Italian Flax Bread with Broccoli Pesto

I cannot remember the last time I ate a piece of bread. I think it was 2007 or maybe 2006. Bread was the first thing to go on my (long) road to the clean diet I eat today. To be clear, I do not have Celiac disease or any known gluten allergy. I am just a strong believer that the human body functions much much better without consuming gluey, inflammatory, and hard to digest foods such as bread (and meat and dairy for that matter).

The bread basket has zero appeal for me these days. Zero. Many people ask me if I consume gluten free breads and my short answer is "no." I personally just don't see the point when there are so many other delicious, whole foods out there to eat. I would rather wrap my wrap in a collard leaf than a gluten free tortilla any day. And pasta? Well, I never really cared much for it and spaghetti squash is just such an amazing alternative.

The one type of "bread" I am into is flax bread. Flax bread is incredibly easy to make and unlike it's grain based cousins is loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and Omega 3's. You certainly won't get those benefits from a slice of sourdough!

This Italian spiced version of flax bread topped with my new favorite pesto (I recently made a HUGE batch to freeze for emergencies) is a great hors d'oeuvres to serve at a cocktail party. Just a note of caution, if you are new to eating flax TAKE IT SLOW. Flax is extremely high in fiber and can sometimes have a cramping and or laxative effect on newbies. So have a few pieces to start, not the whole batch!

Italian Flax Bread with Broccoli Pesto

• 2 cup ground flax
• 1 1/2  cups water
• 2 T nama shoyu or tamari
•  2 T garlic powder
• 2 T onion powder
• 1 oregano
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 1 batch Broccoli Pesto (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a mixing bowl combine the ground flax and water. Stir until a thick dough is formed.
3. Add all other ingredients (except the pesto) to the bowl and stir until throughly combined.
4. Spread the dough evenly in a rectangular shape on Silpat lined baking sheet.
5. Bake at 400 for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.
6. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.
7. Top each square with a small spoonful of pesto.

Broccoli Pesto

• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 3 big handfuls of fresh basil ( about 1 cup)
• juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• sea salt
• black pepper

1. Steam the broccoli for 5-6 minutes until tender. Drain and pat dry.
2. In a food processor combine the steamed broccoli, basil, garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, sea salt and pepper until smooth.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste.