Favorite Green crackers...not kale chips?

[babeak]

I am looking for something that incorporates greens not so much focus on nuts that makes a delicious cracker.

I have had store bought Lydia's and they seemed okay from my memory. Anyone have a recipe that you love and want to share?

[RawKnitster]

Lydia's green crackers are okay. They are thick though, not very crackery. I have to top Lydia's crackers with something. The green crackers are good with pumpkin seed butter. The luna crackers best with a nut cheese.

I've made green crackers using the pulp leftover from juicing kale and carrots. I don't have a recipe. I threw stuff in the food processor until it was a spreadable consistency. Put the green pulp in the fp with some green juice (or a blended red pepper or tomato) for moisture, ground flax seed for binder, a spoonful of olive oil, and some spices for flavor. Spread it thin for crisper crackers.

My favorite green crackers (cookies?) are heavy on the nuts and use dried kale chips. Probably not what you are looking for. I call them "Mac Attack" because they are made with macadamias. I'd be happy to share if you are interested.

[babeak]

Yes, I am interested. I might be able to sub some of the nuts. I am just introducing them to my daughter and don't want to go "nuts" with them.

I agree that the Lydia's are thick and crumbly.

I have made my own like you said making something up as I go along. However, it would be good to have something to make that was really good with greens. I can tweak it if I have to then.

Thanks

[RawKnitster]

The problem I have with crackers is when I throw things together without measuring it is almost impossible to duplicate. I've tried!

Here is the basic "Mac Attack" recipe. I vary it everytime I make it according to the size of the red bell pepper and how many macadamia I have available.

3 cups combination of macadamias and cashews (half & half works well)
3/4 t. Celtic sea salt
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped red bell pepper (1 large pepper)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups dried kale, crumbled
1-2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Put the red pepper and lemon juice in blender. Blend until smooth.

Put the nuts and sea salt in the food processor. Process until finely ground, stop before it turns into a butter. Add the liquified red pepper/lemon juice to the food processor. Process until smooth. Add dried kale and nutritional yeast. Pulse and/or stir as needed to incorporate dried kale without over blending.

Scoop out using a 1 1/2 Tablespoon scoop. Using a peice of plastic wrap or wax paper flatten uniformly into a cookie shape. Place directly on mesh dehydrator screen. Dehydrate at 110 until dry in center.

Cracker alternative: spread out thinly on paraflexx sheet(s). After a few hours, flip onto mesh screens and score with a knife. Continue dehydrating until completely dry.

I suppose you could add even more dried kale. As much as the dough can handle and still stick together.

[babeak]

Okay, I don't usually like to sub stuff before actually trying it as recipe intended, but I think that I did a pretty good job. The results are in the dehydrator, so we shall see.

I subbed the mac/cashew mix for 1:1:1 mac: sunflower seed: hemp seed.

So far the batter seemed to be pretty tasty. In my experience most of what goes in tasty comes out really tasty.*** This does not ALWAYS apply to green smoothies though. I just had a really tasty one come out not so tasty. However, DD munched away at it so it can't be too awful.

Anyway....IF nothing else, I really, really like the technique of drying the kale first!!! It makes a lovely speckle effect. I actually had red russian and curly green + red flecks of pepper and that makes for a pretty nice appearance. I am sure it would be even more so if I were using all white nut background. However, i think that I am going to start doing this with all of the crackers I make!!! :-)

THanks and I will let you know what my taster says. However, I must preface the results are going to be biased as DD loves just about anything that comes out of the dehydrator. :-)

[RawKnitster]

mac, sunflower, and hemp looks like a good mix. Probably more nutritious than the mac/cashew mix. If it turns out well for you, I will give it a try, too.

[babeak]

Okay, so these are pretty good. How long do you dry yours? I am finally giving up as some spots were just too thick. They did not spread easy...next time I will add a little water to get it to spread easy. Does is spread really easy with all mac and cashews? Maybe more fat helps it to do so.

Anyway...the longer they stay in the dehydrator, the less chance they stand of every making it to a container. They have to be constantly tested. :D

[RawKnitster]

It does take extra work to spread this dough to make crackers. I use a 6" firm plastic spreader and put the paraflex sheet directly on the table. After spreading as thin as possible, I slide the paraflex sheet onto the dehydrator screen.

I prefer the cookie method using a 1 1/2 Tablespoon ice cream-type scoop and flattening each scoop individually to form a cookie about 2 1/4" in diameter. I dehydrate for approx 24 hours. The end result I want is the look, feel, and texture of a cookie. There are always a few broken and half eaten before I'm through testing for doneness. ;)

[babeak]

You know I was going to use a rolling pin, but I have an off-angle icing knife that I usually use for crackers and it mostly there. I should have used the rolling pin. I used it for some fig newtons I made and they came out awesome by rolling like you said on the table.

I will give it another whirl. I bought turnip green today that I am going to try dehydrating and using this time around.

