# 10 Zucchini Flatbread

I have been enjoying grain free diet for awhile, and now I am back creating new gluten free flat bread recipes. 100 % grain free diet might fit perfectly for someone, but I have noticed that my body just needs a certain amount of gluten free grains and other seeds to function optimally. I try to have at least one grain free day every week, also because then I need to create some grain free recipes.  

When I was doing sulphite/sulfite, low sulfur elimination diet years ago, zucchinis were my stable food item. I ate them almost every day with everything, and there was a time that it was the only vegetable I tolerated without any reactions. Of course my taste buds got quite bored and after I managed to add more foods back to my diet, zucchinis were out for awhile. But since you can use zucchinis in many ways, these low calorie, potassium rich vegetables are back in my diet. 

This following recipe is one of my favourites.

Basic 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues.

Zucchini Flatbreads, makes 16 

3 dl or 1 cup + 4 Tbsp. of Brown rice flour

2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp of Quinoa flakes 

1 dl or 1/3 cups of Quinoa flour

1 Tbsp. of Chia seeds

1 Tsp. of Sea salt

3 dl or 1 cup + 4 Tbsp. of grated Zucchini

4 1/2 dl or 1+ 3/4 cups of Water 

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.

And add the grated zucchini.

Mix the grated zucchini well into the flour mix.

Add water and mix until you have a smooth mixture. Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put heaping tablespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high. 

Bake in the oven: 180 C or 350 F about 12-15 minutes. 

You probably have found your favourite ways to eat the flat breads, which can be as simple as just with plain good quality grass-fed butter. For the zucchini flat breads I made simple tomato-butter and served them with a delicious cheese from Bali. 

Tomato-butter:

 

50 gr of grass-fed Butter, soft

1/2-1 Tomato, seedless, drained and in small cubes

Sea salt to drain the tomato and more to taste.

Cut the tomato in half and scoop out the seeds. 

Salt the tomato and leave at least for 10-15 minutes. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and slice them for small cubes. Mix the tomato cubes with the soft butter. Serve immediately with the flat breads. 

Enjoy!

# 9 Coconut Flatbread

Super foods, wonder foods, miracle foods. Foods that have many beneficial effects/uses are often called with these names, and coconut products for sure belong to these categories. Of course you should enjoy all the coconut products, like extra virgin coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut water as natural as possible to get all the health benefits. Processed coconut products won't have any of the health benefits left and the added, often harmful chemicals will just add up to the chemical load the body needs to get rid of daily. Those who have sulphite/sulfite issues know how hard it can be to find safe sulphite/sulfite free foods and all coconut products belong to this category. When I started my sulphite/sulfite elimination journey I did a lot of research about safe foods in the web, and all coconut products were always in the avoid list. Luckily this is not true. You can find everything made of coconuts also sulphite/sulfite free. Check the words unsulfured, no sulphites added and you are safe. Call or e-mail to the manufacturer and they will get you more prompt answers if you need. Anything under 10 ppm and sulphites doesn't need to be labelled, but from experience I can say that even trace amounts of sulphites can give reactions to those who are really sensitive to them.
Always remember though that you can be allergic to anything, so if coconuts gives you reaction no matter what, you might have an allergy/intolerance or you might have parasites. Yes. You read right. Coconuts have some antiparasitic properties and if you get weird symptoms after eating coconut products and you don't have any known allergies/intolerances you might have parasites.

Among my family and friends I have noticed that you either like or dislike anything with coconuts. And if you belong to the latter group I suggest you to skip this recipe, since these flatbreads are full of coconuts. But for coconut lovers these flatbreads will bring you the great flavour of coconuts.

Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues. Unsulfured coconut products are safe for most, but check that the label says unsulfured coconut. Many people will also react to the small amounts of trace sulphites/sulfites and those under 10 ppm aren't often labelled. 

Coconut Flatbreads, makes 34 small ones

2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Coconut macaroon, unsweetened, unsulfured
1 1/2 dl or 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. of Brown rice flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of Coconut flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of Millet flour
2 Tbsp. of Chia seeds
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
4 dl or 1 3/4 cups of Water
3 Tbsp. of Extra virgin coconut oil

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl well and add the water and the coconut oil. You should have a thicker mixture than in previous flatbread recipes.
Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper. Take about one heaping teaspoon of the mixture and make small balls in your hands. Put the small balls on the baking paper like in the picture and pat the balls flat, about 0,5 cm high. 

Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 12-15 minutes.

The coconut flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer.

I like to eat these flatbreads a bit more crispier and I simply reheat them in the 180 C or 350 F oven for about 2-3 minutes or you can use the small oven grill.

You can serve these flatbreads as a tea time treats with various jams, here I have some raspberry jam and halva. And I made some kiwi-puree simply mashing some ripe peeled kiwis and added some coconut oil in it. I chilled the kiwi-coconut butter in the fridge before serving it with the coconut flatbreads. You can also serve these coconut flatbreads with aged cheese or any nut butter you like. 

Enjoy!

# 8 Nettle Flatbread

You might be familiar with the nettle tea, but have you used nettle in cooking or baking before? I have eaten nettle since I was a kid. My mum used to pick nettles during the spring and I often helped her. You pick only the top part of the plant when the nettle shoots are still young and soft. And always wear good gloves since nettle leaves will sting and inject histamine and other chemicals which will make your skin itchy and really painful and you might get many visible bumps. I can't remember how many times I got nettle stings in my legs or hands as a kid playing in the forest, but I can tell you that it was painful every time.
Back to the health benefits of nettles. Urtica dioica, nettle is used as a traditional herb in many countries. It is used for arthritis, kidney and urinary track problems, gastro-intestinal issues and many other minor health issues or as a preventative method.  You might find nettle also in your shampoo since it helps control dandruff naturally and gives a beautiful shine to hair, so nettle is used as a hair tonic as well. My aunt made her own hair tonic with nettles and used this green liquid for the last rinse when washing her hair. As a kid I found that really funny. She soaked fresh nettle leaves in the hot water in a wash basin while in sauna and used a fresh batch every time for her hair. Indeed she had beautiful red shiny curls.
Nettle is high in Vitamin A and C, iron, potassium, manganese and calcium. The iron from nettles gets easily absorbed since the herb has also vitamin C.
If you want to eat the nettles you picked yourself, you need to first cook or soak them well. This will remove the stinging chemicals from the nettles and you can use nettles like you would use spinach. In soups, in the ravioli fillings, as a puree or pesto and you can make tea with dried nettle leaves. Of course you can also buy dried nettle from many health stores if you can't find 'clean' nettles growing in your garden or in the area you live. 

In this next recipe I am using dried nettle leaves. My mum made often the 'normal' bread with fresh or dried nettle, and here is my version of nettle flatbreads.

Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues.

Nettle Flatbreads, makes 12-14

2 1/2 dl or 1 cup of Brown rice flour
2 1/2 dl or 1 cup of Millet flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup of Dried Nettle leaves
2 Tbsp. of Golden Flaxseeds
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
4-4 1/2 dl or 1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups of Water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl well and start adding the water until you have a smooth mixture. This time the mixture should be quite liquid, like in the picture. So adjust the water, depending how much water the flours and nettles are absorbing. 

Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put tablespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high.

Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 15-20 minutes. 

These flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer. Reheat or toast the flatbreads for better taste and texture.

I made some egg-butter for these flatbreads. Often you will have your spinach/nettle soup served with a half boiled eggs and egg-butter tasted really delicious with these flatbreads.

Egg-butter
3 Boiled Eggs, 7 minutes
125 g of soft, grass-fed, unsalted Butter
Himalaya salt to taste

Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, let them cool down, peel them and mash with a fork, add soft butter and salt to taste. Mix everything together and serve with flatbreads. The egg-butter keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days. 

Since the eggs are high in organic sulphur/sulfur you probably need to skip the egg-butter, if you are following a low sulphur/sulfur diet at the moment.

Enjoy.

# 7 Amaranth Flatbread

Amaranth, an other seed originally from the South America is the star for these gluten free flatbreads. Here I use amaranth flour made of the seeds, but also leaves, stems and roots can be eaten in many ways. Amaranth is a nutrient rich seed, high in protein and fiber and lower in carbohydrates than any other grain. It is a good source of all the essential amino acids, many minerals and vitamins. Interesting fact about the amaranth is that it is the only 'grain' which contains C-vitamin. Amaranth doesn't have a strong taste like quinoa, since it doesn't contain saponins, so if you are not familiar with quinoa yet, I would suggest to try out amaranth first. You have also probably heard of red dye called amaranth. Previously the natural dye was harvested from the red flowers of amaranth plant and unfortunately the synthetic dye, Red No.2 or E123 has nothing to do with the amaranth plant anymore.

Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues. Amaranth is high in thiols and organic sulphur/sulfur and might give problems during the elimination diet.


Amaranth Flatbreads, makes 10-12

3 1/2 dl or 1 1/2 cups of Millet flour
2 1/2 dl or 1 cup of Amaranth flour
2 Tbsp. of Golden Flaxseeds, whole
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
3 1/2 dl or 1 1/2 cup of Water

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl well and add the water until you have a smooth mixture. If the mixture feels too hard with this amount of water add more water by tablespoons until you get the right texture. Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper ( if you use a good quality baking paper you have probably noticed that you can use it a couple of times) and put tablespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high.

Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 12-15 minutes.

The Amaranth flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer.

Smoked salmon with butter and capers are one of my favourite toppings with these flatbreads. I use only capers which are preserved in salt. Wash the excess salt with the running water and let the capers soak about 5-10 minutes in a clean water to get rid off the excess salt. Drain well and pat dry with a kitchen towel. 

Daikon and cucumber taste also really delicious with this combination. I use a special peeler to shred daikon and cucumber in thin strips, just like spaghetti. You can drain the excess water from daikon and cucumber adding a pinch of salt, then wait about 10 minutes and pat dry the excess water or gently squeeze the excess water with your hands. Mix the daikon and cucumber together and serve on the top of the salmon. Add a splash of fresh lemon juice on top of the toppings and you have a perfect light dinner. 

Enjoy!

*Daikon is also high in thiols and organic sulphur/sulfur and can be problematic for those with sulphite/sulfite issues. 

# 6 Quinoa Flatbread

Quinoa, gluten free, ancient seed originally from South America became my friend from the first bite I had it many years ago. Since that it has been a stable food in my diet and a basic ingredient in baking and cooking. Quinoa is a complete protein containing all the eight essential amino acids, and that's a reason why you often find it on the vegetarian menu. Quinoa is also a low-allergy food and easily digestible, that's why it is an excellent food for toddlers and also for elderly. Quinoa seeds have a bitter taste, since they contain natural phytonutrients, saponins. You can easily reduce the saponins by washing/rubbing/soaking quinoa well. I don't mind having some bitterness in my bread since these saponins have anti-inflammatory properties, and I think after awhile you just get to used to that taste. In quinoa flakes and - flours I don't notice the bitterness, but not all quinoa flours taste the same, so probably you must test and trial a couple of brands before you find your favourite.
This flatbread recipe is one of the first recipes I created.


Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues. Quinoa is high in thiols and sulphur/sulfur and might give problems during the elimination diet.

Quinoa flatbreads, makes about 10-12

4 dl or 1 3/4 cups of Quinoa flakes
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of Quinoa flour
2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Brown rice flour
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
3 1/2 dl or 1 1/2 cups of Water 

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl well and add water until you have a smooth mixture. Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put taplespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high.

Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 12-15 minutes.

The Quinoa flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer.

To make a complete vegetarian light lunch I made a simple avocado-hempseed butter for these quinoa flatbreads and served them with cucumbers and papaya slices.

Avocado-Hempseed Butter:

1 avocado
3 Tbsp. of Hempseeds
2 Tbsp. of fresh Lemon juice
2 Tbsp. of fresh Lime juice
pinch of Celtic sea salt

Cut the avocado in half and take the seed out and take the flesh out with a spoon. Mash the avocado in a large bowl with a fork and add hempseeds, freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice and a pinch of salt and mix well. Alternatively mix everything in a mixer.
Serve with the flatbreads. 

Enjoy!

* Quinoa was one the foods I was able to eat also during the strict elimination diet I did for sulphite/sulfite issues, even though I avoided most of the other high sulphur/sulfur foods.

# 5 Cheese Flatbread

This flatbread recipe was born when I was craving some pizza and I still hadn't figured out the perfect pizza crust. I started to make these cheese flatbreads and I ate them with my favourite pizza toppings.

In this recipe you can use any type of cheese you want, I prefer to mix different cheeses and this recipe is also a good way to finish small pieces of cheeses you might have in your fridge. Just grate the hard cheeses finely and the softer ones like Halloumi with a bigger grater blade, or chop them finely with a knife. Check the labels for cheeses and choose only those which don't contain any added preservatives or additives.

Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues, aged cheeses might be problematic for some, so use cheeses in baking only after you have tried them by themselves. That way you can identify if some foods are still giving you problems.

