the dough. keeping the bottom parchment paper underneath the dough, transfer to a baking sheet and put in the oven. bake 12-15 minutes rotating halfway through. remove from oven
using a spoon, spread pesto all over the flatbread. return to the oven for 5 more minutes. remove from oven and top with sprouts. slice and enjoy
| for the pesto
makes about 2 cups
3 cups spinach, washed, and stems trimmed
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup pignoli nuts, toasted
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt