Crunchy, grain-free flax crackers made with ground flax seed, celery and fresh herbs. Baked in the oven until crisp. Rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Did you know? The sound of chewing; the crunch that we get from our favorite foods mashing up against our molars, is what signals our brain/body that we’re satiated and actually eating? This may be why you feel hungry after gulping down a ginormous smoothie… because there’s no crunching action happening.
Lots of crunch happening this week on HP. First baked turmeric plantain chips, now herb crackers… and; later this month, a delicious dairy-free, coconut-free (vegan!) fat bomb bark with even MORE crunch.
If you follow Healthful Pursuit on Instagram, you know that most all of my meals have a side of flax cracker, flax bun, flax focaccia, something flaxy. Why? Because it makes me feel normal. “No big deal, just having awesome crunchy crackers/bread/bun on the side of my grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, paleo-friendly, etc. etc. meal”. Normal.
Also, if you’re looking for meal ideas that are ready in 10 minutes and rich in glorious fats, you should follow me on Instagram. I’ve started a #lunchwithleanne series where I share what I eat for lunch every single day. Very quick, easy, effortless whole food meals that are so bright and glorious, you may decide to give this high-fat thing a whirl to see if a grain-free, paleo-like way of eating resonates with you and your body.
Before you dig-in to today’s recipe, here are a couple of other flax-based cracker recipes on Healthful Pursuit…
Ground flax seed makes the perfect base for these grain-free crackers. When you soak flax in water it gets all gummy, have you tried it? The gummy-like consistency is what holds these crackers together. And, the ground flax seed; whether you use golden flax or brown flax, make the crackers look “whole grain” without a speck of grains in them.
- 3 cups roughly ground flax seed
- 450 grams celery sticks, about 10 sticks
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- 5 grams fresh thyme leaves (from approx. 28g pack)
- 5 grams fresh rosemary leaves (from approx. 1 sprig)
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
- Preheat oven to 225F and cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Set aside.
- Place celery, oil, vinegar, herbs and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until celery is completely pureed.
- Add ground flax and pulse just until combined. Let sit for 2 minutes to firm up.
- Plop half of the dough onto your prepared baking sheet, smoothing out with the back of a spoon until it covers the entire baking sheet. You want the crackers to be about ¼-inch thick.
- Once complete, repeat with remaining dough on the other baking sheet.
- Then, run a knife along the sheets, scoring squares in the dough.
- Bake for 2 hours, flipping halfway through and removing the parchment paper. The baking time will vary greatly on how thick/thin you make the crackers. You want the end result to be crisp, crunchy with no moisture left.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes.
- Makes 75 crackers, 5 crackers per serving.
Celery: I imagine that zucchini would work, too.
Avocado Oil: any oil would work here, whatever you’d like to use.
Dehydrator: If you would like to keep this recipe raw, you could dehydrate the crackers. The reason I didn’t do this for this recipe is because not everyone has a dehydrator and I want to make Healthful Pursuit recipes as accessible to people as possible. I’ve had this dehydrator since 2007 and love it.
Food Processor: If you do not have a food processor, you could try using your blender! The key is making the celery paste. If using a blender, make the celery mixture, transfer to a bowl, then add the flax seed and mix with your hands or a large spoon. I’ve had this food processor since 2010 and use it all the time!
View Nutrition Information (once on page, scroll down)
As I mention in the notes of the recipe, you don’t have to use a food processor to make the celery paste. I’ve offered some suggestions above.
Feel free to use your favorite fresh herbs here. I love rosemary and thyme, so that’s what I used. Basil or oregano may be nice, too! I’m sure you could use dried herbs, but I like them fresh, especially this time of year.
Your celery paste should look like this. If you chose to use a different vegetable, the end result should look like this, too. It’s pretty liquidy. This is good! The flax will combine with the liquid to make that gummy action.
Add in the flax and pulse to combine…
Then it’s time to spread on our baking sheets! This is the step of the recipe that takes the longest and requires patience. Once things start to spread, it gets easier but the first couple of moments are a bit frustrating because the flax wants to hold together!
Do you have a container of flax at home? Is it an ingredient that’s easily accessible for you? Where we are, flax is one of the least expensive “health foods” which is why; in addition for it helping to balance hormones, I’ve been using it more on the blog.
Questions about flax and hormones? Watch this.
I’d love to hear from you…
Do you enjoy flax seed? How do you use it at home in your recipes, baking, daily meals?
Your answers will help inspire others in our community to PLAY with flax, get creative, and fall in love with all flax has to offer.
SOURCE: Healthful Pursuit – Read entire story here.
