Category: flax

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Pepperazzi


Baby you’ll be famous/chase you down until you eat this . . .

Sweet roasted red peppers and delicious cheese smolder atop a crispy cornmeal-flax crust. If you’re feeling more sinister than sweet, add some shreds of chili pepper to the mix.

Here I used sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers from my favorite farmer’s market stand, Ward’s Berry Farm of Sharon, MA. Jimmy Nardello peppers are thin and easy to work with, with easily digestable skins and seeds. My husband is lactose-int0lerant, so I used Soyakaas soy cheese (neither Ward’s nor Soyakaas have sponsored these statements). I find it melts better than the other lactose-free cheeses I’ve tried because it contains casein, or milk protein.

Total Time: 60 minutes
Work Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

8-10 Jimmy Nardello peppers, or red bell peppers
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1/2-1 T salt
1 1/2 c water
3 T EVOO
1 c cheese or soy cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Drizzle peppers with olive oil and roast 15-20 minutes until skins begin to blister. Remove from oven, cool, remove stems (and ribs, seeds, and skins if desired), and chop into bite-sized pieces.
3) Raise oven heat to 450 degrees.
4) Whisk together cornmeal, flaxseed meal, and salt. Slowly add water, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Whisk in 1 T EVOO. Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream.
5) Heat 2 T EVOO in a 10″ ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add batter. When edges begin to crisp, transfer to oven. Cook until center is firm, ~30-40 minutes. Remove from oven.
6) Preheat broiler.
7) Top flatbread with 1/2 c cheese, peppers, and another 1/2 c cheese.
8) Broil 3 minutes and serve.

Posted on

Pepperazzi


Baby you’ll be famous/chase you down until you eat this . . .

Sweet roasted red peppers and delicious cheese smolder atop a crispy cornmeal-flax crust. If you’re feeling more sinister than sweet, add some shreds of chili pepper to the mix.

Here I used sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers from my favorite farmer’s market stand, Ward’s Berry Farm of Sharon, MA. Jimmy Nardello peppers are thin and easy to work with, with easily digestable skins and seeds. My husband is lactose-int0lerant, so I used Soyakaas soy cheese (neither Ward’s nor Soyakaas have sponsored these statements). I find it melts better than the other lactose-free cheeses I’ve tried because it contains casein, or milk protein.

Total Time: 60 minutes
Work Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-4

8-10 Jimmy Nardello peppers, or red bell peppers
1/2 c cornmeal
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1/2-1 T salt
1 1/2 c water
3 T EVOO
1 c cheese or soy cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Drizzle peppers with olive oil and roast 15-20 minutes until skins begin to blister. Remove from oven, cool, remove stems (and ribs, seeds, and skins if desired), and chop into bite-sized pieces.
3) Raise oven heat to 450 degrees.
4) Whisk together cornmeal, flaxseed meal, and salt. Slowly add water, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Whisk in 1 T EVOO. Batter should be the consistency of heavy cream.
5) Heat 2 T EVOO in a 10″ ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add batter. When edges begin to crisp, transfer to oven. Cook until center is firm, ~30-40 minutes. Remove from oven.
6) Preheat broiler.
7) Top flatbread with 1/2 c cheese, peppers, and another 1/2 c cheese.
8) Broil 3 minutes and serve.

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Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread

I was intrigued and inspired by the skillet flatbread experiments over at Bitten, and wondered if I could use this new weeknight dinner tool to bring more whole grains and fiber into our diet. Flatbread made with flaxseed meal proved too dense and bitter, but a mix of chickpea flour and flaxseed meal makes for just the right flavor complexity. I’ve been making this simple flatbread at least once a week with a salad or hearty soup for a light, healthy meal.

