za'atar crusted eggplant // tomato basil naan flat bread's

If you are not a fan of eggplant these just might change your mind; mind blowing good. Homemade garlic naan, vine ripened tomatoes, za'atar crusted eggplant, pesto & fresh basil, super simple and amazingly good - they were a huge hit at our book club meeting last week, of all the people, my gram loved them the most and let me tell you, she can be finicky lady when it comes to food.

 I have touched upon my book club in a few different posts over the years, one of my readers asked that I expand on the history of our book club and how our club works. Our club, Reading between the wines' was formed March of 2010. After a major battle with my health (you can read my story here), I decided to take back my life and begin enjoying all things I loved and missed out on while sick, this included starting Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes and forming a book club. The very first book club pick was The Shack,  one of my favorite reads to date. During this first gathering we decided, as a group, the frequency in which we would meet - it was decided that every other month would be a great start. Our last scheduled read of the year is scheduled for September/October, given the business of the holiday season we opt not to meet in November & December, joining back up for January/February.  During our next club meeting a name was decided upon - that was easy, we love wine and reading, thus reading between the wines' was meant born!

 Our club is on the smaller side, we have about 5-6 consistent members with a few that drop in once or twice a year. Book pick turns are rotated between members, the person who selects the book also hosts the gathering. Our get togethers take place the 3rd Tuesday of  every other month, we keep a running list of what books selected along with who choose them & the month they hosted. I love looking back at the books we have read as a group and recalling the conversations the book inspired, the ladies that make up our group are all very opinionated and bright which makes for great conversation!

Along with excellent conversation, good company and plenty of spirits, there is never any shortage of excellent food too nosh on. We started to theme our potlucks around the book and/or season the meeting took place in. Our theme for August " Share your favorite Summer Inspired Appetizer!" - for me, anything to do with in season veggies is a favorite. I shared with you last Thursday these super adorable crudites and today I am sharing with you an amazing garlicky naan flat bread recipe topped with a ton of summer flavor.

Basil has found its way into most of my meals these days, this recipe was a perfect way to use up some of the basil surplus I currently have in the Garden in 2 different ways; fresh & in the form of pesto.

Za'atar is a middle eastern spice that was introduced to me by my Lebanese friend. A combination of dried herbs; sumac, thyme, savory, oregano & sesame seeds along with a bit of salt creates an amazing spice blend referred to as Za'atar, if you can find it I highly recommend stocking it in your pantry. Each side of the eggplant is generously sprinkled with salt and za'atar then baked until soft and golden.

Making your own naan is ridiculously simple, from start to finish a batch of naan takes me about 15 minutes, which includes the kneading, resting and shaping time. Naan flat bread is a great alternative to pizza crust and requires only a burner or grille versus an oven. No excuses, if you don't have the motivation to make the full fledged flat bread recipe, at least make the garlicky naan!

Are you a member or creator of a book club or simply a lover of literature, if you are I would love to hear about your book club experiences or favorites reads in the comments below!

Za'atar Crusted Eggplant Garlicky Naan Flatbreads

makes 4 naan flatbreads

you will need:
Small Eggplant sliced into half rounds (about 1/4" thick)
Salt
1 tbsp Za' taar
Olive Oil

Assorted Heirloom tomatoes quartered and sliced into bite size easy to eat pieces

Fresh basil
Pesto

for the garlic naan bread
inspired by food doodles 5 minute naan

1 1/4 cup flour*

2/3 cup soygurt

pinch salt salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 garlic clove minced

coconut oil & vegan butter

olive oil

assembly:
*pre heat oven to 400
  Place the half rounds of eggplant on an oiled rimmed baking sheet , salt & season both side with Za'atar. Spray with olive oil & roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

 make the flatbreads:

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in the  soygurt  & garlic until flour is well moistened. Dust your surface with flour and turn out dough, use enough flour to keep your hands from sticking when kneading the dough. Knead until you achieve a smooth round ball. Using a knife or dough scraper, divide the ball of dough into 4 equal pieces.

Working with 1 section at a time, covering the remaining dough - dust a rolling pin and work surface with flour and roll your dough out into a round - turning as you roll to prevent dough from sticking. Roll to the thickness of your liking. Repeat with the three remaining sections of dough until you have 4 rounds.

Heat a medium frying pan over medium/ high heat- you may need adjust the heat throughout the process to ensure the pan does not run too hot. I typically start on medium/high and then adjust down to medium/low.
Place a dot of  vegan butter & coconut oil in the pan, working quickly swirl the butter/oil in the pan and add one round of dough - cover with a tight fitting lid which will create steam. Cook for about a minute or until the underside of the flatbread is spotted golden brown- flip, cover and cook the other side for about 30-45 seconds. Transfer flatbread to a plate and repeat the process for remaining flatbreads.

*The flatbreads can be made with whole wheat flour, spelt flour or all purpose flour - I have made the flatbreads with all three of these flours with great success.

Spread each naan with prepared pesto, top with roasted eggplant, tomatoes and basil. Serve at room temp or store in the fridge until ready to serve, re warm in a 170* oven for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Enjoy!