NOT Wheat Thins

My favorite cracker prior to my diet change was Wheat Thins.  I could eat them by the boxful...and right before my diet change, I'm pretty sure those boxfuls of crackers were making me pretty sick...but anyway I thought I would try to make my own version of these crackers and they turned out pretty good.

 NOT Wheat Thins
(inspired by this recipe)

1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet flour
2 tablespoons almond meal
2 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling on top
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
3 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (I actually roll my crackers out on the parchment paper and then transfer my paper to the baking sheet).

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, sugar, paprika, salt).

With a pastry blender or fork, cut the margarine into the flour mixture until crumbly. Mix together the water and vanilla and pour into the flour mixture. Stir this mixture until it comes together.

On a floured surface (once again, I floured parchment paper, which I then moved to the baking sheet), roll out the dough very thin (1/16th inch). Using a pizza cutter, cut into whatever shape you desire. Using a spatula, place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet (or spread them out on the parchment paper and transfer the paper to the baking sheet). Sprinkle with more salt and sesame seeds if desired.

Bake for about 10 minutes at 400F. Half way through baking rotate the pan to ensure even baking. Cool completely. Makes about 36 crackers for this full recipe. Store in an air-tight container.

This post is featured on Allergy Friendly Friday and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

Saltine Crackers

I love saltines, yes, they are a very simple cracker, but they are so handy to have around.  So, I've set out to make my own.  These crackers aren't as delicate as a typical saltine, but they turned out pretty good.  To get the cracker crispness it worked best for me to have them small, like ~1"x1" small. If you want them bigger, cook them longer.  Another key I found was that you need the dough as thin as possible, the thicker ones (it was my first batch, and I thought they were thin) ended up being like a hard flatbread, too soft for a cracker to hard for bread...not what I was looking for...so roll the dough out as thin as you can.  Other than that, enjoy!

Saltine Crackers
adapted for this recipe


2 cups gf flour blend 
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
2/3 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk or other nondairy milk
Sea Salt


Combine the dry ingredients together in a food processor, add butter and pulse until butter is well incorporated. Stream in milk.  Once mixed place on a piece of parchment paper and knead a few times to smooth the dough out and finish mixing it.  Divide the dough into a couple pieces and roll it out very thin onto the parchment paper. Transfer the parchment paper to a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with sea salt and prick with a fork (I actually didn't do this, but if you want the classic saltine look, prick).  Cut into 1" squares with a pizza cutter. Bake at 375F for 13-15 minutes.  If you are making large crackers (2 1/2" squares), bake for ~20-25 minutes.

Clam Chowder with Salty Pistachio Flatbread Crackers

I love Clam Chowder, but haven't had it in ages...it's one of those cold weather foods, so it probably has been since last winter.  So I thought it would be a perfect time to make a gluten free, dairy free, soy free version of this recipe. I did also change amounts of veggies, and added bacon (because everything's better with bacon!). I've also been imagining these pistachio crackers to pair with the soup, since I made the rosemary almond ones. And the saltiness from the cracker was the perfect match to this soup.  The other great thing about these crackers?  They make a great dessert when dipped in melted dairy-free chocolate!

Clam Chowder

4 strips of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams
1/2 cup minced onion, about 1/2 small one
3/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup diced carrots
2 cups cubed potatoes (I used Yukon golds)
~2/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup+ 1/6 cup sweet rice flour
2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Fry bacon pieces in a large skillet until crispy.  Remove and drain on paper towels, then crumble.  Add vegetables to bacon drippings and cook for 3 minutes. Drain juice from clams over the vegetables, and add enough water to cover (I added 2/3 cup).  Cook over medium heat until tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Whisk in sweet rice flour until smooth.  Whisk in coconut milk and stir constantly until thick and smooth.  Stir in the vegetable/clam juice mixture.  Heat through, but do not boil.

Stir in clams just before serving.  When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper and add in the crumbled bacon.

Salty Pistachio Flatbread Crackers

1 1/2 cups roasted pistachios, ground into a meal (I put mine into a blender)
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 egg 

In a large bowl, combine pistachio meal and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness. Remove top piece of parchment paper. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve. These are softer than a cracker, hence the flatbread name, if you cook them longer they may get crisper. The picture above shows them dipped in melted dairy-free chocolate.

This post is featured on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday for 4/12/11, go here to see it and other fantastic recipes.

