Garbanzo Beans...In a cake!

If you liked the espresso black bean brownie recipe that I posted a few months ago, you should try this cake out!

Below is a recipe I was pleasantly pleased with @ Christmas...Most Flourless Chocolate Cake recipes are loaded with added butter and sugar.  I tweaked a healthier version that I found on allrecipes.com (that uses garbanzo beans) and came up with this super rich, chocolate addict satisfier. This cake is high in protein and fiber, and much lower in added sugar than your average chocolate cake recipe.  There is no flour, making it gluten free!
Enjoy:-)

Garbanzo Double Chocolate Cake

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 c semisweet chocolate chips

1 (19 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed

 (I used 1 16 oz can garbanzo's and 3 oz great northern beans)

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 T cocoa powder

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9-in round cake pan.

Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.  Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Place the beans and eggs into a food processor.  Process until smooth.  Add the honey, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and cocoa powder; Blend well with bean and egg mixture, until you have a pureed batter.  Pour in the melted chocolate chips and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed.  Transfer the batter into prepared cake pan.

Bake for 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.  Cool.

Pour and smooth glaze over top and sprinkle with ~ 1/2-3/4 cup sliced almonds. (toasted).  Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.  Serve with whipped cream or lowfat vanilla ice cream.

Glaze:  Melt 4 oz (1/2 c) dark chocolate chips and 3 T butter in small saucepan, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat, stir in 1 T milk, 1 T agave nectar (or honey) and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.  Let cool slightly, cover cake.







Homemade Larabars

Almost a month since I've blogged. Ah. A little internship update... I'll say my last rotation was very busy-I just finished my longest rotation at the hospital (clinical).  It was SO great... I definitely learned a ton working at the hospital and was challenged greatly- but, the rotation didn't leave much time for extras such as blogging:-)   At any rate, I am super excited about my next rotation with Cooking Matters, a program out of Denver which I will travel to various locations and teach cooking/healthy eating & nutrition classes to the less fortunate.  I don't think I could have picked a better degree!
I was able to come home for a few days for Christmas...Tomorrow, we (the fam) are headed to go cross country skiing. Tonight I made some homemade Larabars for tomorrow's little outing...

These are my favorite gluten free fruit and nut bars.  They contain anywhere from ~ 3-5 ingredients (which are all natural).  They are simple, healthy, and packed full of protein and fiber.
Homemade Larabars are super easy to make.  I went to the Larabar site (www.larabar.com) and created some flavors to mimic those of Larabar. (Note: This week Larabar released their new flavor-CAPPUCCINO. YUM!...can't wait to try my soon-to-be favorite flavor!) 
Below are the 4 different recipes I came up with...Enjoy!

LARABARS


Directions: (for all four bars)

1.  Coat a small clear baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Combine all ingredients in food processor.

3.  Process until all ingredients are chopped well, and start to form a ball.

4.  Remove mixture from processor and press into bottom of baking dish, forming a layer approximately 1/2" thick.

5.  Place in refrigerator for 1 hr.  Remove and cut into bars. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Poppyseed

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

2 tsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 T poppyseeds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almond Cookie
1/2 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cappuccino

1/4 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup raisins

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 T walnuts & pecans (mixed and toasted)

2 tsp instant coffee or whole coffee beans

dash of seat salt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mocha Crunch

1/4 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup raisins

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup + 2 T walnuts & pecans (mixed and toasted)

2 tsp instant coffee or whole coffee beans

dash of seat salt

1 T dark chocolate chips

2 tsp cocoa powder

These bars (Larabar brand or homemade) are both gluten free!

Merry Christmas!!!

Sweet Sweet Pancakes

The idea of sweet potatoes in pancakes may not sound too appetizing...but-these are the most flavorful, moist and de-lish pancakes...give them a chance and you will be pleasantly surprised:-)
The base of this recipe comes from a vegetarian Moosewood cookbook that I loooove-it has unique recipes that you won't find in any ordinary cookbook-Such as putting sweet potatoes in pancakes!
I tweaked this recipe to make it a bit healthier, gluten and dairy free...
For my "syrup", I have a TON of fresh cranberries...so I made a spiced cranberry syrup-The cranberries and sweet potatoes go together great-you'll think you're feasting on another thanksgiving meal all over again;-)
Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup peeled and grated raw sweet potatoes OR 1 cup canned sweet potato puree (@ any health food store by the canned pumpkin)

1/4-1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon peel (I just added a sprinkle of lem. juice)

1 large egg or 2 medium eggs

1 cup almond, soy or rice milk

2 T canola oil

3/4 cup sorghum flour

1/4 cup potato starch

1 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 T honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS: Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients just enough to combine completely.  Do not beat or overstir.  Set aside to rest for 5 mins. Heat sprayed skillet on med heat for ~5 mins.  Pour batter in skillet-(If you feel the batter is too thick, you may need to add more water as I ended up adding a bit at the end) After about 2 mins, once pancakes are bubbling on top, flip & cook the second side until lightly browned. 

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Spiced Cranberry Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup fresh cranberries

1/4 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp smart balance spread (or any light oil spread)

1/2 c apple juice

1/2 c water

dash salt

sprinkle of cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan; cook on low-med heat for ~15 minutes with lid.  The last 5 mins, stir and remove lid so liquid can reduce.  Once the cranberries are a syrupy consistency, remove from heat and top pancakes.  Enjoy!!! 

 To make this recipe non-gluten & dairy free, omit the xanthan gum, and substitute 1 cup all purpose flour (or 1/4 c whole wheat flour & 3/4 c all purpose flour) in the place of the starch and sorghum flour. Use regular milk in the place of rice or almond milk.

Chicken Marsala and Sesame Kale

Tonight I was in a hurry to make something that was quick and didn't take a lot of time...well, actually, that's all of the time. Here's a great recipe that literally takes minutes (20 tops?) and is way de-lish, healthy, and of course, gluten free. This is a healthier alternative to a regular pasta marsala that is ladened-with-butter:-) (not your Olive Garden Marsala with 2000+ calories-yikes!) 
-Substitute regular flour for the rice flour and you'll have a "regular" marsala.
 Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 T rice flour (can use sorghum or white rice)

2 T Smart Balance spread or olive oil

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

3/4 c Marsala Cooking Wine

1/4 c water

2 T fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp rosemary

DIRECTIONS:

Pound chicken until thin.  Saute or boil until cooked in ~1 tsp olive oil.  In a separate skillet, melt spread (or olive oil) and saute mushrooms over med heat until browned, 10 mins.  Add wine, water, parsley and rosemary. Turn on low.  After chicken is cooked, cut in large chunks and dredge lightly on both sides with flour.  Stir coated chicken in w/ mushrooms mixture.  Keep on low heat, stirring once until sauce is thickened.

Sesame Kale

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bunch kale, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 T lemon juice

1/4 tsp pepper

1-2 tsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

Heat olive oil on med heat, add kale.  Saute for ~5 mins until kale slightly cooked.  Sprinkle lemon juice, pepper and seeds and mix while on stove.  Saute for another 2-3 mins until kale is slightly wilted. 

Remove from heat, and place chicken marsala mixture on bed of kale.

Enjoy!!!

                         (The pictures don't quite do it justice-not my expertise by any means;-)



~Millet-Colorado's Top Grain~

 Last year, I discovered a new grain that makes hearty salads and is also great as an alternative gluten free flour.  Millet is the yellow, round grain (seed) that I have been baking  & cooking with recently. While researching for an intern project, I realized millet is Colorado's #1 grown grain! Millet flour is a great, nutritionally rich (high protein as well) gf flour I love to make yeast breads and pizza crusts with. 

The whole grain itself can be used to make salads,  pilafs, soups, breads, sides or hot breakfast cereals.  Millet's texture mimics a cross between brown rice and quinoa. 

        Gluten free yeast bread with Millet flour..................

This annual grass is grown as a grain crop and is used for bird and livestock feed. (This is probably where you've most likely seen it-as birdseed!)

This is a great recipe I adapted from Rudi's GF website-A local CO bakery out of Boulder.  I made this salad tonight, and let me tell you...it is definitely blog-worthy...

Enjoy!!!

Warm Millet Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup of Millet; rinsed about 2 or 3 times and drained

2 1/4 cups of Water

1/2 – 8 oz pkg of Shiitake Mushrooms

1 orange. red or yellow Bell Pepper; diced

½ of an Onion; diced

1/4-1/2 can of Corn; drained

2 small or 1 large Scallions; green and white parts

 Mustard Vinaigrette (see recipe below)

1.5 tsp parsley

Salt and Pepper to taste

Basic Mustard Vinaigrette:

(Mix all ingredients below and whisk thoroughly to combine)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup Rice Vinegar

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Method:

