Italian Food
I love Italian food. The fresh ingredients, the simple preparation, the gnocchi, pizza and pasta. So it was a bit of a dream crusher when I was told I could no longer eat gluten. In any form. What was I going to do?
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Luckily Italian food isn’t all pizza and pasta. There are quite a few gluten free options, and the cuisine is generally characterized by simplicity, fresh AF ingredients (TOMATOES! BASIL!) and the regional variety of dishes.
Italian food also falls under the umbrella of the Mediterranean diet, which is commonly referred to as one of the best and heart healthy diets in the world. The pillars are fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, olive oil, tomatoes, whole grains, dairy, red wine. You had me at hello. I happily eat most of those pillars.
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One of my new favorite dishes is farinata, which is an unleavened flatbread or crepe, made with chickpea flour. It can be eaten on it’s own or topped however you choose. Traditionally, farinata is simply seasoned with rosemary, sea salt and pepper. I spiced things up a bit and added my own non-Italian-but-seriously-nutrient-dense-flair and topped with tomatoes and basil, because tomatoes and basil.
Have you ever had Farinata? ——
🍅1 1/4 cup chickpea flour (I used @bobsredmill)
🍅1 cup veggie stock or water (veggie stock will add more nutrient density)
🍅1/2 cup grated zuchini
🍅1/2 cup spinach, chopped
🍅2 tbsp olive oil
🍅1 tbsp reishi powder (I used @ommushrooms)
🍅1/2 tsp garlic powder
🍅1/2 tsp onion powder
🍅1/4 tsp salt
🍅1/4 tsp pepper
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🍅Preheat oven to 425F
🍅Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and let sit for 20 minutes.
🍅While the batter is chillin’, place a high sided small cookie sheet in the oven to heat up for 10 minutes.
🍅Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and line with parchment paper. Add a bit of olive oil to the paper and sides
🍅Pour batter on cookie sheet, use the back of a spatula to spread out evenly
🍅Bake for 7 minutes, rotate cookie sheet for another 7-8 minutes or until the sides are browned.
🍅Remove from the oven and let cook for a few minutes.
🍅Top with all the things if that honks your horn – tomatoes/basil or avocado
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Shana Robinson 