If you’ve heard the buzz about flax as a superfood, it just may be true. Flaxseed meal is high in fiber, lignans, alpha-linoleic acid, and protein, and is low in carbs. It has been associated with a host of medical benefits, explained by the Mayo Clinic here and with less jargon by about.com here. Chickpea flour, also known as besan, is also loaded with fiber and protein. You should drink plenty of water with Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread and other foods containing lots of fiber.

You can add any number of seasoning combinations to this flatbread. I’ve included some suggestions below. Experiment!

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: Up to 4? But sometimes I eat the whole thing myself. I often make a second flatbread as soon as the first one comes out of the oven.

Ingredients:
1/2 c chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1 t salt
2.5-3 T olive oil
1-1.5 c lukewarm water
pepper to taste

Optional seasonings:
1 T fennel seeds and 2 t garlic powder or 2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 diced onion and 1T rosemary (shown above; creates an onion-kulcha-like effect)
1 T herbes de provence

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Combine the chickpea flour and flaxseed meal in a medium sized bowl with salt and pepper. Whisk to break up lumps. Slowly add 1.5 c water, whisking until lumps disappear and batter is the consistency of heavy cream. This makes a custardy-textured flatbread; use less water if you like more of a cracker. Whisk in 1 T olive oil.
3) Heat a 10″ (medium-sized) nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1-2 T olive oil to coat the pan well. When oil is shimmering, add the batter.
4) Pop the pan into the oven. Bake 18-20 minutes, until edges begin to crisp and center is set. (Oven times may vary; you can let it bake for longer, ~30 minutes, if you prefer).
5) Keeping pan at least 2″ from broiler, broil about 2-3 minutes until flatbread is spotty-brown throughout.
6) Flatbread will release easily onto a plate. Cut into wedges, or simply break off pieces and enjoy.

Posted on

Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread

I was intrigued and inspired by the skillet flatbread experiments over at Bitten, and wondered if I could use this new weeknight dinner tool to bring more whole grains and fiber into our diet. Flatbread made with flaxseed meal proved too dense and bitter, but a mix of chickpea flour and flaxseed meal makes for just the right flavor complexity. I’ve been making this simple flatbread at least once a week with a salad or hearty soup for a light, healthy meal.

If you’ve heard the buzz about flax as a superfood, it just may be true. Flaxseed meal is high in fiber, lignans, alpha-linoleic acid, and protein, and is low in carbs. It has been associated with a host of medical benefits, explained by the Mayo Clinic here and with less jargon by about.com here. Chickpea flour, also known as besan, is also loaded with fiber and protein. You should drink plenty of water with Chickpea-Flax Skillet Flatbread and other foods containing lots of fiber.

You can add any number of seasoning combinations to this flatbread. I’ve included some suggestions below. Experiment!

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: Up to 4? But sometimes I eat the whole thing myself. I often make a second flatbread as soon as the first one comes out of the oven.

Ingredients:
1/2 c chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1 t salt
2.5-3 T olive oil
1-1.5 c lukewarm water
pepper to taste

Optional seasonings:
1 T fennel seeds and 2 t garlic powder or 2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 diced onion and 1T rosemary (shown above; creates an onion-kulcha-like effect)
1 T herbes de provence

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) Combine the chickpea flour and flaxseed meal in a medium sized bowl with salt and pepper. Whisk to break up lumps. Slowly add 1.5 c water, whisking until lumps disappear and batter is the consistency of heavy cream. This makes a custardy-textured flatbread; use less water if you like more of a cracker. Whisk in 1 T olive oil.
3) Heat a 10″ (medium-sized) nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 1-2 T olive oil to coat the pan well. When oil is shimmering, add the batter.
4) Pop the pan into the oven. Bake 18-20 minutes, until edges begin to crisp and center is set. (Oven times may vary; you can let it bake for longer, ~30 minutes, if you prefer).
5) Keeping pan at least 2″ from broiler, broil about 2-3 minutes until flatbread is spotty-brown throughout.
6) Flatbread will release easily onto a plate. Cut into wedges, or simply break off pieces and enjoy.