Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

This easy peasy bread recipe is gluten, sugar, dairy and grain free. I like it because it doesn’t crumble or break if you are taking it with you for lunch. Since it’s a flatbread there is no slice required so you can just grab two pieces and go ahead with your sandwich making!

To get the carrot flavor in this bread I’ve used carrot juice. When I was making my morning juice I just threw in some extra carrots first and put them aside for this but if you don’t have a juicer you could pick up some carrot juice from the shops or sub in water for the juice and make the bread just chickpea and cumin-yum!

Chickpea, Carrot and Cumin Flatbread

¾ cup chickpea (besan) flour

¼ cup buckwheat flour

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 tbs flax seeds

1 tsp baking powder

200 mL carrot juice

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until combined. Add carrot juice mixing until just combined but with no more dry bits.

Spoon mixture onto trays. With this amount I usually make 4 breads (as above) but I have also made one large one in the centre of the tray (if you do this just make sure the centre isn’t too much thicker than the edges as it will not cook properly).

Place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes (depending on how thick you have made them it can range from 10-20 minutes). Loosen from trays as soon as they are out of the oven but they are fine to cool on the trays.

I'm keen to try more flavours with this versatile recipe. Maybe a sweet one with nutmeg and milk, or apple juice and cinnamon. 

Any other ideas? 

Buckwheat and Millet Porridge

It is always interesting to see which recipes are the most popular on a blog. Which receive the most hits, the most comments. I know that when I am looking through the round-up on some of my favourite recipe carnivals I am always drawn to the baked goods (sweet or savoury). Breads, muffins, cakes, loafs seem to me the ‘harder’ things to recreate gluten free and so seem more interesting.

However, when I really think about it the posts and recipes I most enjoy reading are the ones regarding foods the blogger loves to, and regularly, eats everyday. These are often simple recipes in the sense that they are not particularly challenging or requiring special ingredients, but, like a loved teddy bear losing patches of fur, these recipes hold a special kind of charm.

This recipe is one I enjoy almost every morning. My standby, easy breakfast. I sometimes vary the types and proportions of grains, the nuts and seeds, the spices, but I always get a comfortable and nourishing start to my day.

I hope you enjoy it.

Buckwheat and Millet Porridge

Serves 4

½ cup raw buckwheat

½ cup raw millet

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup dairy free milk (I use rice milk)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Nuts, seeds, fruit and extra dairy free milk, to serve

Place buckwheat and millet in a glass bowl. Pour over enough water to generously cover the grains and add the apple cider vinegar. Leave to sit for 3 hours or overnight.

Tip the grains and water into a strainer and rinse well.

Place grains and, dairy free milk, water and nutmeg in a microwave proof bowl.

Microwave on high for 15 minutes uncovered.

Remove from microwave and stir with a fork. At this stage there may still be some liquid left over, this is ok. Cover and leave to sit for 5 minutes or until all liquid is adsorbed.

Place in bowl and top with your favourite combination of nuts, seeds and/or fruit and extra milk if you wish. 

What are some of your favourite everyday recipes?

Green Ribbon Spaghetti

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

Romeo and Juliet: William Shakespeare

Well, that may be so, Bill. But renaming food, particularly vegetables, is especially effective in making them more appealing. Probably the reason so many parents refer to Broccoli as ‘Little Trees’. A little boy I know will only eat potatoes when they are referred to as ‘Auntie-Debbie’s-potatoes-from-her-garden’.

In this recipe I have employed this trick once again, so zucchini becomes ‘green ribbons’. Much prettier, don’t you think?

A super easy and highly nutritious recipe which can be made while helping with homework, chatting with a friend or helping your sister pack for rowing camp (full disclosure: I’ve only actually tested the last one, this first two are just guesses).

This post is included in Seasonal Sundays (5-15-11)
Green Ribbon Spaghetti with Beans

Serves 4

200g cooked spaghetti (I used one made with brown rice flour)

4 zucchini

2 large handfuls lightly steamed green beans

juice of 2 lemons

Use a vegetable peeler or similar to slice the zucchini into ribbons.

Once spaghetti is cooked drain the water and tip spaghetti back into the warm saucepan. Add the raw zucchini ribbons and stir, the warmth from the pan with heat the zucchini enough to soften it.

Add green beans and squeeze the lemon juice over, toss and serve.