The beauty of flatbread is that there are no limits. You could choose to make a creamy garlic spiked chili avocado mash with smoky red wine chorizo like I did (it’s delicious I promise) or you could use this simple flatbread to soak up egg yolks, scoop hummus,slather with nut butter and apples, roll chicken and greens into a wrap. You know I could go on for at least 12 paragraphs about all the things you can do with a versatile grain free flatbread such as this. But I won’t, that would be annoying and your a lot smarter than that, I know you have your own 12 paragraphs of ideas.
Every culture has some variation of flatbread, scooping up saucy dishes with bread is synonymous with happy times. Aish Merahrah in Egypt, Bammy in Jamaica, Bannock in Native American culture, Bazlama in Turkey, Bhakri in Pakistan, Bing in China, Bolani in Afghanistan, Chapati and Naan in India, Farl in Scotland, Flatkaka in Iceland, Green Onion Cake in China, Himbasha and Injera in Ethiopia, Khanom bueang in Thailand and Cambodia, Lavash in Armenia, Lefse in Norway, Malooga in Yemen, Pane carasau in Italy and Sardinia, Pita in Greece,Qistibi in Tartarstan, Tortillas in Mexico, Tunnbröd in Sweden and Taftan in Iran. There is something innate within human beings that needs flatbread in its dietary spread. Before modern agriculture Native people made similar types of bread using acorns and other nuts and seeds growing wild. This paleo flatbread is akin to the latter, a higher protein more nutrient dense flatbread which will leave your human flatbread desires securely quelled. Soak up the goodness friends.
Now I want to tell you a short but beautiful story, since I’m certain you’ll have lots of time seeing as this flatbread recipe whips up so quickly. There is a village in Iran, where they sit at night and eat Taftan together by the fire. A mother and a father go off to work in the fields for the day, leaving their infant and young toddler with the neighbour girl to look after them. As they walk home from their day the young girl runs up to them, frantic, terrified. The little boy is missing, she was distracted by the baby and lost sight of him. He’s gone. Nowhere to be found. They turn the village upside down, inside out and everyone joins in the search. A day goes by and they haven’t found him yet, a sleepless night for the young parents. The next day they travel to the next village, everyone joins in their search, high and low they look. No boy, another night filled with despair. On the third day the father rounds up some men to go looking in the high mountains. The likelihood of a 16 month old baby getting so far from home is slim, but the will of a parent is impossible to break. They search every cave, every nook and cranny. Then they hear it, a faint whimper, a delicate weeping child, from deep within the cave. It smells of bear and they know it is a den, but they can hear the boy. The men enter, and they find the young boy nestled up against a mama bear, nursed and smelling of milk. Unharmed, the mother bear found the boy and fed him, protected him, and by some miracle the missing baby boy was safe and sound.A gentler universe than this one it seems, but it happened, only a few years back. I can only pray if my baby ever gets lost, that a mama bear will find him.
Inspired by the original paleo naan bread recipe at my heart beets.
3 Ingredient Paleo Flatbreads with Avocado and Chorizo
Author: Chantelle
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Makes 2 large flatbreads or a bunch of wee ones
Ingredients
½ C tapioca flour
½ C finely ground almond flour
1 C coconut milk or raw milk
pinch of sea salt
oil or ghee for frying
2 avocados, mashed
glug of olive oil
pinch of salt
½ jalapeño chili, finely chopped
1 clove garlic,minced
a few strips of bell pepper
½ a chorizo sausage, finely sliced
Instructions
Heat a large frying pan and melt some ghee or other fat source, when the pan is nice and hot, add half the batter and spread it around by tilting the pan in all directions. Turning the heat to medium,let it get nice and bubbly and golden brown, flip and let it get golden on the other side.
Mash the avocados and mix in the olive oil,garlic,chili and salt.
Top the flatbreads with this mix and adorn with peppers and chorizo, you could also sprinkle some green onion or parsley, whatevers on hand.
Repeat with a million different topping/dipping variations.
This Almond sauce I make always makes everyone happy. It’s multi-purpose, I make a really similar sauce for my pad thai, but you could use this sauce for satay dipping sauce for skewers, salad dressing, stir-fry sauce, roasted sweet potato…My parents are visiting, so I toned down the hot chili spice and focused on creating a flavourful umami dish even the pickiest of eaters will love. I’m betting even kids would gobble down this sweet & sour almond chicken. Roasted sweet potatoes are the perfect side, they soak up all that luxurious sauce just perfectly.
As the move continues I realize how much stuff we have amassed in the past year, and just how much of it is unnecessary. It’s nice to have a well stocked kitchen, and I’m a sucker for cool gadgets and pretty things but I’m realizing I could fare pretty well with just my cast iron skillet and the vita-mix. Those are the two things I would bring to my desert island if it had electricity. And a stand up paddle board, those are rad, I really want one wide enough that you can do yoga on the water.
This meal is a cinch to whip up, it’s paleo friendly, but you’d never know.
