I have always been a cracker fan...maybe it is the inner snacker in me? Most crackers are heavily processed, calorically dense, and offer little to no nutritional benefits. Enter the life-changing and addictive gluten-free cracker, fully loaded with seeds, protein, fiber, and omega 3's!
"Life-changing" crackers have long been a crunchy urban myth for me. I have seen savory images of them here and there on social media and have always been overwhelmed and intimated by the process of creating them. Fortune was in my favor when we made them in culinary school and, thanks to superfood aficionada Blaine Arin, I learned how simple they are to make.
If you have a radish approved pantry, then you likely have most of the ingredients on hand. If not, opt for purchasing your ingredients in the bulk bins since buying everything at once can be costly.
Seedy, crunchy, and mineral rich, these crackers add serious nutrition mileage to your snacking pleasure. Chia seeds, flax seeds, and psyllium husk form a gel-like binder which keep the crackers well secured. The addition of rosemary and black pepper takes these crackers up a notch, but any fresh or dried herbs or seasoning would be a welcome addition (hello, za'atar!). Eat them alone or with your favorite dip or cheese, (vegan or reg), and you are in for a hearty and nourishing snack.
I "free-styled" my cracker shapes and broke them apart by hand for a rustic approach. For a more classic and symmetrical shape, lightly score (do not cut through) the top layer of the dough before baking and use the lines as your guide to break apart.
This recipe is barely adapted from Blaine Arin for the Natural Gourmet Institute
Fully Loaded Crackers
makes 2 baking sheets
ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsps pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup golden flax seeds
- 2 tbsps sesame seeds
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (white or black)
- 2 tbsps dulse, roughly chopped or dulse flakes (Dulse is a sea vegetable loaded with minerals. Make sure you purchase organic or sustainably harvested product.)
- 2 tbsps psyllium seed husks (Psyllium seed husk is soluable fiber that is derived from the seed of a leafy green weed. I like this brand.)
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsps roughly chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3/4 cup water
method
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Stir well. In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, olive oil, and water and add to large bowl. Stir until well incorporated. Let dough sit for 10 minutes, allowing the ingredients to bind together. Stir every few minutes.
- Cut two pieces of parchment to the size of your sheet trays. Split the dough in two. Gather one half of the dough into a ball and place between your parchment paper. Using a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine or oil), firmly roll out mixture into a thin sheet, approximately 1/8" thick. If any dough rolls out from under the paper, simply add it back to the flattened mixture and continue to roll until thin. Remove the top piece of parchment paper. If scoring, use the tip of a knife and lightly run it across your dough, creating a cracker shape of your choice. Let sit for 10 more minutes.
- Slide the bottom half of the parchment paper with the dough mixture onto a baking tray (make sure the top parchment is removed). Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, grasp the parchment paper and crackers together, and carefully flip the whole mixture over. Cracker mixture will be flush with the sheet tray. Peel the parchment paper off, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until dry, crispy, and golden. If some pieces are not crisp, break them off and bake some more. Repeat with second batch.
- Let crackers cool, break apart, and store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Have some cracker crumbs? Toss them in your salad for a healthy riff on a crouton.
PS! In celebration of the educational and enlightening experience that I had at Natural Gourmet Institute, the school is offering an amazing promo for crunchy radish readers! Use code crunchy15 for 15% off any class or intensive through the end of 2015.