Cheese Flatbreads, makes about 10

4 dl or 1 3/4 cups of Millet flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of grated Parmigiano Reggiano - Parmesan cheese
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of grated Halloumi cheese
2 Tbsp. of Chia seeds
1 tsp. of dried Oregano
pinch of Himalaya salt
2 1/2 dl or 1 cup of Water

Mix millet flour with chia seeds, salt and oregano in a mixing bowl. Add grated cheeses and mix well with dry ingredients. Add water and mix well. This mixture needs to be thicker like when making flatbreads with sweet potatoes. Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put tablespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high.
Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 12-15 minutes.

Pork is not normally on my menu, I eat cured ham (prosciutto crudo ) and salami occasionally. I have been lucky and I have found gluten free and additive free cured ham and salami in Italy. I still had some vacuum packed cured ham I got from Italy in my fridge, so this was the perfect time to make this recipe. You can find many different types of cured hams in the supermarket and in my opinion the best ones comes from Italy or Spain from small local farmers. Unfortunately many manufactures add additives to their hams and salami. My butcher in Italy raises his own pigs and the cured hams are made by his friend.  These forest raised pigs eat what they can find on the ground and I often think if these pigs are also able to find the truffles. Anyway this cured ham has a genuine taste and it doesn't give me any problems, even though I know that many people with sulphite/sulfite issues are not able to eat pork.
Here is my suggestion to eat these Cheese Flatbreads. 

Enjoy!

# 4 Sweet potato Flatbread

This next recipe is one of my favourites. Sweet potatoes are my substitute for potatoes and I use them in all recipes which requires potatoes. Me and potatoes are not a good match and potatoes have been a trigger food for me for a long time. I eat new potatoes maybe a couple of times per year and only those which comes from my parents garden, so that way I know exactly what I am eating. Sulphite/sulfite wise potatoes are risky, since sulphites/sulfites are added in cut potato products to prevent the oxidation. Any product made with potatoes can contain sulphites/sulfites so read the labels and/or call to the manufacturer.

Sweet potatoes belong to the plant family Convolvulaceae, potatoes belong to a Solanaceae family. You can also eat the leaves and shoots of sweet potatoes as greens, but those in potatoes are toxic. There are many different varieties of sweet potatoes and the flesh can be white or pale yellow, red, pink, purple or orange. I used orange sweet potatoes in this recipe. If you tolerate potatoes you can easily substitute the same amount of cooked sweet potatoes with cooked potatoes.

When you next time have some leftover sweet potato mash or cooked sweet potatoes try this recipe out. You might need to adjust the water depending how much liquid you have added to the mash.

Basic 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues, suitable for most and specially for the elimination diet.

Sweet potato Flatbreads, makes about 10-12

2 1/2 dl or 1 cup of Sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed with fork (or mash)
3 1/2 dl or 1 1/2 cups of Millet flour
1 Tbsp. of Chia seeds
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Water
1 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive oil

Mix millet flour with chia seeds and salt in a bowl. Add sweet potato mash and mix well. Slowly add the water until you have quite thick mixture. Add the olive oil and mix well. This time we need a thicker mixture than in previous recipes. 

Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put tablespoons of the mixture on the paper and spread circles which are about 0,5 cm high. Use a fork to make figures on the flatbreads. 

Bake in the oven 180 C or 350 F, about 12-15 minutes.

The Sweet potato Flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer. I like to reheat mine before eating them, so that the butter will melt when I put it on the flatbreads.

I made a simple hempseed butter and endive relish for these flatbreads and had them for a light lunch.

Hempseed Butter

100 g soft, unsalted, grass fed (and) organic Butter
3 Tbsp. of raw shelled Hempseeds
Sea salt to taste if you wish

Mix the hempseeds with the butter and add a pinch of sea salt (or any other natural salt ) if you wish.

Endive Relish

300 g of Endives, washed and cut in slices or chopped
2 cm piece of Ginger, washed, peeled and cut in thin long strips
Sea salt to taste
2 Tbsp. of Extra Virgin Olive oil

Wash the endive and ginger. Peel the ginger and cut it in thin long strips. Cut the endive in half and chop or slice it. Heat the pan and add olive oil. Add first the ginger and let it cook about 20 seconds  in the oil in a low heat, do not burn them, so stir all the time. Then add the endives and cook in a low heat until soft, this takes about 4-6 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. 

Enjoy!