as i'm sure many of you know, anya, from the beautiful blog, Golubka, released her first cookbook, The Vibrant Table a few weeks ago. i was lucky enough to receive a copy and have been anxiously plotting out what i will make first. first of all, this cookbook is more than a cookbook; it's a guide on healthy, wholesome, CONSCIOUS eating - with a preface that frames all the ingredients in the book and explains why anya utilizes them (some of which i have never heard of before, but am totally jazzed to use - maca + mesquite!). not only do her recipes reflect her culture and heritage, but they are also a celebration of family and meals for all kinds of occasions. moreover, the photos (all of which her daughter take - both for her blog and the cookbook!) weave a beautifully, vibrant food story.

i've been working on a flatbread recipe for some time using chickpea/garbanzo bean flour. there's been a lot trial and error - substituting half the garbanzo bean flour for other GF flours, adding various amounts of oil and water and adding different herbs and spices. finally, i reached a consistency and texture that i'm super pleased with - crispy and thin without much of a crumble! i've been waiting for just the right mix of ingredients to top this flatbread, so when i received my copy of The Vibrant Table (and immediately read through it!) and saw anya's fingerling potato and rosemary flatbread, i knew i had found the perfect way to top off my flatbread. new potatoes are popping up at all the markets around me, as well as leafy herbs and freshly plucked onions, so i chose to make a few changes to the original recipe based on what was available to me. all in all, the garlic-smeared flatbread with slightly sweet potatoes, shiitakes, onions and some toasted pine nuts, came out to be one of the loveliest combos i've ever had. thank you to anya for the inspiration!