The book "Food Matters- A Guide to Conscious Eating" by Mark Bittman is one of the best "cooking" reads I've come across in a long time. He has a more practical approach to eating more wisely for the good of our families, and for the good of the world. I loved the ease of this flatbread. This bread is ready in about 45 minutes, about the time needed to get dinner on the table. The resting time of the batter is optional, but it gives it a creamier texture. If you're in a hurry just let the batter sit while the oven heats. A round pizza pan is ideal (I used my stone), a 10-12 inch skillet would also work. This is easy for those who eat gluten-free and you can experiment around with the various flours to see which you prefer.
1 cup whole wheat flour, cornmeal, or chickpea flour (also called besan)
1 tsp salt
4 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 large onion, thinly sliced (optional)
1 Tbl fresh rosemary (optional, but the best:)
Put the flour into a bowl; add salt; then slowly add 1 1/2c. of water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Cover with a towel, and let sit while oven heats, or as long as 12 hours. The batter should be like thin pancake batter.
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the oil in a 12" rimmed pizza pan, along with the onion and rosemary) and put in the heated oven. Wait a couple of minutes for the oil to get hot. The oil is ready when you just start to smell it. Carefully remove from the oven and give the onions a stir, then pour in the batter and return the skillet to the oven. Bake 30-40 minutes or until the flatbread is well browned, firm and crisp around the edges. Let it rest a few minutes before cutting into wedges.
You could play around with this once you've done this a time or two by adding tomato sauce and a bit of cheese, or grilled veggies on top. This is good cut in wedges and served with hummus.
In my attempt to feed my family nutritionally and on a budget I have also been enjoying the "Food Nanny" on the BYU channel. Though not sharing the beliefs of the Mormon church, I have admiration for the emphasis they put on the role of the mother in the home. I also enjoy the series "Wind at My Back" and their various lectures on the family. Last night I learned something new. Don't you just love that? It was the idea that our dependence on fast food is not only harmful to us nutritionally, but that it is harmful to the family. It promotes the idea of the individual's choices over the family unit's. The speaker (from University of Minnesota) stated that no one goes in to McDonald's and says "Tonight we will have Big Mac's, small fries and Sprite." We each order what we want. And thanks to microwaves we do the same thing in the home. Each can eat what they want and have it ready in 5 minutes. Instead, when we all share a meal around the table we are forced to not only socialize, but we learn to try new foods, and understand that if it's not your preference tonight, tomorrow night might be different:) I have seen this attitude in my younger son recently and realize that this is coming from our "meals on the run" during this moving transition. Let's all make the changes we need to to feed our families with the best foods. When we feel good we are able to accomplish so much more!
