Creamy Walnut and Roasted Grapes Flatbreads
A classic flavor combination- walnut and roasted grapes- these flatbreads are simply delicious. A creamy, salty and tangy cashew sauce tops the bread (store-bought or homemade), along with shallots, walnuts, and rosemary on these roasted grapes flatbreads. This is one of those meals that shows how easy making a “complicated” dish can be. Serve in slices as a starter, or pair with a simple salad for a completed meal.
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Roasted Grapes are Grape!
Get it- they’re grape? Like they’re great? I’m the queen of the bad puns here. You’re likely to find a bunch of them here on Very Vegan Val- don’t wine about it, juice accept it. Okay, okay, I promise I’m done now.
I don’t buy grapes all that often, but when I do I love roasting them. It’s something I’ve discovered fairly recently, but it really shows grapes in a new light. Raw grapes are sweet, fresh, and bursting with flavor- they’re amazing. But when you roast grapes, they become softer, richer, more caramelized, and meld with the other flavors that you roast with- things like salt, pepper, olive oil, and maybe herbs like rosemary and thyme, or garlic and onions. They’re perfect on these flatbreads, or you can add them to a pasta dish, serve with some delicious cashew cheeses, or even try with vegan ice cream. Roasting grapes really makes it easier to bring sweet and savory flavors together.
You can roast all different sorts of grapes, although I recommend using seedless ones, as dealing with seeds as you’re trying to eat your flatbreads will be somewhat unpleasant. Personally, I think red grapes are a much prettier on flatbreads than the green ones are. For this recipe here, I used moon drop grapes, which are elongated, dark, almost black grapes that sort of look like mini eggplants. As soon as I saw them in my local grocery store, I knew they were coming home with me. Moon drop grapes, as well as most of our grapes in the United States, are grown in California. If you want to find some near you, try this link here.
Simple but Fancy- Crispy Flatbread Pizzas!
There are some meals I make that take all day- and I love cooking so I’m pretty okay with that! But I understand that not every can or wants to spend hours simmering, roasting, baking, chopping, and fiddling around in the kitchen. Fortunately, you can make food that looks challenging but really is quite simple. Perfect for a last-minute dinner guest! This is one of those. Grapes and walnuts just seem like a fancy meal, and that sweet and salty combination is nice and sophisticated. I think flatbread pizzas are a very good vehicle for simple but fancy meals- it’s just a matter of finding delicious flavor combinations, and pairing them on top of the bread- again, I think fruit is perfect to use here. You can use cooked ingredients, or add raw elements after they’ve cooked. Try flatbreads with strawberry, tomato, and basil, or caramelized onions and figs, or maybe some mango, chili, and chocolate!
Looking for more Vegan Simple but Fancy Meals? Try one of these!
- Vegan Fondue with Caramelized Onions and Ale
- Tomato Masala Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Corn and Spinach
- Roasted Red Pepper Vegan Paella
- Arugula Topped Mushroom Flatbreads
- Vegan French Onion Tart (Vegan Quiche)
- Savory Steamed Silken Tofu with Crispy Shiitakes
- Vegan Barley Risotto with Shiitake Mushrooms
- Savory Vegan Souffle with Herbs
- Eggplant, Chestnut, and Mushroom Vegan Holiday Loaf
Looking for Flatbread Recipes? Try one of these!
- 4 Ingredient Fluffy Easy Flatbreads (Vegan, G.F. Optional)
- Arugula Topped Mushroom Flatbreads
- Vegan Black Trumpet Mushroom and Leek Pizza
- Just Flour and Water Flatbreads (Oh, and Salt…)
- Homemade Mushroom Tortillas
- Vegan Pumpkin Pizza with Kale
- Simple Buckwheat Pizza Dough
- Vegan Caramelized Onion and Fennel Pizza
How to Make Walnut and Roasted Grapes Flatbread
In order to make these roasted grapes flatbreads, you must:
- Make or acquire your flatbreads You have a lot of choices here. In short, you want a flatbread you like the taste of, roughly 6-8 inches in diameter. I have two recipes on Very Vegan Val that you could use (I used this one, but there’s also my super simple flour and water flatbreads). You could also cook off some store-bought pizza dough. Frozen or packaged vegan naan is also a good option- you could even stop by an Indian restaurant and buy an order or two of chapatis. In a pinch, a few tortillas would work, although they’ll be a little thinner than is ideal.
- Roast your grapes The grapes, along with shallots, salt, pepper, olive oil, and rosemary sprigs go in a roasting pan, and into the oven they go. Stir them around once about 10 minutes in, and out they come.
- Make your creamy sauce Firstly, soften some cashews. These days I soften mine by pressure cooking them in plenty of water for 10 minutes in my instant pot, but you can also boil them on the stove for 20 minutes, or just let soak in water overnight. After that, you just stick them in a blender with your other creamy sauce ingredients and give it a whiz.
- Bake your flatbreads Last but not least, it’s time to assemble your flatbreads and then bake. Top the flatbreads with creamy sauce, roasted grapes, and some walnut pieces. Bake for a few minutes until the edges of your flatbreads are golden.
And voila! Your flatbreads are finie!
Creamy Walnut and Roasted Grapes Flatbreads
Ingredients
- 4 flatbreads, such as these homemade ones, or a premade-naan would work nicely
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 2 cups seedless grapes
- 2 large shallots
- Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
- Black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup raw cashews, softened*
- ¼ cup vegan yogurt
- 1 small clove of garlic
- ½ tsp. salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup raw walnuts pieces
Instructions
- If you are making your flatbreads from scratch, do so first. I used half a batch of my 4-ingredient flatbreads here, and they worked wonderfully. You can also use pre-made or frozen vegan naan, or grill some pizza crust if you prefer. Before you begin, also soften your cashews.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Place your grapes in a large roasting pan. Peel and slice your shallots into half-moon shapes. Add them to the roasting pan, and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and season with a nice sprinkle of salt and pepper, along with your rosemary sprigs. Once up to temperature, place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, taking it out once in the middle and mixing the grapes around. Once roasted, remove from the oven, but leave the heat on.
- While you roast your grapes, make your creamy sauce. Place your softened cashews, vegan yogurt, salt, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and 2 tbsp. of water in a blender, and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed. This might taste a little salty, but it will work well to offset the sweetness of the grapes.
- Assemble your flatbreads for baking. On the bread slather a layer of your creamy sauce. Add a quarter of the grape and shallot mixture to each of the four flatbreads. Finish with couple tablespoons of the walnut pieces. Place your flatbreads on a two baking sheets. Bake for another 10 minutes until the edges of the flatbreads are golden and crispy. Remove from the oven, slice, and serve.
Notes
* Tips for softening cashews: There are a few ways to soften your cashews, so they blend smoother and more evenly. You can either soak them in water overnight, place them in a pot on the stove and boil for 20 minutes, or pressure cook them in your instant pot for 10 minutes. Once soft, drain the liquid.
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