Broccoli Flatbread!

Broccoli Flatbread Sandwich with layered fresh veggies of smashed avocado, shredded carrots, sliced yellow peppers, sliced tomatoes, vertically sliced cucumber, and Boston red leaf lettuce

Like most of us growing up, bread was a staple in our house.  White & Wheat Bread, Challah or Bagels were always available in our kitchen. As the years have gone by, dietitians, health guru’s and the medical industry have warned us. Eating too much gluten can cause havoc on our gut, and high carb breads turn into sugar in our systems once digested, none of which is good for us. Now many of us find ourselves trying to curb our bread and butter addictions that were pushed on us in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.  With this Broccoli Flatbread your worries are over.  Try this and you’ll never miss yeast & gluten breads again! 

I enjoy making homemade bread.  The aroma that permeates through our home while it’s baking is heavenly.  However, it’s not always good for us.  I’ve even noticed as I’ve gotten older that some loaves of bread don’t agree with me anymore. However, my body has been craving this Broccoli Flatbread since I tried my first bite.

Broccoli Flatbread sandwiched between layers of smashed avocado, shredded carrots, sliced yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumber and Boston red lettuce

Making bread can be an arduous process oftentimes requiring hours of prep and kneading.  I’ve never minded it, in fact I find it quite rewarding. Besides creating a heavenly loaf of bread, it can be a great upper body workout! That said, the majority of people I know would prefer to simply purchase bread rather than make their own.

This Broccoli Flatbread is so simple, it literally takes no more than 10 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of bake time.  The end result is approximately 12 rectangular pieces of flatbread once cut, that are super tasty and healthy.

Next time I’m going to try making it with egg whites.  I’m not sure it will hold up as well without the yolks, but want to give it a try.  Four eggs per batch of flatbread could do a number on your cholesterol if eaten often. Since the  Broccoli Flatbread is so addicting that could present an issue.

I had fun coming up with ways to use the Broccoli Flatbread. First I created a vegetarian sandwich (shown above).  Of course you could add in turkey, ham, corned beef, tuna, or chicken salad as well to rev up the protein.

Breakfast, my favorite meal of the day was a no-brainer!  I simply added a sliced avocado, topped with a sunny side up egg.  If I had a beefsteak tomato I would have added a slice or two along with the avocado to amp up the flavor.  The combination of broccoli, avocado and egg were the perfect marriage, but a couple slices of tomato would have been better yet!

Broccoli Flatbread topped with sliced avocado topped with a sunny side up egg

I also thought it would be fun to create a mini pizza.  When I was a little girl we use to make English muffin pizzas and they were the best.  It was just enough to satisfy without feeling stuffed.

Since I had some homemade pesto on hand in the refrigerator, plus fresh mozzarella and baby tomatoes I combined those on a slice of Broccoli Flatbread and popped it in the oven until the cheese started to melt.  I then followed it up with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. YUM!  Talk about flavors dancing in your mouth!  Oh yeah!  I could eat this all day long! A sprinkle of chopped fresh basil would have been a nice garnish but I didn’t think about it until after I devoured it.  Honestly I could barely contain myself. So good!

Broccoli Flatbread topped with avocado slices and an egg & Broccoli Flatbread topped with basil pesto, sliced baby tomatoes, fresh mozzarella then drizzled with a balsamic reduction

I had planned to create one more dish but ran out of time so I’ll mention it anyway.  Rather than cutting the Broccoli Flatbread into rectangles, I think cutting them into triangles then twice baking them so they’re super crispy could create a fun chip.  Then dipping the Broccoli Flatbread chips into homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus sounds divine, doesn’t it?

What ways can you think of using this Broccoli Flatbread?

If you read my previous post for the Raspberry Mousse & Chia Parfait then you’ll recall the recipe came from Green Kitchen at Home.  That recipe plus this Broccoli Flatbread also came from there.  In fact, the authors put together a video showing just how easy the Broccoli Flatbread is to create.  I thought I’d share it with you here from their YouTube video associated with their blog Green Kitchen Stories.

Broccoli Flatbread

If you're a bread lover you'll love this gluten-free vegetarian Broccoli Flatbread even if you're not gluten-free.  It's so flavorful, you won't be able to stop eating it.  Enjoy it sandwiched around your favorite foods; for breakfast topped with avocado & eggs; the base for pizza, or anyway you choose.  I enjoy it solo as well.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large head of raw broccoli
  • 100 g / 1 cup almond flour / ground almonds
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp dried herbs of choice (oregano, thyme, lemon pepper), optional
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Coarsely chop the broccoli (the stem too), place in food processor and blend to a fine rice-like texture.
  3. Measure 4 cups / 1 liter of the vegetable ‘rice’ and place in a mixing bowl. Add almond flour (ground almonds), salt and pepper (plus herbs, if using) and mix with your hands.
  4. Make a well in the center and add eggs. Whisk the eggs with a fork.
  5. Use your hands to pull the dry ingredients towards the middle until everything is combined and you can shape it into a ball. It should be more loose and wet than a traditional bread dough.
  6. Transfer dough to parchment paper and form into a rectangular base by flattening the dough with your hands.
  7. Bake on the middle rack in the oven for 23-25 minutes or until slightly golden and firm.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
  9. Place a cutting board or another sheet pan on top of the cooked flatbread.  Turn it upside-down and carefully remove the baking paper. Cut into bread-sized slices and store in the fridge.
Notes:  In addition to the Broccoli Flatbread you can also create a Beet Flatbread or Carrot Flatbread.  Following the recipe above only subbing out the broccoli for 1/2 cauliflower & 1/2 beets or carrots.
Adapted from: Green Kitchen at Home

Hungry for more? Savor these?

Sesame Crisps for Tuna Poke

Pistachio-Parmesan Cheese Straws

Pumpkin Spice Crackers

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

5 comments

  1. Love the egg! And the bread, of course. Fun recipe — thanks!

  2. Delicious! Just like cauliflower bread…low carbs can be so fun too.

  3. I adore breads, but carbs are not my friend anymore. This looks like a fabulous alternative!

  4. This is such an awesome and delicious recipe! Broccoli rules!

  5. Hello Vicki!

    I was so excited when i found this recipe I made it that very same night. But I have to confess, I can not ever follow a recipe – so I added a few things 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese and 2 Tbls ground Chia seeds and 2 grated garlic cloves. The bread came out wonderfully! The flavor is fabulous and I am thrilled to make it again. I am still eating it! But it does not toast up very well at all. I have tried toasting and broiling and it takes forever and it gets hot but only the edeges crisp up! I am wondering what you think about baking it on the outside grill on a pizza stone with no parchment paper if that might make it more crispy. Anyway – this is a great recipe and thank you for sharing / posting. I will sign up for your newsletters for sure!

Leave a Comment »