I know every new day is a fresh start, full of promise in trying Paleo recipes and building a new repertoire. It’s exciting, right? Mostly yes, it is. But when regular life demands more of my attention, it’s great when the pressure of what to make for dinner lightens up a little.

We’re talking recipe repeats. Aside from the morning glory muffins, I haven’t had too many things that I’d want to make regularly. And while it’s interesting to keep trying new recipes every day, it’s also a little tiring. Lots to chalk up to experience, and to know what not to do next time, but so far I haven’t added many Paleo recipes to my arsenal.

One that has earned a spot is the eggplant flatbread. When I first tried it, it was as an alternative for puff pastry and, in some ways, I actually liked it better. Did I really just say that? Better than puff pastry?

I need to qualify that a little. First, I wasn’t aiming to make a Paleo puff pastry substitute. I knew it wasn’t going to be light or flaky in the least, just flat. But it surprised me by having a multigrain-like quality — dense, flavorful and chewy. That I wasn’t expecting. A most pleasant surprise, especially considering the underwhelming results I’ve had with Paleo breads.

I decided to try the flatbread as a base for pizza. It was the original use for the flatbread in Make It Paleo, plus pizza is one of those things that, when done well, I can’t seem to get enough of. Usually that means a substantial chewy crust with a few little air pockets, like what you would find at Pizzeria Barbarella and Campagnolo here in Vancouver. Or what you could get with the homemade pizza I’ve been making in the past year. I’m really missing my pizza.

The verdict? Definitely not a chewy crust with air pockets, and not something you could pick up and eat with your hands. (I’m more a knife-and-fork pizza eater anyway.) But with the roasted tomato sauce, good goat cheese and capicollo, it turned out to be a fine stand-in, when options are so limited. A keeper, as my Mom would have said.

 

More on the Paleo diet challenge:
Why I’m doing it in the first place
My plan for the 30 days