[AllergyGirl]

I prefer the cookie method using a 1 1/2 Tablespoon ice cream-type scoop and flattening each scoop individually to form a cookie about 2 1/4" in diameter. I dehydrate for approx 24 hours. The end result I want is the look, feel, and texture of a cookie. There are always a few broken and half eaten before I'm through testing for doneness. ;)

So it looks/feels like a cookie, but it tastes like a cracker? I'm looking for something sturdy enough to make little hummus/lettuce sandwiches out of, and the flax crackers while okay for dipping just aren't tough enough for that. Would this serve that purpose, do you think?

[RawKnitster]

So it looks/feels like a cookie, but it tastes like a cracker? I'm looking for something sturdy enough to make little hummus/lettuce sandwiches out of, and the flax crackers while okay for dipping just aren't tough enough for that. Would this serve that purpose, do you think?

I'd say my "cookies" are too thick and crumbly for making a sandwich. For a really good sandwich try "Igor's Live Flat Bread", or RAWvolutions "Famous Onion Bread".

I didn't care for Igor Boutenko's Live Flat Bread by itself, but it makes great sandwiches. If I remember correctly, it is made mostly from blended vegetables. I don't have the recipe here right now. I need to get the book from the library, again.

[AllergyGirl]

RK, do you remember which of Victoria Boutenko's books that flat bread recipe is from? I just looked, and it's not in the one I've got, but I'd like to see if I can find it. I found a recipe for onion bread online although I don't know if it's that one or not, but I haven't tried to make it yet. I should be able to try something this week though - temperature is finally down enough that I don't feel bad about running the dehydrator.

[RawKnitster]

I found it in a spiral-bound book at the library titled "Igor's Live Flat Bread". It was a step by step picture book of that recipe only. I think it is also included in another Boutenko book. I may be mistaken and I'm not sure of the exact wording in the title, but I think it is the book of Boutenko Family Signature Dishes.

I just checked the library website, the book title I think it's in is "Raw Family Signature Dishes".

[AllergyGirl]

Oh...just looked for it online, and they want $15 for it. Geez - would you think it's worth it? It's hard for me to find raw books at my library.
Edit #1: Never mind, I found the actual recipe (quartered) online. Here (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1025757) it is if anybody is interested.
Edit #2: I apologize for hijacking this thread with talk about bread, but in looking for Igor's recipe, I found this (http://www.rawfoodsnewsmagazine.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=19) recipe that someone adapted from another of his bread recipes, and I thought I'd share it just in case anybody else is interested.

WHOLE WHEATLESS SANDWICH BREAD

Based on a recipe by Igor Boutenko

2 cups golden flaxseeds (I get them from Sunorganic Farm in California. They send them by mail order, using UPS. I called UPS and they have no plans to use irradiation. Some health food stores carry the golden also, or might carry them if you ask.)

1 cup filtered water
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
4 medium cloves of garlic
1 tsp. coriander seed or powder
1 tsp. caraway seed
1 tsp. Celtic sea salt
dehydrated garlic flakes
sesame seeds

1) Grind the golden flaxseeds in a blender or Vita-Mix. The jar of the blender has to be very dry, not wet. If it is wet, dry it with a clean dishtowel before putting in the flaxseeds. Once ground, transfer the flour to a bowl. (It won't look like any flour you've ever seen before, of course.)
2) Put the water, onion, celery, garlic and spices (but not the garlic flakes and sesame seeds) into a blender and blend well.
3) Add the blender mix to the ground flaxseeds and mix well. Let it sit for about a half hour and then knead the dough with your hands.
4) Cover the dough with a cotton cloth and let it sit for four hours (or overnight) at room temperature to allow it to rise. It won't rise too much. The longer you let it sit, the more fermented will be the flavor. I prefer the four hours.
5) Then divide the dough into two pieces and spread out with your hands into a flat, thin bread on dehydrator trays that are covered with Teflex dehydrator sheets. To make the bread easier to spread out, wet your hands with water. You have to work with the dough a little to get it to spread out. (This amount fills two large-size dehydrator trays.)
6) With a soft-edge knife, mark the bread into whatever size pieces you want. Depending on how you cut, you could get six to nine pieces per tray.
7) Before putting the bread into the dehydrator for 24 to 36 hours at 95-100° F, sprinkle with dehydrated garlic flakes and/or sesame seeds. Turn the bread over when half finished and place directly onto the mesh dehydrator trays, peeling the Teflex away.
Makes approximately 12 to 18 slices. Keep in a sealed container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator. The bread can be frozen. It's OK when defrosted, although I prefer to make it fresh and then just keep it for one or two weeks. It's very fast to make--15 minutes tops. Freezing seems to stiffen the bread a little, making it less malleable. If you're not freezing the bread, I suggest using the bread within two weeks, since flaxseeds contain a lot of oil, which can go rancid.