Tasty Thai Flatbreads w/ GF Cauliflower Crust!

Here we are at the beginning of another wonderful summer week! Another week of sunshine, long days, fireflies, and The Bachelorette! — Yes, I’m guilty — I watch that show. Reality TV at its worst finest. :P

grilled carrots and celery — mm!

So anywho, tonight we had a “scraping-the-bottom-of-the-fridge” kind of meal. Here’s what I had to work with: Celery, Carrots, half a head of Cauliflower and half a Cucumber. Haha — living large!

so colorful!

Since we were going to be getting our protein from nuts — (our fish monger is closed on Sundays) “Thai-ish food” was my answer!

mmmmm!

So what did I make? I made a Thai Flatbread with a Cauliflower and Buckwheat Crust! A creamy almond butter sauce, topped with delicious grilled veggies! Given my pathetic less-than-stellar list of ingredients, it was actually super delicious!

gluten-free and body ecology diet friendly!

And it’s Gluten Free & Body Ecology Diet friendly with a Vegan Option!

a sea of veggies!

Here’s what you need: (Serves 3)

Crust:
3/4 cup buckwheat cooked in 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 head of cauliflower, riced
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Sauce:
3/4 cup almond butter
3 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp grated ginger
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp water
8 drops pure liquid stevia (BED use alcohol free)

Toppings:
1/2 cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, deseeded, and sliced thin
3 large carrots, sliced in half-length wise, grilled, and then chopped
2 stalks of celery, grilled, and then chopped
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
2 green onions, sliced
fresh cilantro, minced

fresh cilantro finishes it off!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cook your buckwheat until it absorbs all the liquid, about 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and then set aside to cool.

In the meantime, pulse the cauliflower in your food processor until it resembles rice. Then, put your “rice” in a clean kitchen towel and wring out all the excess liquid. Put it in a medium-sized bowl.

Once your buckwheat is cooled, add it to the bowl with your cauliflower, egg whites, and salt. Mix well to combine. Take some parchment paper and cut 6 medium-sized squares. Then, divide the mixture into 3 even portions. Put 1/3 of the mixture onto 1 piece of parchment. Put another piece of parchment on top and spread it out as thin as you can. LEAVE THE TOP PAPER ON…it will be a parchment paper sandwich! Do the same with the other 2 thirds of the mixture. Then, place the “parchment sandwiches” on baking sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Then, when you take them out of the oven, the parchment will fall right off! YUM!

While your crusts are baking, prep your veggies, and combine your sauce ingredients — it is a thick sauce — more of a “spread” — like almond butter! After you slice your red onion, soak it in ice water for 10 minutes (this will get rid of the bitter onion-y bite). Also, grill you veggies on a grill pan, 4 minutes per side. Then, take them off the grill and chop them into 1 inch pieces.

fresh cucumbers and red onions!

When your crusts come out of the oven, let them cool for 2-3 minutes, remove the parchment paper, and then top each with 1/3 of the almond butter, your veggies, and cilantro! Enjoy!

i love the grill marks on the carrots!

These little flatbreads blew me away! They were fantastic! It tasted like pad thai in flatbread form! It had flavor, texture, and beauty! All in a dish that was literally “patched” together!

creamy almond butter spread!

First, the flavor! The almond butter spread was so wonderful — it was slightly sweet, and fabulously tangy from the lime and the ginger. Paired beautifully with the fresh veggies, which had a slightly smokey flavor from the grill. Finished off with the bright cilantro — just marvelous!

so delicious!

And the textures! Oh my goodness, they was outrageous. The crust was unbelievably crunchy, while the almond butter spread was rich and luxuriously creamy. Finally, the veggies were crunchy, but softened ever-so-slightly from the grill.

crunchy & fabulous crust!

Lastly, the colors were phenomenal. It was such a beautiful plate with the different shades of green, orange and purple. Stunning.

there’s cauliflower in that crust?!

And the cauliflower? My dad (who hatescauliflower) had NO idea it was in the crust! He devoured his flatbread and sung its praises!

What’s your go-to meal when the fridge is low? Do you try to patch something together, or do you go out?

See ya tomorrow, Happy Tummies!

Need a grill pan or a food processors? Here are the ones I use and LOVE: