I’m an old time believer in a predominantly gluten free diet. In 2005 my son Luc, then 13, was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Long story short; the elimination of wheat and sugar from his diet was one of the primary contributions to his current health. Now, ten years later, he is the 6′3″ tall picture of vitality working on his masters degree at Stanford University, traveling the globe and running half marathons - he is truly thriving and has yet to require any medications, steroids, surgery or hospitalization.
One giant victory in the process was that when he first went off to college his General Practitioner MD, Dr Mesipam, here in Santa Barbara, actually wrote a letter to Stanford saying that Luc would require access to a kitchen to cook his own food to remain healthy, that was amazing.
Luc still cooks most of his own food. This Lentil Flatbread is our latest obsession. It just leaving us both feeling so good!! Fantastic with avocado, hummus, bruschetta or tapenade. I’ve been carrying it in my purse so at restaurants I can have it in place of crackers or bread and he makes a batch every day & loves it as pizza. Its SO quick and easy to make, we both just have a mad food crush on it & I hope others will too.
LENTIL FLATBREAD Any kind of lentils will work, try yellow, orange, french, middle eastern, dried split peas, black lentils (those tiny black beluga or Urad ones have more skin when ground so you get a nice almost nutty taste) but I love them all.
1 cup lentils, set out in 3 cups water overnight, then drained
1 Tbl. olive oil
¼ tsp. gluten free baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. Aleppo pepper flakes, Merken, Aji or whatever spice you like
Maldon flake salt for the top (optional)
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Process all with a pulse action until course ground like the shot above. Spray a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet with olive oil - I use parchment because otherwise it sticks like crazy. Smash out the dough with your hands and season as you like. Bake till firm 20-30 minutes, the longer you bake it it gets more like a cracker instead of bread, so as you choose. Then make a pizza or cut for crackers or bread replacement. Keep the extra refrigerated and it last three days.
CHOCOLATE LENTIL FLATBREAD
Are you bean good but secretly coco for coco puffs? This may just be a little slice of heaven for you, it is for me. It’s gluten free, grain free, paleo, vegan, sugar free, dairy free and a perfect vehicle for nut butters. This Chocolate Lentil bread satisfies and elates me - working it’s cocoa magic, it’s wonderful to have a treat that leaves you feeling light & healthy & full of good energy.
1 cup lentils, set out in 3 cups water overnight, then drained
10 packets stevia or your sweeter of choice equivalent to 5 Tbl. sugar
5 Tbl. natural unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
2 Tbl. olive oil
Maldon flake salt or cinnamon for the top (optional)
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Process all with a pulse action until pretty creamy. Spray a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet with olive oil - I use parchment because otherwise it sticks like crazy. Smash out the dough with damp hands to a about ½ inch thick and sprinkle with cinnamon & finishing salt if you like. Bake till set, 20 minutes. Cut as you like, store airtight.
Lynette La Mere, PJC Executive Chef
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