• In a large pot (or wok), add the rinsed millet and dry it out from the rinsing over a medium low heat; keep it moving in the pan so it does not burn.
• After it is dry (about 2 minutes), add 1 tbsp of olive oil and continue to stir to coat the millet for about 1 more millet; remove the pan from the heat.
• In a second large pot with a heavy or a snug fitting lid, bring the 2 cups of water to a boil.
• Add the millet to the pot or water and bring the pot back to a boil; place the cover on and lower the heat to low. Set a timer for 25 minutes (do not uncover or touch the millet again until it is done).
• While the millet is simmering; in a large sauté pan or wok, sauté the onions and bell pepper in about 3 tbsps of olive oil over a medium low heat for about 4 minutes until the peppers and onions are slightly tender.
• Now add the corn and the shiitake mushrooms to the pan and raise the heat to high and continue to cook mixture for about 3 minutes; you are only looking to warm the corn and mushrooms through at this point. After the mixture is done, set aside and cover the pan to keep warm.
• Remove millet from stove, use a fork and fluff by raking the fork through the millet.
• Dump the millet into a large mixing bowl (big enough for the millet and vegetable mixture), add the vegetable mixture to the bowl along with the scallions and gently fold to combine.
• Add all of the vinaigrette to the millet mixture with your desired amount of salt and pepper and again fold gently to combine.
• This salad is great warm or cold! Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan and Vegetarian

Spiced Pear & Fig Crumble

One of my favorite dried fruits to cook with is in this recipe-Figs...Next to dates (the most addicting dried fruit evvverrr), figs rank quite high on my list.  They are naturally sweet and are a great little addition to baked goods, salads, etc. Figs are high in potassium, fiber and calcium as well!  With the addition of figs & pears to spice up a standard crisp recipe, and the subtraction of WAY too much butter and sugar that normal recipes call for, here is what I came up with!
*If you find it's too dry while baking, simply pour more apple juice over the top-It works great and won't mess a thing up!

For some added variety, I used three different types of pears (asian, bosc and anjou)...

   Spice Pear & Fig Crumble

INGREDIENTS:

1 apple, in thin slices (of choice)

3 pears, in thin slices (varied kinds)

3/4 cup apple juice or cider

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ c brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

¾ c white rice flour

½ cup oats

10 dried figs, sliced in small rounds (any type will work)

1/8 cup canola oil-drizzled on top

1 T margarine, chopped in small slivers

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 8x8 square baking dish w/ cooking spray. 

Mix 1/2 c of the apple juice, vanilla, apples and pears together in medium bowl.  In another medium bowl, mix the next 7 ingredients (dry ing+ figs) together.  Place pear & apple mixture into baking dish and spread evenly.  Next, sprinkle dry ingredient mixture over top, covering all the fruit.  Drizzle the remaining apple juice over the top of the dry mixture.  Then, evenly drizzle the canola oil over the top of the crumble.  Place the thin slices of margarine on top of the crumble. (Will melt in oven) Sprinkle walnuts on top.  Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until fruit is tender to your liking.

Remove from oven and serve with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt, or low fat ice cream.....And don't forget a cup of joe on the side :-)

Once again, you can't mess up this recipe-add more liquid, spice, or whatever you'd like!

Gluten Free & Dairy Free

Enjoy!

Crockpotting with Herbes De Provence

I don't know about most of you, but I usually have a hard time branching out and cooking a variety of meats.  I usually stick to chicken and fish, and leave it at that. 
Well....yesterday, I bought a pork loin roast.  I usually am not a fan of roast due to the high fat content, but if you purchase a pork loin roast, it will save you many calories and fat as compared to buying a regular pork roast.  Pork is usually a meat most people stray from, for fear it is not a healthy choice....Crazy thing is, many pork tenderloins (leanest cut) are lower in fat and calories than a chicken breast! So, with that being said, don't be scared of pork recipes!  This recipe uses a French spice blend called Herbes De Provence (that you can purchase at any health food store and some grocery stores or make yourself). 

I love this recipe for three reasons:
1. It takes about 2 minutes total to prepare
2. It's in a crockpot-you come home to a wonderful, lavender/rosemary smelling home after work
3. It's healthy and soooo incredibly tender, and aids as a great leftover.

Some ideas for ways to use your pork once it's cooked:

Add BBQ sauce (GF or regular) and make pulled pork sandwiches
Make a pork stew/soup
Make pork tacos
Pork salad (like chipotle!)
Eat it plain
                                           Below is the easiest and tastiest recipe for pork! Enjoy!

