socca ( flatbread) pizza with chickpea flour

We have been trying to find breads that are friendlier to our guts. Something that doesn't make us feel like a can of popped biscuits after eating. ( aka bread belly or bloating).  A friend suggested experimenting with chickpea flour. We bought 3 pounds from a local health food store ( Breadroot) from the bulk bin for a little over 2 bucks. 

The next day I perused through the Internet and Pinterest and combined several of the recipes into one. I was apprehensive because most of the pizza crusts I was seeing were crispy, and that's my least favorite.  I had already decided to make pizza because my pizza sauce takes several hours. ( I mix tomato sauce with spices from Piedmont Spice Co. and let sit for several hours... It takes 2 minutes to make, but hours for the taste to be just so... (Then store in fridge for up to 10 days). 

When I had found the dough recipe I was willing to experiment with, I was excited and nervous. What was the dough going to taste like?? What about texture...after all chickpeas are beans that I make hummus with, will it be gritty? What if it's bland? What is my back up plan for a recipe flop ? ( it was English muffin pizzas). 

It turned out perfect and made 3 personal sized flatbread pizzas once finished and cut, though there were only 2 of us home.....so we shared the other piece later because it was SO good. Usually we opt for leftovers and try not to overeat, but this was new and different and healthy....we indulged and I can't wait to make it again come pizza cravings or when in a pinch for something super quick and easy. Dan does most of the cutting here as my fine motor isn't great, and though I have adaptive devices ( thumb spica splints and a veggie holder) when he is home he cuts because it scares him when I use a knife. 

Socca pizza compiled from the Internet, Pinterest, and my impulsivity with spices. 

Special note: editing difficulties encountered. Can't see bottom of what I just wrote. After you cook the dough: Keep oven on and take pan out to add sauce and toppings ( directions below) 
Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until cheese is good and melted. Remove from oven and let sit for a couple minutes. Slice into as many pieces as you want. We sliced three long flat breads

Grease a small glass pan. ( mine is a rectangle casserole dish- much smaller than a cake ban but bigger than a bread pan) Preheat oven to 450

Ingredients I used
DOUGH
1 cup chickpea flour
2 TBSP olive Oil
Italian Spices
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
1 c lukewarm Water
Whisk in bowl until smooth...pour into greased dish ( see above) bake for 10-12 minutes ( bottom will be brown and dough will look like a cooked pancake texture. 
. 
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Add Pizza sauce ( 8 oz tomato sauce with various spices) spread with the bottom of a ladle 
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Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese so toppings don't slide off
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Toppings: ( what I used) 
Very thin sliced tomatoes ( pepperoni thin) from neighbors garden
Artichoke hearts
Sweet red peppers chopped (from neighbors garden again!)
1/4 c feta cheese
1 c mixed mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. ( I had read you can use a food processor to crumble the shredded cheese but I wasn't feeling THAT adventurous with a new recipe) 
Slicked black olives
Thin sliced purple onion ringlets

the little Red hen baked the bread

prefacing this post by promising  it is not politically motivated. I am however voting not on what the candidates are saying or have SAID but by what they have or have Not DONE.  Seeing what people do with the things they talk about has been grinding on my heart lately. Lots of cliches and even songs are written about action not words. Yes, words are important. Speak life into your loved ones but follow up with action.

The ability to listen to someone with an open heart and mind is fairly easy when you care about them ( for me anyhow). Hear me out. I love listening to people talk. I love stories, I love learning about people. I am an active listener and have been striving to get better about thoughtful responses.  Don't get me wrong, I dont mean always kind- I mean I think about it a bit before I respond.  I'd much rather share conversation with someone who says " let me think about that for a minute" than one that jolts out a shallow response. In speaking there is indeed action.  It is harder when emotions are heating up, or when you are waiting for them to make a mistake in their speaking. Those looking for an argument are sure to find it. That's an action as well.

The meat of this post is that I have been honing in on comparing what people talk about vs. what they do about it. Everyone. Not just close family and friends, not just political persona and stars. Everyone. I hear a lot of people say " there is nothing I can do about it" after describing a situation. There are many things that are out of our control. Zillions of things we can do nothing about. I do believe that idleness causes trouble. There is a difference between reflecting and being idle.

I know this post is contradictory in many ways. I am not saying people should be busy bodies. But know that people are watching to see if your actions match your words. I said I would write more and have told a few people as a way of accountability. I'm writing now at 5:42, though I've been awake since 4 a.m. Due to bilateral hip and foot pain. I've drank coffee, written a small card to my Uncle who mentioned no one writes letters anymore two days ago. That's active listening. 

