# 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. 

# 2 Hemp Flatbread

The next flatbread recipe shows you how to add superfoods into your diet easily. My friend was asking some questions about the hemp the other day and since hemp is gaining more and more popularity every day I want to share this flatbread recipe with you and I want to dedicate it to her- you know who you are !

Hemp is from the plant family Moraceae, like mulberries and it can be grown practically all over the world. If you still haven't tried it, I highly recommend that you give it a chance and get either some hemp flour for baking or raw hemp seeds for your salads.
Hemp contains all essential amino acids being a complete protein so it is also an excellent food for vegetarians. It also has great amounts of essential fatty acids and it contains vitamins, antioxidants and over twenty trace minerals. Hemp flour is also high in fiber.

One special note about the recipes. You might get confused about the desi-liters and cups and often you are familiar only with one of these measurement units. I am more comfortable of using liters/desi-liters/milli-liters/grams and for these flatbread recipes the amounts doesn't need to be so exact that a few grams or milli-liters really counts. I have used some rounding ups in certain recipes when it comes to the cups.
All my recipes have the original format of using desiliter=dl as a measuring tool. And I use the same baking tools for all the recipes. Tablespoons are shortened as Tbsp. and teaspoons as tbs.

Intermediate 1 for sulphite/sulfite issues, suitable only when you can tolerate more organic sulphur/sulfur. Hemp contains Methionine 23mg per gram of protein and Cysteine 16mg per gram of protein.

Hemp-Flatbreads, makes about 20 mini flatbreads

2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Miller flour
2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of  Brown rice flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of Hemp flour
2 Tbsp. of Golden flax seeds
1 tsp. of Sea salt
3 dl or 1 cup + 4 Tbsp. of Water
1 Tbsp. of Extra virgin olive oil

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and add water until you have a smooth mixture.  Add 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and mix well. Let the mixture sit about 5 minutes, so that the flaxseeds will absorb some liquid. Cover the baking tray with a good quality baking paper and put heaping teaspoons of the mixture on the paper and spread small circles which are about 0,5 cm high.

Bake in the oven: 180 C or 350 F about 8-10 minutes.

Also these flatbreads keep well in the fridge up to one week or in freezer for longer. The smaller size flatbread is a perfect size for parties and also for kids.

I love to eat the hemp flatbreads with caper-butter. Capers have some natural antihistamine properties and capers can help with some seasonal allergies. I only buy good quality capers which are kept in pure sea salt. Capers are also sold in vinegar and those would be problematic if you have sulphite/sulfite issues.

For Caper butter you need:

150 g soft, unsalted butter, organic-grass-fed
1 tbs. of Capers in salt

Wash the excess salt from the capers and soak them at least 10 minutes in the water. Pat dry them quickly and chop finely. There will be enough salt in capers even though you have soaked them, so there is no need to add any salt. Mix chopped capers in the butter and serve with hemp flatbreads.

Enjoy!