My Simple Real Food Lifestyle

If someone were to ask me what my favourite snack is I would say anything that is salty, crispy, and crunchy. I’m thinking kale chips, pork rinds, and these grain-free crackers.

I’ve baked muffins, brownies, cookies, balls, bars, and other sweet snacks; but when it comes time for a snack, I always reach for the savory. I’ve been known to just stand at my fridge gnawing on leftover meat or chicken or eating roasted kabocha squash, broccoli, or brussels sprouts like they’re candy. The first time I made Angela’s Endurance Crackers I was in love. I realized then that I’m not really the sweet-snacker I always thought I was.

It wasn’t always like this. As a child my favourite afternoon snack was ice cream. My dad and I would head to Baskin Robbins most days after school. Although it’s a fond childhood memory, it’s not something I would repeat now as an almost-adult or something I plan to do with my own children.

In my preteen years my snack of choice was those store-bought muffins (yes THOSE muffins that look like plastic and probably have more preservatives than a twinkie) or cookies with milk. Again not a ritual I’d ever likely repeat.

Once I began turning more towards nutrition and becoming more absorbed in a healthy lifestyle that was more disordered than healthy, I would permit myself no other snack than fresh fruit. I ate grapes by the pound and developed almost an addiction to fruit to the point where all day I would think about when it was time for my “fruit-fix”. I would down a banana, several slices of pineapple, an orange, and more than a couple of cups of red seedless grapes as a snack. Of course I wouldn’t be left satisfied but it kept me lean and as much as it shames me to admit it, that’s all I cared about back then.

To date I eat plenty of healthy fats from coconut oil, butter, eggs, nuts, olive oil, and other sources so that my blood sugar is always stable and I don’t feel compelled to snack and eat as often as when my diet was mostly fruit. When I do eat fruit I make sure to eat plenty of fat with it to help with the absorption of nutrients and to avoid an insulin spike. Some examples include an apple with homemade coconut butter or a banana with a handful of walnuts.

But like I said before, my sweet tooth is virtually non-existent these days and when I’m hungry I tend to reach towards the savory. I mentioned in a previous post my absolute adoration for the crack that is pork rinds. If there is one flaw in my diet it’s those little buggers. They are a popular choice for people on a low carb diet (not that I’m on one) and are high in protein and good fats, but their sodium content is through the roof. Damn.

Enter the grain-free cracker.

They’re not pork rinds, but they do satisfy my craving for something with a salty crunch. These crackers remind me of a Ritz Cracker although perhaps a bit less buttery and flaky and more savory from the herbs. You can add whatever herbs you please, or even omit if, like my dad, you prefer things plain.

Savory Grain-Free Crackers

Adapted from Paleo Herb Crackers and Almond Crackers

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond meal/flour (I made my own by pulsing blanched almonds in my blender until finely ground)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoon favrite herbs of choice (I used a thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, and garlic powder)
• 1 extra large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a bowl whisk together almond meal, sea salt, and herbs.
3. Lightly whisk the egg and add it to the almond meal mixture until a stiff dough forms. Be patient and use your hands to form the dough. Add a tablespoon of water if the dough seems too dry.
4. Place dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out to an even thickness of about 1/8 of an inch. Transfer parchment to a baking sheet pan and remove the top piece of parchment. Reserve top piece of parchment.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, score the crackers with a pizza cutter or knife into small squares or diamonds.
6. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on top of the crackers and flip the entire pan onto the other baking sheet.
7. Place back in the oven and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (not black) and as crispy as you like them (I baked them for 15 minutes).
8. Remove from the oven and let crackers cool. Enjoy!

Wishing everyone a great Valentine’s Day, may you be reminded how important and treasured you are! Don’t go overboard on the chocolates.

Shared on Allergy-Free Wednesday