Herbes De Provence Pork Loin Roast

Ingredients:

1- 3lb pork loin roast

~3/4 cup water

1/8-1/4 cup herbes de provence (I think the more, the better:-)

Directions:

Add water to bottom of crockpot. (make sure it is covering entire bottom w/ about 1/2-1" deep)  Add pork loin roast on top of water. (roast can be frozen still)  Sprinkle herbs de provence on top, completely covering sides as well.  This will look like a lot of herbs, but they should cover the entire top.  Turn crockpot on low for ~ 8-10 hours.  Come home from work, use fork to shred roast, and enjoy!

And of course, this recipe is naturally gluten free!

 Below are some nutrition facts for you who are skeptical about pork:-)

3-ounce cooked serving:	Calories	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)
LEAN CHICKEN
Skinless chicken breast*	139	3.1	0.9	73
Skinless chicken leg*	162	7.1	2.0	80
Skinless chicken thigh*	177	9.3	2.6	81
LEAN CUTS OF PORK
Pork Tenderloin*	120	3.0	1.0	62
Pork boneless top loin chop**	173	5.2	1.8	61
Pork top loin roast*	147	5.3	1.6	68
Pork center loin chop**	153	6.2	1.8	72
Pork sirloin roast*	173	8.0	2.4	76
Pork rib chop**	158	7.1	2.2	56

If you really want to go crazy and make your own herbs de provence spice blend, here is a recipe!

Herbes de Provence

Mix together

1 part marjoram

  1 part basil

2 parts thyme

1 part summer savory

1/2 part lavender

1 part rosemary

1/2 part fennel

1 part oregano

Roasted Rosemary Root Veggies

Another dish to welcome in the cool, fall weather and experiment with some new veggies you've never thought to try!  I added one new veggie to my pile of other roots to roast this week.  Turnips were the round, potato-looking veggie that were added to my cart.  Each week, I have vowed to add a new leafy green or veggie to my cart; then I attempt to work it in to one of the recipes/meals I am making that week and test it out!
Below is an estimated recipe for this fall blend of veggies-You can add more or less of spices, veggies, vinegar, etc...you can't mess this up! Make sure to broil at the end as this adds a great caramelized glaze to the top.  Enjoy:-)

Roasted Rosemary Root Veggies



2 turnips, cut in french-fry slices

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

1 yellow potato, sliced in rounds

1 sweet potato, sliced in round coins

2 celery sticks, chopped in 1/2" bite pieces

1 large portabello mushroom, chopped in 1" pieces

3 large carrots, (or 1 c baby) chopped

1 large beet, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 T rosemary sprigs

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup good balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray baking dish with pan spray.  Mix all veggies, spices, and oil in a large bowl until completely coated.  Pour in baking dish and drizzle vinegar evenly over the top of veggies.  Bake for ~ 40-50 minutes until veggies are just softened and tender. (not mushy!) Next, turn oven to broil, and broil for ~5-7 minutes until veggies have a nice glazed look.  Remove and enjoy!

Positively in love...

First of all, I have to show you this article that popped up on my yahoo tonight.  It is way too funny and oh so true:-) Read for yourself the article titled, "Food trends men hate" and you will realize just what I am talking about.
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Oh. My…..I have fallen in love…...In l-o-v-e with these chickpeas that is;-) These may just be another new fall fav of mine.  And low and behold, they are pumpkin flavored!  Therefore, I knew they’d be ah-mazing.  I never took people seriously when they told me roasted chickpeas were pretty great.  Well, these Pumpkin Spice Chickpeas are like pretty great bites of heaven. Be careful-once you start munching, there’s no stopping with these babies. Highly addicting.

I found this recipe on Purple Carrot while carrying out my new favorite time-waster; studying cooking blogs :-)  Hope you are as in love with this recipe as I am-Bon Appetit! 

Pumpkin Spice Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients~

 1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
   2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
   1 teaspoon olive oil
   1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
   1/8 teaspoon sea salt
   3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
   3/4 teaspoon all-spice

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400

Mix all ingredients into a bowl.

Place them in a greased baking dish and bake for approx 35-40 mins, stirring every 10ish minutes.  Remove and enjoy:-)

These are great as salad toppers, (added fiber!) as a side dish, or as a healthy snack to pop throughout the day!

And of course...they're gluten free!

