I mentioned quite a bit that I take a lot of inspiration from chefs/restaurants. I love being able to pull different flavors and ideas from those meals then use those to make an everyday recipe. Sometimes, however, the everyday meal stems from the takeout, the guilty pleasure. I have a weakness for Americanized Chinese food but my one complaint is that it never has enough vegetables for me. The ratio is usually 10 parts rice or noodles to 1 part vegetables. This vegetable lo mein is my rendition that flips the ratio to be heavy on the vegetables and lighter on the noodles. The best part, you can easily play around with different vegetables, leaving out ones you might not have on hand. Read more and see the recipe.
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These colorful flatbreads are quick to make, have only 3 ingredients (well kind of, if you are not counting salt or pepper) with the main one being a vegetable (which is why they have such awesome colors). Sounds interesting?
We created this recipe for our youtube channel so make sure to watch the video to see what a simple, savoury snack this is. Our plan was to make a really instructional video but Elsa came crashing our shoot with all her crazy monkey faces and dances and we just couldn’t leave those parts out when editing. Hopefully you will still find some helpful cooking instructions in there. Press play!
We really enjoy shooting these videos and will try making them more frequently. We are thinking about adding some Q&A videos as well, so subscribe to our youtube channel for the latest updates and to ask us questions.
Our flatbreads are simply made with mixed vegetables, ground almonds and eggs. The recipe is based on the quite popular cauliflower pizza crust recipe from our first cookbook The Green Kitchen. We found these to be a fun variation and quite useful to have at home. We have broccoli in the green ones, and mix cauliflower with carrots or beetroot for the orange and purple/red flatbreads. You can also add spinach or kale to the broccoli or cauliflower mix. A handy and a bit unusual way to eat your veggies. The almond flour add a sweet roundness to the flavor but if you are allergic to nuts you could try using chickpea flour and a splash of olive oil instead. We should perhaps add that raw mixed broccoli smells a lot like fart, so you should perhaps not make these right before you are having a romantic date (the smell disappears when they are baked though).
With a stack of these in the fridge, you’ve got a number of quick meal options. Most commonly, we eat them as sandwiches filled with mashed avocado, vegetables, hummus or cheese (you can of course add whatever you prefer). Or we make super quick mini pizzas by spreading a single layer pesto or tomato puree on each, then add topping of choice and bake for 7-8 minutes on high heat. You can also make larger pieces and roll them into thick wraps. Thank you Angela for leaving a comment suggesting these would be great canapés, stamped out with cookie cutters, excellent idea!
Broccoli Flatbread Makes about 12 slices
1 large head of raw broccoli 100 g / 1 cup almond flour / ground almonds 4 eggs 1 tsp dried herbs of choice (oregano, thyme, lemon pepper), optional sea salt and black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F and line a baking tray with baking paper. Coarsely chop the broccoli (use the brighter part of the stem too), place in food processor and blend until you have got a fine rice-like texture. Measure 4 cups / 1 liter of the vegetable ‘rice’ and place in a mixing bowl. Add ground almonds, salt and pepper (plus herbs, if using) and mix with your hands. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Whisk the eggs with a fork. Use your hands to pull the dry ingredients towards the middle until everything is combined and you can shape it into a ball. It should be more loose and wet than a traditional bread dough. Transfer to the baking paper and form into a rectangular base by flattening the dough with your hands. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 23-25 minutes or until slightly golden and firm. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Turn it upside-down and carefully remove the baking paper. Cut into bread-sized slices and store in the fridge.
Beet flatbread
1 small head of raw cauliflower, including the stem 2 medium raw beetroots, peeled 100 g / 1 cup almond flour / ground almonds 4 eggs 1/2 tsp sea salt and black pepper
Use the same instruction and measurements as above. The dough is slightly more moist than when using broccoli but dries up when baked.
Carrot flatbread
1 small head of raw cauliflower 1 large raw carrot, peeled 100 g / 1 cup almond flour / ground almonds 4 eggs 1/2 tsp sea salt and black pepper
Use the same instruction and measurements as above. The dough is slightly more moist than when using broccoli but dries up when baked.
