Green Chia Nut Cracker Recipe
2013
The idea for this green chia nut cracker recipe came from a few factors I had been thinking of. First I needed some crackers and wanted to use chia to bind the ingredients, instead of flax, as I often use in crackers. Also, I was craving sea vegetables, and looking for a way to get more of them into my diet, and so the kelp and spirulina in here too. Finally I wanted the crunch of other nut crackers I have made before. I often use seeds in crackers, which are also great, but there is a wonderful crispy texture that is really nice to bite into with nut crackers. These ideas all came together into a vegetable and nut cracker recipe with superfood nutrition and a taste and texture that I find quite addictive. I am already out of them and need to make more!
Chia seeds have a similar nutritional profile to flax and are equally super nutritious with great and balanced EFA’s but they are even more wonderful for their awesome fill you up quality. Chia swells up to 11 times it’s size when it hits water and makes you feel full quickly. Chia is also is called the runners seed and I am convinced that they really do give extra energy and endurance. So they are a great thing to eat before a long workout!
For this chia nut cracker recipe, chia combines with walnuts, almonds, ground vegetables, kelp, spirulina and seasonings to make a wonderful superfood cracker. Dehydrating keeps the nutrition and also the vital energy and enzymes intact, which makes these extra good for you.
Soaking the seeds makes them even more nutritious. When you soak the nuts first they are considered to be pre-digested. The proteins break down back into amino acids and carbs into simple sugars making them much easier on your digestive system. They become so much more nutritious and make the nutrition in them more available to our systems. Read more about soaking your nuts here.
If you prefer them to be less green you can cut back, or omit, the spirulina, or you can intensify them with more. This is what gives them their vibrant green color. I love it and I am always looking for more ways to get more spirulina in my diet also. It’s one of the most nutritious foods available on the planet! I will link to more info on the nutrition of the ingredients, just click on the links in the ingredient section of the recipe to learn more.
I hope you enjoy this superfood chia nut cracker recipe as much as I do. This recipe will be in my ‘make often’ recipe list now.
Green Chia Nut Cracker Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup Almonds
1 cup Walnuts
½ cup Chia – ground
1 large, or 2 small Carrots
1 Zucchini
¼ cup Kelp flakes
2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Spirulina
2 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Garlic powder
Directions
Grind chia. Place vegetables prepped and chopped in big pieces in the food processor. Process until they are in small uniform size pieces. Add the nuts and process again until they are broken down into small evenly sized bits. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse chop or process just to combine. Remove to teflex sheets and spread out thinly and evenly. I found 3 cups to be the perfect amount for a 14” x 14” Excalibur dehydrator tray. Score into the size you would like the crackers to be. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4 to 6 hours, or until the tops are dry. Then flip over onto another tray with a mesh sheet and continue dehydrating for another 8 to 12 hours until very dry and crisp. Store in an air tight container. They will keep well for at least a month.
Photo Description
Assemble ingredients
Process carrots and zucchini first.
Process until they are small uniform size pieces.
Add the almonds and walnuts and process until they are in small uniform size pieces also.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Process until it is all mixed together and quite broken down. I like it when there are still small pieces of nuts and vegetables in the mixture. these give not only a nice color and appearance but add to the texture as well.
On an Excalibur dehydrator 14″ x 14″ dehydrator screen, 3 cups is a great measurement to spread out to make a great thickness. They will be solid enough to hold toppings, yet thin enough to have a nice crisp bite and break easily when you bite into them.
Spread the 3 sups out evenly.
Score with a regular butter knife (not sharp) or the edge of a spatula into the size crackers you like. You can also not score them and break them apart into random shaped pieces after they are dried.
There was a little over a cup extra, spread it out on another tray and then dehydrate the trays as indicated int he directions until dry.
When they are dry store in an air tight container, or serve. I love them and find these crackers almost addictive. Hope you love them too!
