Seedy Keep-Me-Sane Crackers

Seedy Keep-Me-Sane Crackers

If you’re like many people, the last few months of being close to your kitchen have inspired you to try new comfort food recipes. If you’re addicted to crunchy, anxiety-relieving snacks, but don’t want to add the “COVID-19 pounds” as it’s being dubbed, here is a healthy, wholesome cracker recipe to try.
 
These carb-free, gluten-free crackers will fill you up with tons of fiber and good omega fats, but still provide the “crunch factor,” which is known by food psychologists to be something we seek to try to relieve pent-up tension, anger or worry.
 
SEEDY KEEP-ME-SANE CRACKERS
 
Ingredients:
 
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup sesame seeds, roasted
¼ cup ground flaxseeds or whole chia seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil
1 cup hot water
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
 
Directions:
 
Stir all dry ingredients together. Add oil and hot water and stir. Let sit 15 minutes until flaxseed/chia gel. Lay a large piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Put the doughy mixture on the parchment, then lay a second piece overtop, press down with a spoon and smooth out to create a very thin layer (about 1/8 inch thick). Make edges smooth and even. Take off the top parchment only and bake at 325 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes. Take out of the oven, turn over the fairly solid seed mass, and remove the parchment paper. (If you can’t turn it over whole, cut in half with a knife and turn two pieces over.) Then with a knife, cut into the seed sheet to make cracker cutting lines. Bake another 20-30 minutes until they snap, breaking apart with your fingers. Watch carefully so the seeds do not get overly roasted.

Hints:

• Some seeds roast much faster than others so it is a good idea to lightly roast the sesame and sunflower seeds first but keep the pumpkin and flaxseeds raw.
• Make sure the layer is thin – if too thick, the crackers won’t get crunchy and crisp.
• You can add chopped almonds or other chopped (not ground) nuts to the recipe, or make one of the seeds the starring attraction  — such as using only sesame seeds but increasing to 2 cups
• Do not store in a plastic container or the crackers will become soft. Store in a cookie tin or old cracker box.