Laura's Gone Crackers!

 

Crackers. They go well with cheese, they are great in dips, and I love them instead of bread for tuna at lunch time. They are great for a quick snack and always seem to satisfy a salt craving. Usually I choose a whole grain cracker if possible. My favorite are probably the multigrain chips by Food Should Taste Good. These are technically a chip and not a cracker, but they are thicker and have such a great nutty flavor I use them how I would use a cracker. Anyway, the thought of making my own crackers had never occurred to me until I read this post in Elena's Pantry. She has these beautiful looking rosemary crackers and they just looked so good that I had to try some! Plus I have lots of fresh rosemary growing in my garden and am always looking for ways I can use it. Elena uses almond flour in her recipes, which I am sure is excellent. Unfortunately, almond flour is not a product I can easily find or afford here, so I decided to try a product with wheat flour. Plus I added ground flax for even more nutrition and fiber. 

 

My crackers (or my picture) did not turn out looking quite as good as Elena's, but they were pretty delicious and got crispier the more they aged. I just ate up the last one today and plan on making more! They were great with my hummus dip and excellent with my favorite Laughing Cow Cheese. Give it a try and experiment with your own spices- cayenne, smoked paprika, herbs de provence, cracked black pepper, parmesean cheese, etc. Enjoy!

Rosemary Crackers
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemarry
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg white and 2 tbsp water combined for egg wash
sesame seeds

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spray large baking sheet with non-stick spray

3. Combine flours, flax, baking powder, rosemary, garlic, and salt.
4. Add in water and oil and mix/knead until smooth dough forms
5.  Using a small rolling pin spread dough onto baking sheet (I used a drinking glass coated with flour since I do not have a small rolling pin). Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into squares.
6. Paint dough with egg wash and sprinkle with Kosher or sea salt and sesame seeds.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crisp.



Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1 large roasted red pepper
2 large cloves of garlic
handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse beans. Place beans, pepper, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and cayenne pepper in food processor. Process until chopped into small pieces. Drizzle in olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh veggies, chips or crackers, or as a spread in wraps or sandwiches.

Makes ~2 cups
Nutrition information per tbsp: 53 calories, 1.2g fat, 8g carbohydrate, 2.4g dietary fiber, 2.6g protein