Cauliflower Flatbread w/ Cashew Parsley Pesto
Jan 17, 2017 (Last updated Aug 26, 2022) by Hannah Sunderani
Cauliflower Flatbread w/ Cashew Parsley Pesto
I’d like to begin by saying that YES; this flatbread is made with cauliflower! I really can’t believe how this veg transformed into something so bread-like and tasty! And before you wonder what rock I was living under for the past 5-years, let me tell you that I TRIED! I gave this veg to bread conversion a try on many occasions, but with little success. The issue was that many of the recipes advised cooking the cauliflower ahead of time, and then straining it through a cheesecloth to remove the excess water, and then to bake it at low temperatures for 1-2 hours. Oh the things I would endure for a gluten-free crust! But after much effort and too many hungry friends I decided to switch flower for flour. No more finicky shenanigans. I was destined to stick to the good-old-fashioned wheat crust till the end of time!
The cauliflower flatbread however peaked my interest once again by the vegan expert, Edgarraw. Upon scrolling through Instagram I stubbled upon his beautiful vegan pizza with a dark and crunchy thin crust. A dark and thin crust pizza…that’s the key to my heart. But in fact, it wasn’t the cauliflower that had me falling for this recipe. It was the almond meal, which was repurposed from making homemade almond milk. Another way to my heart? Repurposing foods that are typically left for compost. Take my Forgotten Fruit Crumble for example. I LOVE the feeling of saving food! Actually, it’s one of my favourite things about having a dog….and a husband for that matter! An unfinished meal is never forgotten when you have two of these around. And that “thunk” sound, which was becoming all too common on my Sunday ritual of making homemade almond milk, as meal hit the can, was really starting to bury its way into my guilty conscience. But now, I had a purpose for the scraps! Thank you Edgar! I love how he had introduced this creative way to turn the scraps into something so gourmet. I mean common – you’re telling me that I can make the creamiest sommilkier almond milk, AND THEN turn around and make a pizza with the scraps? In what perfect world can you have your milk and pizza-it too?
And so I got to testing the recipe; adapting it and adding my own flare to suit my preferences. The outcome was an easy peasy almond meal and cauliflower flatbread. There is no pre-cooking, straining, or extremely long baking for this recipe. It’s SUPER simple and completely vegan. What’s more is just how flavourful this flatbread is. It’s made by infusing the base with ingredients like nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion power and salt and pepper. The taste is PREMIUM. So delicious that it can be enjoyed on its own with no toppings at all. And trust me – when the crust is this good it’s easy to forgo the toppings all-together!
But, if you have more self-control than me then the pesto spread and toppings are worth the wait. This pesto combines parsley with cashew, instead of traditional basil and pine nut; and I LOVE this combination. Especially in winter as parsley is much easier to find and cheaper than basil. Spread this pesto over the flatbread and it’s a meal fit for a king. Top it with roasted cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radish, kale and pomegranate seeds and it’s one fit for an emperor. Perhaps if townsmen had courted their Emperor with this flatbread their wishes would have been granted. And Emperors would have been a lot more likeable! And maybe it would have avoided a lot of revolutionary uprisings. Just saying…
But honestly, this flatbread is a true crown, er- I mean, crowd-pleaser. And can be adored warm or cold. It surpasses the skeptic-stamp of approval having been tried by Mitch’s work colleagues at his potluck lunch. And if the French can adore this vegan-dish, I like to think it’s a cooking success!
Just one thing to note – You’ll notice that when preparing the dough it looks and feels similar to traditional. Although it’s a little more sticky, especially as it gets thinner it can get stuck to the weight of the rolling pin. So, I encourage you to layer parchment paper overtop of the dough as you roll it out. Here’s how I do it:
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First flatten the dough onto parchment paper with your hands to create a rectangular shape. Flatten it out to be about 2-3 inches thick.
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Layer parchment paper over top of the dough and set your rolling pin on top. Roll overtop of the parchment paper until the dough is 1/4 inch thick. This way you can get it nice and thin crust without it sticking to the rolling pin.
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Peel off the paper and you’re left with a thin flatbread crust ready to bake!
Now go enjoy this crowd-pleasing flatbread ladies and gents. I’m sure it will be hot commodity in your home too; perhaps with a side of that creamy homemade almond milk. 😉
Cauliflower Flatbread with Cashew Parsley Pesto
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1/4 cup chia seeds ground
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups cauliflower shredded
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the Cashew Parsley Pesto:
- 2 cups parsley
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
Additional toppings:
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil plus more if needed
- 1/2 cup kale chopped
- 1/4 cup radish thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Make chia egg by adding whisking together ground chia and water. Let absorb for at least 10 minutes.
- In a food processor pulse cauliflower until it shredded. (Or grate by hand). Then add to a large mixing bowl with almond meal, buckwheat flour, chia egg, nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. Knead with your hands to create a large doughy ball.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and transfer dough on top. Roll it out to be 1/4 inch thick.** Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, make your cashew parsley pesto: In a food processor add parsley, cashews, oil and lemon. Pulse until combined.
- Paint cherry tomatoes with oil and cook in oven on broil for 10 minutes, or until bursted and slightly charred.
- Lather flatbread with pesto and top with roasted tomatoes, chopped kale, radish, and pomegranate.
Notes
Approvals
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