½ tsp sambal chili sauce of ½ of a bird chili, seeds removed
1½ tsp lime juice
1 Tbs tamarind concentrate
2 Tbs honey or coconut sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs coconut aminos or tamari
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbs tapioca starch (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F
In a blender or food processor add almonds,coconut milk,garlic,chili,lime juice, tamarind,honey, fish sauce, coconut amino or tamari and rice wine vinegar and blend until smooth.
For a thicker more gravy like sauce, mix 1 Tbs tapioca starch with 1 Tbs cold water to form a paste and add this to your sauce.
Heat a skillet on high and add coconut oil, place chicken skin side down and lightly salt. Allow skin to get nice and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.
There are days when it rains and wontons call my name. It’s a craving I can’t resist, and I have yet to find a way to paleofy those thin delicate wonton wrappers. So be warned, unlike most of my recipes, this one is only paleo friendly if you skip the wonton wraps and make little meatballs of filling instead, which is still like a warm hug on a cold day. Our house got struck by lightning, I thought we were going to explode it was so loud and scary. We were about to run out the door when it happened. I’m convinced if we would’ve been outside at the time one of us would’ve been struck. Such an occasion of torrential downpour and a near zap from Thor is a definite occasion to indulge in these little pockets of flavour and texture.
We’re in the middle of our move, the house is chaos, have I mentioned that I hate moving. This is the 5th time in the last year and a half and it is decided that the next time we move it will be to our own land, to build our own earthship or something equally eco friendly and awesome. Thankfully my parents are here to help us, and give J and I ample reprieve from baby holding. We saw 2 baby moose on our way back from the new place yesterday, man they are beautiful creatures.
I really like my wonton soup infused with thai flavours of lemongrass,chilis and kaffir lime, the exceptional flavour makes up for the lack of MSG which lies in most restaurant wonton soups.
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp ground lemongrass or paste
2 kaffir lime leaves or 1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
1 Tbs coconut sugar or honey
2 tsp tamari or coconut aminos
For the broth
8 C chicken stock
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 thai bird chili minced, or 1 tsp sambal chili sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
a few handfuls fresh greens-kale,mustard,bok choi, chard...
For wontons
one package medium sized wonton wraps
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbs water
Instructions
For the filling
Add coconut oil to a hot skillet, sautee onion, garlic, ginger until onion is translucent.
Add pork or chicken, chili,lemongrass, kaffir lime,fish sauce,coconut sugar and tamari and cover on medium until pork is fully cooked- about 10 minutes.
Allow filling to cool somewhat before assembling the wontons.
For the broth
Add all ingredients aside from greens to a large pot and bring to a boil.
Assembly
Typically I make a row of wonton wrappers, add a tsp of filling to the centre of each, with a little pastry brush or my finger i use some of the egg yolk and water mix to create a glue around the perimeter, fold them into little diamond shapes and repeat until all the filling is used up.
Make sure to get all the air out when you fold the wraps and they will be less likely to explode.
When you have a sufficient amount of wontons made, approx. 40 you can start adding them to the boiling broth, they only need about 5 minutes to cook, lastly add the greens.
This Balsamic Roast Chicken recipe is pretty enough to serve at a gathering of friends, with a nice glass of wine, but easy enough to throw together in a pinch. It’s one of my favourite ways to eat roast chicken, especially served alongside roasted fingerling potatoes and tomatoes.
Lately I’ve had a crush on balsamic, that lush black liquid mixture of sweet and tart all at the same time. I made a balsamic reduction, and the simplicity amazed me. I’ve always bought the pre made stuff and assumed it was difficult to make at home but it’s totally easy and you save a bit of coin. If you aren’t familiar with balsamic reduction, also known as balsamic glaze or syrup, it is the essence of the vinegar in sultry gooey form. It’s much sweeter than regular old balsamic, though Nigella Lawson adds additional sugar in her recipe for balsamic syrup (for use with desserts). A word of caution when making balsamic glaze, if you aren’t paying attention it can turn into one of those pots you have to throw away because whatever you burned in it is there for life. Eek. Yeah so just keep a watchful eye and it’ll be fine. The same goes for coconut oil and raspberry sauce, which I once forgot about and burnt down half of the bake shack at the restaurant I worked in. After I made this balsamic reduction we went for a little drive, for some reason I thought I’d left the burner on and we turned the car around, speeding home and praying for the house not to be on fire. Thankfully I was just being overly cautious, pretty sure balsamic would be nearly explosive in terms of fire starting foods. You can smell it strongly as it reduces, a saving grace, and if you have an overhead fan, you are lucky, my whole house infused with balsamic.
How to make Balsamic Reduction
Ingredients
-4 C balsamic vinegar
Firstly, you can make a large amount or small, double the recipe or halve it. The original amount of balsamic vinegar will reduce by about half if you desire a thin reduction or reduce it down to 1/4 if you’d like a thicker glaze like consistency. This is the basic formula, all you need to do is bring the vinegar to a simmer and stir it every now and again until it thickens up to coat the spoon and pan to your liking. Just keep a hawks eye on it, you wouldn’t want this black gold to burn.
