Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Fun with the Dehydrator: Mexican Crackers

So unbeknownst to you, I spent the last 2 weeks eating only raw foods, mostly fruits and vegetables. I like to do this at least twice a year, just giving my body a chance to rest from the indulgence of the holiday season and focus on whole foods. It's amazing how much better I feel when doing it, and to be honest, it flies by and I'm usually sad to see it end.

In the midst of my 2 week "Rawness," I also purchased a new dehydrator. I had been reading some raw foodie blogs and was intrigued by the raw eating lifestyle, which makes significant use of a dehydrator. According to some of what I've read, it's considered raw if it's not heated above 114 degrees. Essentially, you can warm and dry it while still retaining the desirable enzymes.

One of the toughest things for me during "Raw Time" is not having anything crunchy. Although carrots sprinkled with a little kosher salt are pretty darn satisfying, I sometimes just crave the crunch of a chip or a cracker. The recipe for these crackers turned up while reading some of the forums, so I made some adjustments and created these spicy and tasty crackers. I made them in the dehydrator and cooked them at 105 degrees, but I'm sure you could easily bake these in your oven at a very low temperature. Go ahead and give these a try for something different.

Mexican Crackers

Mexican Crackers

1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup raw cashews
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp salt (I used Adobo)
1 tbsp taco seasoning mix
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

In a coffee grinder or food processor, process all seeds and nuts until they are ground into flour. In a larger food processor, combine all seeds and remaining ingredients and process until well mixed and smooth. Spread onto teflex or parchment paper thinly, and place into food dehydrator. Dry for a few hours until dry on top, then flip, remove teflex/parchment, and allow to dry until crispy. (This took another 12 hours). Store in well-sealed plastic container or bag.


6 comments:

Beatrice said...

A friend and I were debating whether it would be possible to make a gluten-free baklava by making a crispy phyllo substitute (perhaps from fruit) using a dehydrator. Your crackers suggest the possibility of using a ground nut blend, which I hadn't thought of before...

Interesting recipe!

Miss M said...

What are you using as your binding agent? I usually soak my flax seeds (the only way to get the omega3's out of these babies) and they form the wonderful gel that acts as the binding agent for all the seeds.DO three tomatoes really bind that well? Also how thick did you make yours? I can wait to try them...vegan/raw month is a week away.

kickpleat said...

hmmm, i wonder if i can do this in my blender or will everything just process into goo. i love the idea of raw crackers. i've had them at a raw cafe and they were tasty and making them at home would be way better, i'm sure!

Anonymous said...

I am currently on day 22 of my 28 days Vegan detox and am really enjoying it but can't imagine eating raw, so you are very brave:-)
Great blog by the way:-)

X M

Liz said...

wow! those look amazing!! :D

Rumela said...

I like this recipe. these Mexican crackers are sure to taste great and are extremely nutritious as well. I am going to bake a batch for the holidays when my kids will be at home. I'll be sure that what they are eating is healthy. thank you for shearing your post.