# 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!

# 3 Almond Flatbread

Let's continue to bake the flatbreads.
If you are gluten free you probably have noticed that you can add so much more texture and flavour in different recipes just by adding some nuts or seeds in them. In this recipe I am using almonds, but there are many other choices and combinations as well.  

Special note about this recipe:
For this recipe you need to soak the almonds at least 12 hours. I used almonds which were soaked for 24 hours. In the recipe the quantity for almonds is before soaking them.
There are many reasons why to soak nuts, seeds or grains before eating them and many of these reasons have something to do with the healthy digestion:

• Soaking of nuts, seeds and grains will help remove or reduce phytic acid (binds nutrients like iron and zinc and prevents us absorbing them)  and tannins. Neutralize the enzyme inhibitors and produce more beneficial enzymes. You will also increase the absorption of vitamins, specially B-vitamins.

Basic 2 for sulphite/sulfite issues. Almonds are low in sulphur/sulfur/thiols, but high in oxalates and if you know that oxalates are your enemy skip this recipe.

Almond-Flatbreads, makes 10 flatbreads

2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Quinoa flakes
2 dl or 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp. of Brown rice flour
1 dl or 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. of Almonds, raw, with skin, chopped. But soaked at least 12 hours.  You can also remove the brown skin if you wish. Use fresh, good quality water for soaking the almonds and keep the almonds in the fridge during the whole time.
1 tsp. of Himalaya salt
3 dl or 1 cup + 4 Tbsp. of Water

Chop the almonds roughly. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add water until you have a smooth mixture. The mixture might look like too liquid, but let it sit about 10 minutes, because the quinoa flakes need some time to absorb the liquid. 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.

The Almond Flatbreads will keep well about one week in the fridge and for longer in the freezer.

I like to eat these flatbreads with orange-jam and pecorino cheese for breakfast, but I am sure you will have your own favourite way of eating them. You can share yours in the comment section if you want. 

Enjoy!

Those with sulphite/sulfite issues have probably noticed that jams and jellies are often on the list of foods what to avoid. When doing an elimination diet it is a good idea to avoid everything ready made, but after you have cleaned your system, and you have enough courage to try some foods again you probably want to try make some jams at home or look if you can find a jam which doesn't have any sulphites/sulfites added. Look for organic jam, since sulphur dioxide is used as a fungicide in some fruits like grapes and many no added sugar jams will contain grape juice as a sweetener. Luckily there are many organic jams available which are made with good quality ingredients or you can make your own.

# 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!