Friday, January 15, 2010

Quinoa Crackers



I have been busy in the kitchen lately cooking up a storm.  So busy that I haven't found a moment to post (I also dig into dishes so fast I forget to take pictures!).  But when Ali over at The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen posted a cracker recipe this morning, not only did I have to make it immediately but I knew I had to share it too.  The secret ingredient?  Cooked quinoa!  Well, I just happened to have some on hand so I decided to break out the food processor and rolling pin and give it a try.

I have been looking for a cracker recipe for months.  The only crackers I have found that the Little Man and I can eat are the Hol Grain rice crackers.  He loves them -- me, not so much.  When checking out the recipes, however, I freeze up when I read "roll out the dough".  Let's face it, crackers look like a lot of work.  But this recipe says to put everything in the food processor -- easy!  Easy and fast mixing combined with slow rolling might be doable.  In fact, Ali suggests rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and simply transferring the whole sheet of parchment to the baking sheet.  So the tedious and slow task I was expecting surprised me by being rather fast after all.

Ali's crackers are topped with three types of seeds, none of which we can eat.  I made half of our crackers plain (for Little Man) and topped the other half with rosemary and kosher salt.

The verdict?  Hands down, the best crackers I've ever eaten (EVER!) gluten-free or not.  And if you listen carefully you might hear Little Man in the background voicing his approval... "more cracker, more cracker, more cracker!" 

13 comments:

  1. Wow, your crackers look so beautiful! Like perfect, little rectangles. So happy to hear your little guy enjoyed them so much! I am amazed that you read my blog, made the crackers, photographed them, and wrote a blog post all before 10 am and we are in the same time zone! You are a super mom! -Ali :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awww, you're sweet.

    Despite us continually eating crackers, we still have some left. So they do keep for a bit in an airtight container (I used a glass one).

    My Little Man has an aversion to dipping foods (even though everyone says toddlers love to dip). But he had a grand time dipping these crackers into an avocado/chickpea dip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad I found your cooking site. We are trying to work through allergy issues in our house. Thanks for the resources and recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have never tried quinoa, and I have no excuse. We see it everywhere. I think I just have this knee jerk fear of grains now with the allergy thing. But your blog is inspiring me to give it a try. The crackers do look yummy! We only have one brand we buy, and I can't get them at whole foods. Luckily our large chain grocery store sells them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. By the way, my son hates to dip too! He will just now tolerate me spreading things on crackers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have now made my third batch of these crackers as they get gobbled up rather quickly around here. Infant Bibliophile, quinoa is considered quite low on the allergen scale, so hopefully it won't be a problem for your family. It is so nutritious and can be used in lots of ways. It's the one food I would be lost without.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I know this is going to sound absurd, but I have never used a food processor. I'm wondering if I could make this dough with a stand mixer, or do the blades of the food processor serve an important pupose like breaking down the quinoa?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think the food processor is a must for this recipe. It chops up the quinoa and makes it a paste so you cannot see the individual grains anymore. This recipe has become a staple in our house. In fact, I made a double batch of these this morning! We eat these crackers every single day (I make lots and then freeze them). I would justify buying a food processor just to make these crackers, although I also find it invaluable for dips and am starting to get used to using it for chopping and grating veggies for soups and muffins (I have morning glory muffins in the oven right now and used the food processor for grating the 2 cups of carrots and an apple).

    ReplyDelete
  9. The principle effectiveness of a residential look that can assist you always keep, ready yourself as well as cause portions diet regime as well as in order to perform like undertakings as with dishwashing.can you use rid x in city plumbing

    ReplyDelete
  10. The main functions of a kitchen are to store, prepare and cook food and to complete related tasks such as dishwashing.ge microwave vent fan won t turn off

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a really cool post. I love this kitchen. It is completely the style that would fit me.can you use rid x in city plumbing

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is a truly cool post. I love this kitchen. Totally the style would fit me.ge microwave vent fan won t turn off

    ReplyDelete