Note for vegans: We have tried a vegan version of this recipe but weren’t entirely satisfied with it. We used 3 chia ‘eggs’ (3 tbsp chia + 9 tbsp water, set a side for 15 minutes) instead of eggs, but it didn’t hold together well enough once baked. Next time we will try replacing the almond flour with a more starchy flour (rice flour or chickpea flour) or replacing chia seeds with psyllium seeds for the bread to hold together better.
If you don’t eat a lot of salads during the winter, you should. I know it sounds counterintuitive but the colder months are when greens are the freshest and best in my opinion. Also, it’s the perfect time to play around with warm salads where part of the salad topping is added warm. This addition slightly wilts the greens and cheese. In this roasted root vegetable salad, an assortment of parsnips, rutabagas, carrots, and celeriac are tossed with homemade croutons, pepitas, and fresh apple for a bit of sweetness. Read more and see the recipe.
The post Roasted Root Vegetable Salad appeared first on Naturally Ella.
As you can see from the photo above, we have been quite busy baking bread this weekend. These vegan and gluten free mini buns have been a family favourite for a while now. Some of you might remember seeing two photos (uno | due) on instagram at the start of the summer. These buns are perfectly tiny in size, very easy to prepare and contain no egg, butter or nuts nor any yeast or baking powder. Miracle bread, really. They don’t even need any kneading or leavening time. When baked right, they get a nice crust and a softly textured crumb without being gooey or dense. Since we always try to sneak in vegetables in every dish, we have done three different versions here: carrot & parsnip, spinach & banana and beet & date. And that is just the start, you can easily add whatever vegetables you have at home.
We are not specifically gluten free in our family, but for us this recipe is great as a lighter bread to mix up with rye bread, seed crackers and whatever else that makes it into our kitchen. The psyllium seed husks are very good for your gut, containing loads of fiber and the gluten free flours are also more easily digested than regular wheat flours. The buns have a touch of sweetness and are so great on a brunch or breakfast table with a slab of butter or some avocado slices. And they’re perfect in kids lunch boxes too. Even babies can enjoy them as there are no allergens in this recipe, just leave out the salt.
A few notes about this recipe
Don’t skip the psyllium husk! Not only is it really good for your gut, but psyllium is also the magic glue that hold the bread together, make them moist and not crumbly at all. There are lots of gluten free recipes using xantham gum or chia seeds but we encourage you to stick with psyllium on this one. Depending on where you live, it can usually be found in larger supermarkets, health food stores or online. It should also be a lot cheaper than chia seeds.
First time? If you’ve never baked or tasted gluten free bread before, don’t expect that it will taste exactly the same as when you use wheat flour. The texture is slightly different and so is the flavor. Not in a bad way, just a bit different. However, this recipe is truly one of the easiest and tastiest that we have tried.
Gooey? Sometimes the inside texture of the bun can end up a bit gooey. The most common reason for this is if you slice them open too early, you should always let the bread cool off a bit first so the inside will set properly. If they are still gooey, then either you have used too much liquid in the dough or the buns need longer baking time. If you have a baking thermometer you can stick it inside one of the buns, they should reach approx. 210°F / 100°C when they are done inside. We have experienced that the baking time can vary between 35 minutes and up to 60 minutes, depending on the oven, the size of the buns and how many sheets you are baking at the same time. If your bread ends up gooey, a last minute solution is always to put the slices in the toaster 🙂
Gluten Free Vegetable Buns Makes 12-14 buns The recipe is loosely adapted by the gluten free buns in this book by Anette Harbech Olesen
3 tbsp psyllium seed husks 2 cups / 1/2 liter lukewarm water or plant milk (plant milk is optional but gives the bread a slightly richer flavour) 150 g vegetables of choice, see note below 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp flaky sea salt 1 1/2 cup / 150 g rolled oats, choose cert, gluten free if intolerant 1 1/4 cup / 150 g buckwheat flour 1 1/4 cup / 150 g rice flour
Vegetable add-ins,choose one of these flavourings: EITHER 1 carrot + 1 parsnip, grated (150 g) OR 1 packed cup / 70 g fresh spinach, chopped + 1 banana, peeled and mashed OR 1-2 beetroots, grated (130 g) + 6 dates, mashed and stones removed
Topping 1/4 cup / 30 g seeds of choice (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chopped sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds)
Set the oven to 375°F / 190°C. Mix psyllium and water in a large bowl, stir to combine and leave for 15 minutes to thicken. Then beat the psyllium gel vigorously with a hand whisk for a few minutes to get as much air as possible into the gel. Add vegetables, salt and oil and whisk for another minute, making sure everything is combined. Fold in the oat and flours. You can use your hands to work the flours into the dough. Roll the dough into a log and divide into 12 equal pieces. Form small buns between your palms, dip your hands in warm water to avoid the dough to stick to them. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle some seeds on top and bake for about 45-60 minutes (depending on size and oven), they are ready when the crust is golden and firm and the inside sounds hollow when you knock on the bread. If they have a soft crust, they need more time. Let cool before slicing them open. Enjoy with a slab of butter, nut butter or some avocado slices. Store in a bread jar or paper bag in room temperature. Or freeze, if you make larger batches.
