Spring Greens Flatbread

Time for another Meatless Monday post.  This grain called Quinoa has been inspiring me to look at alternate forms of protein lately.  I'm not so sure I could go full vegetarian and not feel like I was missing out on a bunch of possibilities, but I do want to try to be healthier and more environmentally friendly.  Right now my budget doesn't allow me to buy all my foods organic and cage free and all that good stuff, but one of my goals is to get to that point.  For now I'll have to settle on opting out of meat once in a while in order to meet some of those goals sooner rather than later.

This recipe is inspired by my Fall Veggie Flatbread.  However, since Spring has sprung, it needed a face lift.  One of the things I love most about Spring is the blooming and the greenery returning to the world.  I'm glad that in LA it's warm enough all year long that we don't have to spend months with bare trees and ominous weather, but it does take away some of the excitement of the annual rebirth of plants and return of wildlife.

This dish drew as much green from the produce draw as I could find to help replicate this phenomenon.  I also wanted to work in that elusive protein that my mother always worries about when I tell her I am changing up my diet.  So I pulled out my quinoa and dusted off the edamame I had in the freezer to make this probably one of the most well rounded recipes I've eaten in quite a while.  Just between you and me, I've been using a calorie counter website recently to see how well I'm actually eating vs. how I think I'm eating, and I have been lacking in a lot of key nutrients fairly regularly.  Hopefully this recipe will help get me back on track.

Spring Greens Flatbread

Ingredients:

Dough (see Fall Veggie Flatbread for recipe)
1/4 cup of Edamame
1/2 cup of White Onion slices
1/2 cup of Zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup of Asparagus, chopped
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
Splash of Lemon Juice
Black Pepper to taste
1/2 cup of Mozzarella
1/4 cup of Parmesan
1/4 cup of uncooked Quinoa
1/2 cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar plus more for dipping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

 Boil quinoa and water in a small sauce pan.  Once the water boils, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover.  Let cook until all water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, coat vegetables in olive oil.  Season with pepper and lemon juice.  Spread on a baking sheet and roast in oven for about 10 minutes.

Spread dough onto greased baking sheet.

Once the quinoa is done cooking, mix with balsamic vinegar and spread on dough.  Top with cheese and veggies.

Bake for 20 minutes or until crust begins to brown.