Omega-packed, unusual and delicious: Nearly Raw Savory Flaxseed Crackers
I first had this type of cracker in a Raw Vegan restaurant years ago. I thought it was really interesting, I loved the very crisp texture and nutty taste, and I decided to try making it myself at home. This recipe isn't really a "Trader Joe's recipe" but I think that it's really worth sharing.
Flaxseed is an excellent source of essential fatty acids—great for your skin, body and overall health. Baking with ground flax or flaxseed is great for texture, but the high heating breaks down the oils and nutritive properties of the flaxseed. So dehydrating raw flaxseed by baking it at your oven's lowest temperature is the way to go. This recipe creates savory crispy crackers that optimally preserve the goodness of flaxseed. My 4-year old daughter can't get enough of these crackers. I also make a sweet version with almond meal and honey.
One more note. It's true that all our recipes contain ingredients that can all be found at Trader Joe's. Not so with this recipe. In order to get raw flaxseed, you will have to go somewhere besides Trader Joe's (any large health-food-oriented store...you know the ones I'm talking about). Trader Joe's has bags of flaxseed, but their flaxseed is roasted, not raw.
Nearly Raw Savory Flaxseed Crackers
2 cups whole raw flaxseed (not a TJ's item)
3 cups water
3 Roma tomatoes (or 1 cup of heirloom tomatoes if it’s summertime and your TJ's carries them!)
¼ cup fresh basil or 2 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1. Soak the flaxseed in the water for 30 minutes (at which point it will have become completely gelatinous. My kids love to touch it!).
2. While the flaxseed is soaking, place the tomatoes, basil, garlic and salt in a blender and puree. When the flaxseed is ready, add the contents of the bowl and the olive oil to the blender and give a few short bursts to combine everything.
3. Take 2 cookie sheets and cover with foil. Spray or rub olive oil on the cookie sheets—do not skip this step or your crackers will permanently adhere to the foil.
4. Drop half the mixture onto the foil on each cookie sheets. Wet your hand and then spread the mixture as flat and thin as you can, rewetting your hand as needed to make spreading the sticky mixture easier.
5. Place the cookie sheets in the oven at 170 degrees. In about 2 hours, the top of the cracker will have dried out. You should be able to loosen the edges of the flax crackers and flip the entire sheet and replace on the cookie sheet backside up. (If you can't peel the crackers off the foil, don't sweat it. Just leave it as is, or try again in another hour.) Turn the oven down to 150 degrees and leave it for about 8 hours. By then, the crackers should be completely dehydrated and stiff. Cool completely, remove from foil, break into smaller pieces, and store in a plastic bag. It should be fine for a couple of weeks. Serve with dips, tapenades, cheeses, or just by itself.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Hands-off Cooking time: 10 hours!
I cook with flaxseed and have raw flaxseed at home but never used it like this. It's hard to find ways to eat a lot of it. This looks good!
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I don't think I'll ever manage to do this at home, I can't even handle the simplest receipts but I would appreciate you recommending us some good places to get this product, I am interested in its nutritional content.
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You can get raw flaxseed at Whole Foods or any health food store. Bob's Red Mill is a popular brand available widely and carries raw flax seeds.
As far as ready-made crackers or crisps, I've never had any good ones outside of ones at a particular vegan restaurant I know and the ones I've made at home.
Here is the nutritional information of the flax seeds:
Serving size: 3 tbsp
Amount Per Serving
Calorie 160
Calories from Fat 100
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g (17%)
Saturated Fat 1g (5%)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg (0%)
Sodium 10mg (0%)
Total Carbohydrate 11g (4%)
Dietary Fiber 9g (36%)
Sugars 0g
Protein 6g
Amount Per Serving and/or % Daily Value*
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 6%
Iron 10%
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Isn't it the case, though, that the nutritional value of flax is only available to you if the seeds are "cracked" (ground, or at least crushed)? I buy flaxseed meal and keep it in the freezer (because the omega-3 oil goes rancid - gets fishy-tasting - if it sits on a shelf).
Sigh. I don't s'pose there's any way to adapt this recipe to that...
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Hi Tegan,
You're absolutely right. The highest level of nutrition from flax seeds is when they are crushed, ground, milled, etc, since whole seeds don't break down during digestion.
However, besides having a unique and enjoyable texture, these crackers are still very beneficial. Seeds (not all but some) do get crushed from the chewing process releasing the valuable oils and fiber. The flax mucilage (the gummy substance from whole or crushed seeds soaked in liquid) is a soluble fiber and is great for digestion and is reported to help support friendly intestinal bacteria. You can get that benefit from whole seeds as well.
As you've discovered, the oil in flax seeds does go rancid pretty quickly after they're milled. The best way to store and use flax seeds is to buy whole seeds and grind them in a food mill as you need them. That maximizes the shelf life and the nutritional value.
For this recipe, you can definitely adapt it by using half whole seeds and half crushed seeds. You can also use a traditional cracker recipe and substitute 1/4 of the flour with flaxseed meal.
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This recipe creates savory crispy crackers
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The interesting recipe! I will try to prepare it houses I-hope it is pleasant
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Very interesting information, we even have a list of nutritional ingredients for flax seeds... So in the end what do you think? Can this recipe be successfully included on a healthy recipes list?
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I have a rice cooker, so when I make a fresh batch (for a special meal, or when I do have the time to cook), I make extra.
Then I put that in single server bags, and put it in the freezer. A lot cheaper than buying it store bought. As long as you are putting it in something (like soup, or topping it with something else) it works quite well.
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How fun it is to teach cooking class at TJ’s. I go to TJ’s for thing like nuts, dried fruit, soy milk, and their berry juice. I am not into their fresh produce, because everything is wrap, and I can’t really how fresh it is. Oh, I also like their purple potato chips, delicious!
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