Each day I make a to do list. Sometimes I add more things to the list that I've already done just to scratch them off and feel productive. Our days don't always go as planned. There is something each of us can do everyday. As our society tries to mold us through media during the digital revolution, I dare you to pause and thoughtfully reflect. 

What is it that you should be doing? 

Maybe it is resting to replenish your body. Maybe it's reading in order to switch gears and get your mind off of something else. These are healthy actions. What else do you need to do today? I don't mean the checklist of daily chores. Something to change yourself, even a tiny bit. Perhaps you haven't laughed in awhile and need to find a way to do that. It's possible the weight of the world seems upon your shoulders and you need to reach out for help or a listening ear as burdens are heavy and press you down. 

Or.... Something to encourage or help another person no matter how small of an impact you think you might make. Some days you are so busy trying to get through your today that you forget there are many 'any bodies' that could use 5 minutes or 5 dollars or five hugs or 5 meals or 5 small favors from you. I love being able to end a conversation by thanking someone for reminding me that I need to do something about 'this or that'...then ACTUALLY doing it. Its impossible for anyone to follow through with every single thing they talk about. Although, it is entirely possible to start paying attention to what others do in comparison to what they say. You can learn a lot about them, but more essential you can learn about yourself. Learning is action.

2 cups of coffee down the hatch and signing,

Sleepless but not devoid of sleep, Syd.

Ratatouille recipe

As Fall kicks in here in the Midwest, Gardners are frantically looking for people to give their zucchini to. You see them coming with a bag and you want to run, right? I LOVE the produce from local Farmers markets, and overflow from friends gardens this time of year. There are a lot of salsa makers out there, so I'm sticking to salsa verde made from tomatillos, freezing my peppers & making jam and jelly if I feel good.

When you have too many of anything it can become cumbersome if you don't can, or are tired of it. If you've never made Ratatuille, it is kind of a French vegetable stew, but that doesn't describe it properly. I'd say it's a medley of veggies when made properly is great fresh, can be eaten cold, and is an even better leftover. Though it is a vegetarian recipe, it is hearty and eats like a meal, or can be a side dish.

I have a basic recipe and then add for larger batches. 

The trick to ratatouille is to lightly sauté then sweat each of the vegetable sets and spices separately to get them to cook down. Then you put them in a bowl and do the next batch. Eventually they all end up back in the pot and you add the tomatoes and let it simmer. It might sound time consuming, but it's not a ton of effort. I will list my basic ingredients coupled in order as to which ones I cook together.

NOTE: I have heard you can cook them all together, but they will lose their shape and texture and I've never tried it.

For seasonings: salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, crushed bay leaves, oregano...and the **key secret ingredient is added near the end: fresh lavender from your local health food store.

iNGREDIENTS

• About ½ cup olive oil
• 1 eggplant with skin on, into 1-inch sized cubes ( 4 cups)
• 3 medium zucchini  cut in 1-inch cubes (3 cups) ( half if using other squash like yellow)
• 2-3 onions depending on size. sliced or julienne :5-6 cloves garlic; peeled, crushed, minced  (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2–3 green ( or variety colored) peppers cut into 1-inch squares ( 3 cups)
• 4–5 well-ripened tomatoes; peeled, halved, and coarsely cubed (4 cups)
• 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
• ½ cup water
• 2 teaspoons salt ( to taste) 
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Additional seasonings : crushed bay leaves, cumin, oregano, coriander, *fresh lavender 

Directions

1. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in Big skillet. 
2. First sauté the eggplant cubes, ( 5-9 minutes or so ; remove with slotted spoon and transfer to a large bowl.. (The eggplant absorbs most oil while cooking than the other vegetables.) 
3. Then sauté the zucchini  until browned, about 8 minutes. Then put those in the bowl. 
4. Add about ¼ cup more oil to the pan and sauté the onions, garlic and peppers together for at least  6 minutes. leave these in the skillet, or get a bigger saucepan if they won't all fit. 
5. Add the tomatoes,, water, salt, and pepper ( and your seasonings) to the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, squirt in lime or lemon juice, COVER and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Check it often. It's okay to stir, but don't stir too much or it will be mushy. Reduce heat as needed. It just needs to simmer. 
6. Remove the cover, increase the heat to medium, and cook another 20 minutes, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid; stir only to prevent scorching. Add about 1/4 c fresh lavender and cook about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.  Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before serving. So all tastes are melded well.