I’ve now about worked my way through the entire list of cracker and flatbread recipes in Matthew Kenney’s book, Everyday Raw. (Raw ice cream – you are next! As soon as I can source young coconut which, no surprise, is not stocked at my local Walmart.) I’m obsessed with the technique and love the idea of making my own healthy, raw “chips” at home rather than buying tortilla chips and (my favorite guilty snack) Stacy’s Pita Chips. If you haven’t tried these: DO NOT buy a bag. You will be forever hooked. Fear not, I am going to tackle recreating those babies in my dehydrator, but for today, I’m sharing an on-the-sweet-side cracker that I created using the principles I picked up from Kenney’s book. These very crispy crackers include some standard granola bar ingredients. By the way, I’ve shared this recipe over at Gluten-Free Cat as part of Raw Foods Thursdays!
Eat them straight up or make a sandwich using homemade coconut milk ice cream. Thanks to Amanda (via Somer) for that very easy and tasty recipe – you’ll have to ask them for it yourselves…
One year ago today: White Bean, Asparagus & Artichoke Heart Salad
One year and one day ago today: Bluebirds to Be
Raw “Granola Bar” Crackers
Makes one dehydrator sheet
1 cup raw walnuts, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 large apple, cored and chopped into small chunks
1″ nubbin fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, soaked in warm water for an hour or so and drained
1 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup unsweetened cacao nibs
generous pinch salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash cardamom
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1 cup water
1/4 cup agave nectar (taste dough and add more if preferred)
Put the flaxseed meal, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, cacao nibs and orange zest in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a food processor, process the walnuts, ginger and apple until you get a nice mash. Add this mixture to the flaxseed meal mixture and add the remaining (wet) ingredients. Using a big spoon or your hands, mix until thoroughly combined. This is a fairly wet mess.
Line a dehydrator tray with a non-stick sheet and plop the dough into the center, top with another non-stick sheet and slowly roll out the dough. I had to move dough from time to time from one spot to another to get something that resembled a square. The dough should be about 1/4″ thick. Remove that top non-stick sheet, gently score the dough into whatever size and shape strike your fancy and slide the tray with the dough into the dehydrator. Dehydrate at 145F for 30 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 115F. After a few hours of drying, I carefully transfer the dough to a screen for more efficient drying. Dehydrate for about 24 hours or until crispy and crunchy. Break into pieces and store in an air-tight container.
Every year since we moved to Oklahoma, in the weeks coming up to my birthday, Kel asks, “What would you like to do for your birthday?” And every year I reply, “Let’s go into the city!” Just in case you think the Sooner state is all Dust Bowl and whipping-winds-plains, Oklahoma boasts two cities: Oklahoma City and Tulsa. But when I say “the city,” I mean Oklahoma City. We tried Tulsa one year for my birthday, and it was great, but – we just like OKC better. I could give you the reasons why, but I don’t want to bruise Tulsa’s feelings. Suffice to say the reasons have to do with coffee, food and ambiance. It doesn’t hurt that a big, beautiful Whole Foods recently opened its doors there.
With great enthusiasm I set out one morning to make Build-Your-Own-Energy-Bars, courtesy of Amber Shea Crawley and her cookbook, Practically Raw. I knew I could bang out a batch of bars, pop them in the freezer and have them ready for our daily 3 pm snack. Easy. I gathered the ingredients and pulled out the food processor and away I went. But something went wrong. The mixture was not really a mixture. There was no way it was going to stick together to create bars. I stared into the processor as if the answer were in the pile of pretty crumbs. I looked around the kitchen. What could I do to rescue this recipe? I didn’t want to add maple syrup – no way it needed any sweetening. Peanut butter? As much as I love it, it would not work here. Sesame seeds…sesame seeds…tahini! I plopped a big ol’ spoonful into the processor and whirled again.
Matthew Kenney in his book, Everyday Raw writes of his Sweet Green Juice: “Green juice is simply one of the finest things you can offer your body.” It really feels that way when you drink it – and for that matter – when you drink any other fresh fruit and vegetable juice. They just taste healthy! Some of them even give you a natural boost or buzz. They’re great for starting the day or for a mid-afternoon refresher. I’ve picked three of my favorites to share here.
Beet-Apple-Celery-Kale Juice