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UPDATE: OMG, all tickets sold out in the first hour! We’re looking into adding an extra session. Send an email to promotie@gottmer.nl with the subject: “Green Kitchen waiting list” and you’ll be the first to get more information if we add an extra event. Thank you for your enthusiasm!
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And while we are on the subject of brunch recipes. We are really happy to announce that we are coming to Amsterdam next month and will teach two brunch workshops at the beautiful SLA Zuidas. The first session is between 10-12 and the second session between 14-16. The events are arranged by our Dutch publisher Becht and they have set an amazing price to make sure that everyone can afford this – only 45€! We will talk about our approach to food and demonstrate six delicious new brunch recipes. There will be lots of tasting, handouts, Q&A time and information about the ingredients. We will also be selling and signing our books and take some time to chat with you. So, if you are in Amsterdam next month, we’d really love to meet you. Click here to get your tickets!
Dropping in briefly today to wish you and yours joy and respite in the last few weeks of the year. December, man. So much goodness, so much heaviness, all at once. For me it’s always been a month where the decisions, assumptions, and challenges that I had convinced myself were reconciled over the year seem to make their way back up to the surface. You know what I mean, right? Those wounds you thought you’d healed, the parts of yourself you thought you’d made peace with don’t look so sparkly anymore. It’s my birthday in a few days, so I think that has more pull in the reflection carousel than the holidays, although the lines have always been blurry for me. There’s this challenge to stay light and grateful amidst those nudges to take stock after another full year.
Last week two dear friends were in a rollover accident. The truck was destroyed, and somehow they both walked away with bruises and broken fingers. It was an event that reminded me holy moses-jesus-buddha-mohammed do I still have SO much work to do in the grace and forgiveness department. It seems the minute I get too comfortable with the idea, or illusion, really, that I’m operating at acceptable levels of compassion or humility or unselfish love, life and circumstance has a way of calling my bluff and putting me on my knees again. I’m glad for that.
And so, December. Here to enjoy and embrace and remember and love one another in the best way we know how. Stitch by stitch, day by day. We try to be good humans, we fail often, but we keep trying. And that is the beautiful thing.
Winter Vegetable + Gorgonzola Galette
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup ice water
2 fennel bulbs, quartered
5 small-ish beets, quartered
6-8 fancy carrots, halved
2 cups butternut squash, cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
4-6 oz crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tsp Dijon mustard (or more, to your preference)
salt/pepper to taste
In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in half of the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Cut in the remaining butter. Pour in water then begin to mix and knead the dough until a ball forms and the mixture is no longer shaggy looking. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Arrange rinsed and prepared vegetables on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the carrots are just starting to soften and are a little al dente in the thicker regions. Sprinkle with a hearty amount of sea salt, then aside and cool. In a mixing bowl, combine parsley, shallots, cooled vegetables, and a the Dijon. Stir to coat.
On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Begin with a spoonful of the veggie-mixture into the center of the dough. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola. Repeat layering filling and cheese until you run out of ingredients and can top with more cheese. Fold the border over your veggie-cheese tower, pleating the edge to make it fit. Finish outside exposed dough with a milk or egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes in the 400′ oven. Cut into wedges and serve warm.
