Flatbread with Babaganoush and ‘Roasted’ Peppers

I know there are people out there making raw pizza and you know, it’s pretty good actually. But – let me tell you a secret: it’s not pizza. That is to say, it’s really not anything like what anyone who’s ever had pizza would identify with pizza. Oh sure, on the surface there might be all the components: crust, cheese, and whatever other acoutrements. But the crust isn’t made from white or wheat flour and the cheese isn’t gooey, oily dairy. So where does that leave us? Let’s be thankful for all the bad stuff that isn’t in it, call it flatbread, and revel in that particular taste sensation! And it is tasty.

Going back in time, I remember when I first crossed over to ‘The Raw Side’ and we had a raw pizza party here at the farm. When we were done with the revelries, I brought my 85 year old father a slice, warmed lightly in the dehydrator in an attempt at trickery. Right up to the end I was constantly trying to get him to embrace healthier food options. But, to an extent – and certainly in his case – it’s no lie that it’s hard ‘teaching an old dog new tricks’. He took one bite and looked at me suspiciously, emphatically pronoucing, “This is not pizza!”. As if I were trying to poison him or something. And that was that. I had an extra helping for myself.

And, ever since, I’ve never made raw ‘pizza’ again. But I do love making flatbread.

This flatbread is made especially tasty by using squash in the bread batter as well as minimal flax. Flax can sometimes make a ‘dough’ very sour and, although it’s very nutritionally dense I prefer to keep it to a minimum in my food. Throw it in a smoothie, yes! But not in my bread. The recipe for this flatbread can also be used to make delicious crackers: just add a little rosemary to the batter before dehydrating. When it’s done, cut the whole thing up into smaller pieces and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

For myself, though, I like it as flatbread, layered with a multitude of other things. It’s like a blank canvas just looking for your culinary imagination to bring it to life! From here on out you have the choice: make it into a ‘pizza’ if you want. Load on tomatoes and basil and a good cashew cheese. Or go an entirely different route. It’s all up to you.

For this we used babaganoush, peppers and olives. The peppers are an adaptation of a simple recipe from the very Italian kitchen of one of my mothers friends. At this point it’s a recipe that’s been in the family forever. I think Anna would be as bewildered as my father that I’m making it in a dehydrator now. But even she’d have to admit: it tastes wonderful! And it still tastes exactly like what it is.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: Flatbread with Babaganoush and ‘Roasted’ Peppers

Flatbread

2 1/4 cups walnuts

2 1/2 cups cooked yellow squash

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup golden flaxseed, ground

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 to 1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Process walnuts till tiny but not smooth – approximate size of couscous. Remove from food processor and put in a large bowl.

Put squash into food processor. Again, as with walnuts, process to small pieces – not until completely smooth. Add to walnuts.

Put sunflower seeds in food processor and process to small bits, as above. Remove to bowl, adding to walnuts and squash.

Add flax, hemp, salt. Add water slowly to combine and form a slightly sticky dough.

Divide dough in half and place each half on a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet. Spead dough out evenly to form a square on each dehydrator sheet, making sure there are no holes.

Dehydrate the flatbread at 115 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 to 8 hours. When tops are dry, flip the flatbread ontomesh screened dehydrator sheet and carefully peel away Teflex. Dehydrate on screens for another 2 to 4 hours.

Once both sides are dry, slide the flatbread onto a large cutting board. With a large chefs knife, carefully cut each flqtbread into four squares (or however you wish). The individual flatbreads can be dehydrated for another hour if you wish them to be even more firm. 8 SERVINGS

‘Roasted’ Peppers

4-5 bell peppers, preferably a combination of red, orange and yellow, sliced thin

8 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to incorporate all ingredients,

Spread peppers evenly over a Teflex lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for approximately four hours, tossing occassionally.

Babaganoush or Zuchinni Hummus

To Assemble:

Take each flatbread and spread generously with either babaganoush or zuchinni hummus.

Distribute peppers across the top of individual flatbreads.

Sprinkle with sliced black or green olives.