Brought to you by mom, wife, and dog rescuer, Telma Garcia, this cactus flatbread wrap is the first of its kind on the Flatout website. Make this easy, cool and crisp cactus wrap when the weather starts getting warm and cactus are at their peak. Read more about Telma and her work here. Thanks, Telma, we can’t wait to make this amazing flatbread wrap!

Flatout Flatbread Cactus Salad Wrap

Developed by: Telma Garcia
Blog name & URL: At The Fire Hydrant / www.atthefirehydrant.com

Yield: Makes 1

One of the jobs I had that I always forget about was helping out at an Italian deli a good friend of mine owned. It all started innocently enough: he and I were coffee friends. I’d stop by for a coffee, we’d get to chatting, then he’d have to run off to help unload a delivery truck in the alley, so I would answer the telephone, if needed. Or ring someone one up at the cash register, if he couldn’t make it. Or unpack a box of canned Roma tomatoes that a busy customer just ‘had’ to have. Before long, I was helping out by making sandwiches to order behind the counter. It never felt like work, though, because in the idle moments I could invent new recipes for sandwiches, and of course, nibble!

Italian delis always have trays of roasted vegetables marinated in olive oil, just hanging out begging to be added to a sandwich or pizza. Slices of eggplant, tender filets of roasted red peppers, and in the summertime, zucchini. I made so many sandwiches using these simple ingredients and just a schmear of pesto, so is it any surprise at all that I translate this sweet, simple sandwich into a flatbread recipe for my flatbread loving friends? I didn’t think so.

Roasting all your vegetables at a higher temperature makes them cook faster and gets them brown and crispy on the edges, especially the eggplant. Feel free to roast up a larger batch of vegetables and drizzle the leftovers with a couple glugs of olive oil to have ready the next time you make this lovely little flatbread recipe, which I know you will.

Amy at Flatout

Going meatless doesn’t mean that all you eat is cheese and potato chips, contrary to what so many of my college roommates thought. One of my old friends decided to become a vegetarian and made ‘nachos’ in the microwave, every day, with potato chips and cheddar cheese. After she took them out of the microwave, she covered the plate with salsa, which was, for many months, the only thing she ate that could be considered, even remotely, a vegetable.

Oh, if only I could have introduced her to flatbread, or, at the very least, white bean purée. The poor thing could have eaten some protein and fiber, too, instead of those greasy, nuked chips slathered in cheese. We can only hope that she has broadened her diet somewhat, or maybe that she has incorporated more vegetables into those nachos she loved so much.

If you are reading this, old roomie, please buy some flatbread! Please bake some chips in the oven and make your own nachos using delicious beans and roasted vegetables! Read this month’s fabulous meatless recipes, and make them for yourself and your family! Make this recipe, too, using tender first of the season asparagus and a white bean purée you can make yourself, in no time. No microwave required. And this recipe has more real vegetables than salsa. There’s a whole world of delicious vegetables for us omnivores to try. And this Tuscan inspired white bean recipe is way better than microwaved potato chip nachos, hands down.

The surprise zing this flatbread recipe has comes from my favorite pickled red onions made a little bit in advance and stored in your refrigerator to add to almost everything. The vinegar tones down the onions somewhat and cuts back on the lingering flavor of raw onion in your mouth the rest of the day. The delicious crunch of the onions add a lot to this flatbread wrap, as you will soon discover.

Amy at Flatout

Chef Bethany gives high calorie fast food burritos a run for their money with this simple recipe for a super fast, super healthy burrito that you can whip up on the go. One bite and we promise you you’ll never get back in that line.