Some Fall Delights

What a wonderful weekend catching up and hanging out with great friends! A great way to end a crazy week.  I must say, I have had a bit of adjusting to do lately with my current internship rotation.  I am now working at a hospital in Denver to complete my 400+ clinical hours.  To make things short, I am lacking in the area of any time to breathe.  Therefore, much to my dismay and sanity, I have not got what I call a sufficient amount of  kitchen time in this week. 
So tonight, with the help of the all-inspiring Julie and Julia playing in the background, (for possibly the 100th + time?! :-) I sit down to share a meal I enjoyed making a few weeks ago...Hope you enjoy these fall favorites:-)

 Last fall, I was just discovering how much I LOVE love curry...As you read, it's quite obvious I have a weakness for curry...Somehow it ends up in about 90% of the dishes I make. 

This soup contains a different green to most (collard), is high in fiber, and is probably one of my favorite soups yet.  The source of my obsession for curry dishes stems from one main place. In the lovely Boulder, Co, is my favorite restaurant. ever.  If you are ever in Boulder, I HIGHLY recommend that you take a visit to the little Nepalese restaurant, Sherpas.  Oh Sooooo good:-)

How fun is this?? A secret to some who may mistake this delicious place for a cute blue house and walk right on by...

                Below is my Curried Indian Soup and Naan.

Indian Curried Lentil Soup

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cubed

1 can lite coconut milk

4 large collard green leaves, chopped and stems removed

1/2 cup dried green lentils

3/4 cup dried black eyed peas

4 cups chicken broth/bouillon

3 T curry powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 /2 tsp salt

       1/4" piece of fresh ginger-chopped

     2 cloves garlic, minced

   1 tsp cumin

   1/2 tsp turmeric

  1/2 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp cardamon

For a sweeter soup, add 1 T honey and 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

 (To toast, turn on oven to 375, place coconut on oven sheet, and bake for 5-7 minutes or until coconut is just browned.)

Directions:

Put all ingredients minus coconut in crock pot for 3 hours or until chicken is cooked tho
roughly. Dish into bowls, top with toasted coconut and serve with Naan.  Wa-la. It's done!

                 ~The Nutrition Corner~

My nutrition plug for lentils...A cup of lentils contains nearly 16 grams of fiber, being one of the highest fiber-containing foods out there! (The recommendation for women is 25g and men is 38g of fiber a day which is not easy to do. 1 in 10 people get adequate amounts of fiber in their diet each day. Legumes (the family of beans and lentils) will help you reach your goal by throwing them in soups, salads, side dishes and anywhere else you may need a little fiber boost.  They have less than 1g of fat, contain 17g of protein per cup, and are packed full of wonderful vitamins and minerals!

This Naan Bread is definitely the best recipe I have found after experimenting with all sorts of recipes. Naan is an Indian flatbread that is great with soups and curries.  This recipe is gluten free & authentic-tasting...Almost to the point that you'd think you were in India or at Sherpas ;-)
The best part? All of you non-gluten's can substitute regular all purpose flour in the place of  the gluten free flour and omit the xanthan gum!
Enjoy and please share any successful results! :-)

Naan Bread

You can flavor your naan with various herbs. Cumin naan, garlic naan and butter naan topped with Parsley are some fun variations. 

1 cup millet flour
1 cup GF Flour Mix
2 teaspoons guar gum or xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup of warm milk or almond or rice milk
1/2 cup of soy or regular yogurt
1/2 tbsp oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together and make a well in the flour.

Mix milk, yogurt, and oil together and pour about half of it into the well and slowly combine it together until a soft dough forms. (There’s not an exact amount of liquid that should be added to the exact amount of flour to make a perfect dough.) The dough should be soft enough for you to be able to dig your finger into it without applying any pressure. If dough sticks to hand too much then use little bit of oil on hand and then punch into the dough.
Cover with damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for at least 1 hour.

Place dough in between two large pieces of plastic wrap on the counter.  Using the plastic wrap allows you to manipulate the dough without it sticking to the counter top. Shape the dough into a large rectangle and fold it into thirds, pick up the dough and turn it so you can fold it into thirds again. Throughout this process you will be removing the plastic wrap so you can fold the dough and placing it back on top as needed to manipulate the dough.

Divide the dough into 8 small balls and flatten the balls between the plastic wrap to make 8 naan shaped rectangles about 1/4 inch thick.

Heat a  heavy skillet (one with a lid). When skillet is very hot place the naan wet side down and cover it with a lid. Let it cook for about one minute.  When it is cooked it will release from the pan with a spatula. Cook the other side of the naan over the direct flame of the burner using tongs. When you see some charred brown spots then you know that the naan is done. 

Serve with soup and enjoy!

And of course, both recipes are gluten and dairy free!