Rosemary Almond Crackers

I actually clipped this recipe out of my local paper of all places.  It's my Elana Ameterdam, the author of  "The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook", she has amazing recipes.  You can check out her blog here.  I have had it on my fridge for a couple months now, and finally tried it out and am so happy I did.  It worked perfectly with my soup last night that I took to a church activity. Below is the recipe with my slight modifications based on what I had on hand.

Rosemary Almond Crackers

1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour (I use Honeyville's almond meal/flour)
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 egg

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, salt and rosemary
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil and egg
3. Stir wet ingredients into almond flour mixture until thoroughly combined
4. Roll the dough into a ball and press between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ⅛ inch thickness
5. Remove top piece of parchment paper
6. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
7. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
8. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden
9. Let crackers cool on baking sheet for 30 minutes, then serve

Cache Valley GIG and Reviews

Last night I attended my first support group meeting, the Cache Valley Gluten Intolerence Group (GIG) held their monthly meeting last night.  It was at Fresh Market, so we got to see what they offer there and have some samples...I love samples, and so do my boys. :)  Also, they had a drawing for gift cards to Fresh Market and I won $10, which I promptly spent on GF treats. :)  I learned some things from the other members, some things I'm still taking in and digesting...so I won't mention them now, but one thing I'm quite excited about is that the Kroger Value brand semi-sweet chocolate chips is dairy-free!  I also with the Great Value ones (Walmart) are as well, but haven't checked.  I've never loved cheap stuff so much before!  I really never thought of checking the labels, all the other brands have milk or could be cross contaminated with milk, so I assumed if I wanted chocolate chips I would have to fork over the $5-$6 for dairy-free ones at the health food store.  So I just bought 3 bags for $1.69 each, and I'm feeling pretty good. (I did call Kroger and they wouldn't guarantee that they are dairy-free, but said that if there was any chance of cross contamination they are required by law to put that on the label).

So, we also got to try a few gluten-free products last night.  They had ham from the deli--all of there deli meats are gluten-free, the Kretchmer brand say right on their label gluten-free and MSG free, so that may be my new favorite brand!  We also had Glutino Original Crackers, which are the gluten-free version of Ritz Crackers.  They were delicious, they are a bit harder than Ritz crackers, but the taste is pretty much the same, and it goes perfectly with ham. ;)  I would rate both of these at at least a 9 out of 10 the ham because the brand labels it gluten free and MSG free and the crackers because they taste like regular crackers.  One problem with the crackers for millk sensitive people...there is no milk in the crackers, but there is potential for cross contamination, it says on the label (and I did get sick last night and I'm guessing it was the crackers and the wafers cookies).  But for those of you with only a gluten sensitivity, this won't be an issue.

We also got to try two types of cookies.  I mentioned the wafter cookies above, they were Glutino Lemon Wafer cookies, and they were really good.  The boys weren't huge on them, but they aren't lemon fans, so that didn't surprise me.  I, on the other hand, love lemon, so they were incredible.  The wafers had the texture of regular wafer cookies, so I may buy the boys the vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ones for treats. I would give this a 9 out of 10, they were delicious and had the perfect texture.

The other cookie we tried was by far the favorite for all of us.  It was the kinnikinnick K-Toos Vanilla Sandwich cookies.  They basically are 2 of their K-Kritter with dairy-free creme in between them...yum!!! My boys had to have had at least 3 cookies a piece, we then purchased a pack (with the giftcard I got) and went home and ate at least 3 more a piece...way too many cookies, but so good! These get a 10 out of 10 for their pure awesomeness!

kinnikinnick S'moreables -- Review

So, this weekend I went to Gluten Free Foods in Layton this weekend.  They were having their 1 year anniversary, so they had cake (gluten-free, dairy-free), samples from area bakeries, and a clown that did face painting and animal balloons.  It's a small store, and a could probably find most of the items here in the valley, but it was nice to see what options I have.  Because of that trip, I do have a few reviews.  This one is for the S'moreables, I love graham crackers--plain, dipped in milk, or covered in icing, or about any other way I can think of, so I really wanted to try these.  I love them, you can taste the molasses in them...so if you're not a molasses fan, you may not like them.  They have a bit of that chalky texture, but it didn't stop me from eating them.  But my boys took one bite and they were done, so I think it takes getting used to for kids.  I'm sure if I made smores or put frosting on them they would eat them, so I'm not too worried.

Rating: 8 out of 10 They were really yummy, but they do have that chalky texture to them, and my boys aren't totally on board with them yet.