Uses
-drizzle over sweet fresh berries
-use as a final touch on special dishes
-mix with olive oil for dipping bread or dressing potatoes
-great with pork chops and grilled steaks dishes
-serve on grilled peaches or nectarines with a nice soft cheese
-mix with melted butter to dress steamed green beans or beets
Balsamic Roast Chicken+ How to make Balsamic Reduction
Author: Chantelle
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (free run if possible)
1 lb fingerling or new potatoes
6-8 small fresh tomatoes, halved
10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs balsamic reduction
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a roasting pan arrange chicken in the center, spread the potatoes around the chicken.
In a small bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar, reduction, olive oil, mustard, garlic, sea salt and pepper and half the basil. Pour over the chicken and potatoes evenly. Put a lid on the roasting pan and place in the oven for about an hour and a half or until internal temperature has reached 175-180F ( cooking time depends on the size of your chicken- 1½ hours would be for a 3 lb. chicken)
Place the tomatoes on a separate roasting pan and sprinkle with sea salt, roast the tomatoes for about an hour.
Serve with extra fresh basil and balsamic reduction drizzled on top.
This is one of those 20 minute throw together meals that turn out really good. I wasn’t even expecting to post this but they were so yummy so I thought I should share with all of you lovelies. My cooking style sometimes gravitates to a hardcore fusion of many styles and ethnicities, I guess this one would be tex-mex meets italian, and for some reason, it works. These mexi bison lettuce wraps paired with a smoky paprika basil mayo really hit the spot, and they are totally healthy and easy to make too, bonus! These tasty little wraps would also make a great appetizer for a dinner with friends, or a great addition to any potluck.
I love simple food that’s healthy and delicious. Wrapping things is lettuce or chard is a handy little trick for getting a main and a salad all in one bite. The variations are endless, basically you just choose what meat/lentil/nut filling you desire and add spices and veggies to that. So in the past I’ve made these with ground chicken, thai red chillis, lime and ginger with carrots and zucchini YUM. Or you could use soaked lentils mashed with indian curry spices, red onion, mango and toasted seeds for a vegetarian lettuce wrap. These mexi ones were inspired by summers first fresh local heirloom tomatoes (yeah folks, up in Canada these take awhile) my love affair with tomatoes only started once I’d tasted a real tomato like these, not the patented won’t-soggy-your-sandwich variety. If you don’t have fresh basil for these I would definitely use some fresh cilantro. Oh and if you can’t get bison, just use ground beef, it works just as well.
Thick hot day, the kind that melts you and makes everyone feel heavy. Lets go for a walk up to a friends, he suggests. Are you mad? I’m not walking anywhere but the beach. Yes, that kind of day. Even the car hating little one sleeps soundly. The kind of day where all you can do is try and keep it all together, and not fall asleep at the wheel. And come home to crave smoky BBQ ribs and brownies for dessert. But not just any old ribs, and certainly no typical brownies. Chug onwards, and give up on sleep, it’s for sissies anyway. The pressure of the harvest is on and mid-vortex-internet-suucubus overtaking you, a thought, that those saskatoons will fade before you know it, and their plumpness begs to be picked. Proud of my speed, you learn to pick fast when your baby is screaming and mosquitos feast upon your flesh. 4 L bucket – 7 minutes, I think it’s time to quit my day job.
I’ll tell you something, this is the first time I’ve ever made ribs of any kind. I saw these local organic baby back ribs at the market and in a rush just grabbed them (my brain doesn’t work on logic at the market) hardly knowing at all what to do. My mom made ribs for us, they were good, but not this good, sorry ma. I did my homework, checked out some rib recipes around the net and got the basic gist that low and slow is essential, and like all things, a good sauce. I wanted something classic, yet refined, out of the ordinary, yet still lip smacking good. The berries call to me, and I remember their plump abundance sitting on the counter, waiting to be transformed. This sauce consists of ample saskatoon berries which could be swapped out for blueberries, shadbush or huckleberry. Along with raspberries, and some black raspberry (a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry). Feel inspired to use whatever is most available to you, the more wild, the better. Even cherries would work well in this recipe.
Be prepared to never want these bumble berry BBQ ribs to end, don’t be like me and use only 1 rack of ribs for 2 people, I could’ve easily eaten a full one to myself. J was literally ticked that I only made 1 rack, but how was I to know they’d be so good. Beginners luck I suppose…
1 scotch bonnet pepper, very finely minced, or a habanero or jalapeño for less intense spice
1 Tsp coconut oil or other fat
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300F.
Combine spices for the cajun seasoning, salt and pepper.
Cover the ribs with your dry rub mixture. Optionally you could let the ribs absorb the spices overnight.
Cook, covered with foil for 2 hours.
Add the berries and water to a small pot and heat to a simmer until the berries have released their juices.
In a separate pot or pan, heat the oil and add to it the garlic and onions, sauté until translucent and aromatic. Add the paprika, Worcester sauce,vinegar and the hot pepper.
Strain the berries in a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth, add the juice to the other pot with the onion.You can use the berry pulp in smoothies or baked good.
Bring the mix to a simmer and turn off.
Heat oven to broil and uncover ribs from the foil, smother them in BBQ sauce and broil for 5 mins.
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
