Spiced Zucchini Flatbreads with Yogurt and Apricot

I love this recipe - I've made it as countless weeknight dinners (where each person gets their own flatbread), as well as for a holiday party appetizer (where they are cut up into small-bite squares. My favorite thing about this recipe is that while it is fresh and light - relying on uplifting elements like yogurt sauce, that are good for the gut - it is very filling! Enjoy, tutti!

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This recipe is simple and quick to prepare - you chop an onion, slice a zucchini, and...that's pretty much all for prep! You'll need a saute pan to get the zucchini softened, and everything goes in at different times into the one pan, making it easy for cleanup. You could probably even try this recipe on a sheet pan, roasting the onion and zucchini at 375 degrees, but I love the crispy bits that come from doing it on the stove top, This recipe is experiment friendly!

Spices: This recipe's workhorse is a simple spice mix of smoked paprika, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. It adds a warmth (the cinnamon), a smokiness (the paprika and cumin), and floral notes(the cumin). These spices are mixed in with the zucchini and onion in the pan when sauteing. Additionally, the yogurt mix includes thyme, which gives a lemony and herbal flavor on top. These spices will stay good in your cabinet and are versatile to use in many recipes, so they certainly won't go to waste!

Slice your onion into half moons and saute in olive oil until translucent and a little golden. Add to the pan your sliced zucchini - you want to cut them into 'spears.' Basically, cut off the top and bottom of the zucchini to remove the stem and the little base. Then hold the zucchini longways and slice all the way down the middle. Do the same with the halves - slice down the middle so now you have quartered the zucchini. Do it once more so that you have eight spears from one zucchini. If your pan is small, you can cut these in half short-ways, so you have 16 half-length spears. Saute these until they are softened, at medium heat. You want them to still have their form and keep a texture (you don't want them to totally melt down) but you want to take the major crunch out by sauteing.

You'll add in the spice mixture and saute for a minute or two more to release the flavors - plus, it will make your kitchen smell amazing! Spoon the pan contents out into a clean bowl.

Then, if you are using meat or fake meat, add a little more oil to the pan and saute the meat according to the package instructions or until you have golden brown crumbles. Add in roughly sliced dried apricots - one of the best little surprises of this recipe! They are sweet and chewy in each bite. I just chop them into strips, but chunks would be fine, too. If you are not using any type of meat-ish protein, just add the apricots to the zucchini when you are toward the end of sauteing them.

Assembling the Flatbread:

Tip: I recommend taking your flatbreads and toasting them lightly first - you can put them on a baking tray in the oven for five minutes at 350 degrees, or even lay them one by one on top of your toaster, flipping the over to toast both sides. I do mine in a toaster oven. You don't want them to get completely crunchy you just want to add a little crisp to the outside and warm the bread. I like to use whole wheat naan for the recipe, though regular naan or even a pita bread would work great, as well.

In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, honey, and thyme and spread a thick layer onto each naan flatbread. On top of that, add the meat and apricot if using. Last, add several zucchini strips with onions to the top. Get juices from the pan - the spiced cooking oil - on the top to get all that flavor in.

If you have mint, slice it thinly and add to the top for a little fresh finish (you can also add mint to the yogurt mix - fresh or dried - if you really like! And there you have it!

Enjoy as a pick-up sandwich-style meal, or eat with fork and knife. If you are making as an appetizer, slices the flatbreads into squares and lay out on a serving platter so everyone can have a two-bite flatbread. If you find the mini-naan or mini-pita in your supermarket, you can also use those for individual small portions! I like using naan because it is lighter and more chewy, but this recipe would also be great in the form of a pita pocket for on-the-go eating. Just use pita instead and load the ingredients into the cavity of the pita instead of on top. Enjoy!!

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Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 small onion (or 1/2 large onion), sliced into half moons

• 2 large zucchini, sliced into eighths as spears long-ways

• 2 tbs olive oil (plus more as needed)

• 1/2 lb fake meat (Beyond Meat, or other) or ground turkey (optional)

• 1 cup dried apricots, coarsely sliced (approximately 8 dried apricots)

• 1 cup of greek or icelandic (skyr) yogurt - non-fat or low-fat preferred

• 3/4 cup dried apricots, coarsely sliced (approximately 8 dried apricots)

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/4 tps coriander

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 4 pieces of whole wheat or regular naan (can substitute pita)

• 1 tsp chopped fresh mint (or 1/2 tsp dried mint) to taste (optional)

Equipment

Saute pan or skillet

Instructions

• Cut one onion in half and then slice into half moons

• Add 1 tbs olive oil to the pan and heat on medium heat

• Add the onion slices and saute until translucent and becoming golden brown

• Slice the zucchini long-ways into spears, eight per zucchini (cut in half, then in half again, and again)

• Add the zucchini to the pan and saute until softened and becoming slightly browned on the outside. Zucchini should hold their shape but lose their main crunchiness.

• Add to the pan the cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, and coriander

• Saute for one to two minutes, mixing, to release the flavors of the spices

• Reserve the pan contents in a bowl on the side

• In the pan, add the additional tbs of oil

• Cook the ground fake meat (or real meat) until fully cooked, golden brown crumbles - follow package instructions for fake meat as needed.

• Slice the dried apricots roughly and add to the pan. Cook for an additional 2-5 minutes to soften the apricots and release the sweet flavor

• In a bowl, mix the yogurt, thyme, and honey

• Toast the naan (in the oven, toaster oven, or toaster) for five minutes to lightly warm and toast

• On plates, place each naan, and add a thick layer of the yogurt mix (1/2 cup per flatbread, approximately)

• Then add the fake meat to the yogurt, then the zucchini spears to each (approximately 4 spears per flatbread)

• Top with mint to taste and serve!