Savory & sweet raw flax crackers...

Two super easy and delicious things I keep stocked in the kitchen at all times are raw flax crackers and at least one batch of a nut-seed pâté.  Flax crackers make a great snack to take on the go, and when I go on the road, I always take a bunch with me.  They are a great, crunchy, savory (or even sweet) snack all on their own, or to be spread with pâté, hummus, local raw cheese, salsa, or guacamole.  The possibilities are pretty much endless.  Today I'm making a few batches of flax crackers, and tomorrow I'll post recipes for a couple of my favorite pâtés.

All my flax crackers follow the same basic recipe.  The variations are endless, and again, use your imagination and sense of adventure to experiment with different flavors.  I like to make a few of batches at a time, each with different spice blends.  Today I am making a batch of rosemary sage crackers, a batch of sundried tomato basil, and a sweet cinnamon ginger batch.  You can easily double or quadruple these recipes.  For a general frame of reference, one cup of flax plus one cup of water will cover one Excalibur dehydrator tray with the appropriate thickness.  So if you want 3 trays full of crackers, use 3 cups of flax with equal parts water.  When dehydrated completely, flax crackers keep for a couple of weeks or longer at room temp in an air tight container. 

Flax seeds are the richest plant source of omega-3 essential fatty acids which are essential for healthy heart and brain function.  Flax is rich in fiber and also contains between 75-800 times more lignans (plant estrogen-like chemicals that act as antioxidants) than other plant based sources.  Flax is also said to help prevent breast and prostate cancers.  It also helps lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

BASIC RAW FLAX CRACKERS  RECIPE
1 cup whole golden flax seeds
1 cup filtered water
~2 T spices of your choosing 
sea salt to taste

ROSEMARY SAGE CRACKERS
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup filtered water
1 T rubbed sage
1 T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
sea salt to taste

SUNDRIED TOMATO BASIL CRACKERS
1 cup flax crackers
1 cup filtered water
1 T dried or fresh basil
1 T ground sundried tomatoes
sea salt to taste

CINNAMON GINGER SNAP CRACKERS
1 cup flax seeds
1 cup filtered water
1 T ground cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
2 droppers full liquid stevia, vanilla flavor



Combine all ingredients except salt in a bowl and stir.  Allow to sit until gelatinized, about an hour or so, stirring occasionally to keep the spices evenly distributed.  Do not rinse.  Spread directly onto teflex covered dehydrator tray, so that the flax seed mixture is about 1/8" thick.  It's best to put the mixture on one end of the tray and spread across in a consistent, uniform direction with a firm spatula, otherwise you don't get an even spread.  Once spread evenly, score to desired sized pieces.  Sprinkle with salt, to taste.  Place in dehydrator at 105 degrees until firm enough to flip, about 4 hours.  You'll know they're ready to flip when they start to curl a little bit, and when you can peel the teflex off without them sticking too much.  Flip flax crackers over onto the mesh of the dehydrator tray.  Continue dehydrating until completely dry, about 6 hours or overnight.  Store in air tight container or zip lock bag at room temp for two weeks.  Bon appétit!

Flax crackers are one of Skipper's favorite treats!