Spicy BBQ Flax Crackers
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~
I know you heard me say this before but flax crackers are a staple in our household. I keep them in a large glass container on the kitchen island. When you remove the lid it makes a sound like, “Ching!” I bet I hear “ching!” at least 10x a day as my husband snacks on them.
To be honest, it is music to my ears. I love the fact that he chooses them to snack on. I would rather hear “ching!” than the rustling of a potato chip bag. The problem when I make flax crackers (well not sure that it is really a problem) but I tend to never follow a recipe.
I just throw ingredients together that speak to me when I go through the produce drawers in the fridge. I never made a BBQ flavored one though so I was excited to make these when I had some leftover raw BBQ sauce in the fridge. Thus this recipe was born.
This is a wonderful cracker to pair with just about any cheese or dip. It has a nice kick to it (providing you use enough cayenne) but yet it is also great in providing a neutral base. It is thin and snappy… I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The key ingredient as you might gather from the title is flax! I bet you thought that I was going to say BBQ, didn’t ya? :) Whereas the BBQ flavor is what makes this cracker taste amazing… we wouldn’t have a cracker without the flax. So for those of you who are new to using it, let me share a few tidbits.
Flax seeds… touted for their amazing nutrients, are also known as the “holy binder” of raw foods. So what makes them so magical when it comes to using them in recipes? For being such a tiny, itty bitty seed, it has an outer hull consisting of five layers.
The Wonders of Flax
The outermost layer, called the epiderm, contains the mucilaginous material that is activated in the presence of liquid. Give it a stir and a little time to relax and bam (!) you have a slimy material known as mucilage or gel.
Flax seeds contain both the soluble and insoluble types and can be very bulk-forming in the colon. This process can be a real blessing for those who suffer constipation but it can also hinder movement when you don’t drink enough water with them.
Ingredients:
Yields 6 1/2 cups batter
- 2 cups flax seeds
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup ground flax seeds
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Medjool dates
- 1 cup soaking water tomatoes and dates
BBQ sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch cayenne
Preparation:
Soaking preparation:
- In a large bowl combine the flax seeds, chia seeds, ground flax, and 3 1/2 cups of water. Set aside for at least 2 hours.
- Stir really well, working out any lumps and clumps of flax.
- During the soaking process, give the mixture a quick stir to work the water into the seeds.
- If you are new to working with flax seeds, they will absorb the water completely, creating mucilage. You won’t be draining or rinsing any of this way. This mucilage is what will give this recipe the binding power it needs to create the cracker.
- The soaking process making the nutrients from the seeds absorbable in our bodies.
- At the same time, but in a separate bowl, place the sun-dried tomatoes, dates, and 1 cup of water. Set aside so they can soften, which will aid in the blending process.
- Do not use sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. If you must, then omit the olive oil.
- Once done soaking, drain but reserve the soak water. Be sure to hand-squeeze the excess water from them.
BBQ sauce:
- In a high-speed blender combine the soaked and drained sun-dried tomatoes and dates. Add the olive oil, coconut aminos, paprika, cumin, chipotle, garlic, and cayenne. Blend until creamy.
- If the sauce is just too thick to move in the blender, add 1 Tbsp of the soak water that you had reserved until the sauce is able to blend. But keep it on the thick side.
Assembly:
- Pour the BBQ sauce into the bowl along with the flax seeds. Stir really well, making sure the sauce coats all of the seeds.
- Line the dehydrator sheets with non-stick sheets or parchment paper.
- Do not use wax, or the batter will stick to it.
- I use a 9 tray Excalibur which has square trays.
- Pour 2 cups of the batter onto each sheet (3 1/2) and spread to about 1/4″ thick.
- I like to use an off-set spatula.
- Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce115 degrees (F) for about 6 hours, flip the tray over onto the mesh sheet, and peel off the non-stick sheet.
- If the batter is still sticking to the non-stick sheet, then let it continue to dry a bit longer. Don’t force the issue.
- Lightly score the batter into cracker shapes and slide it back into the dehydrator for 6+ hours, until the crackers are completely dry.
- Once done and cooled, snap the crackers apart and store them in an airtight container. If you forgot to score the crackers, no biggie, just break them into cracker-sized pieces.
- If properly stored, they should keep for 2-4 weeks.
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Hi Annie Sue..what is your very “best” cracker recipe? One that you feel may control cravings for regualar crackers, chips, popcorn, or Doritos? I just messesd up the results of an awesome 10 day detox by binging on chips..tons of them! :-( I desperately try to find a tasty raw alternative but nothing worked, not dehydrated potato chips, cauliflower popcorn, kale chips or flax crackers (I keep flopping when I try to make these..they come out chewy and tastless)..please help me!
Hi Dee,
Hmmm, you have omitted dehydrated chips, crackers, cauliflower popcorn, kale chips and flax crackers! Goodness, that makes it tough when you want something that tastes like Doritos. hehe Whereas it can be hard to replicate exact flavors of cooked products that you find as comfort foods, I find that a person needs to better evaluate just exactly what the cravings is and what it is about. For instance, specially when doing a detox, a person tends to either juice or eat simple foods that may not have much texture or flavor. That can cause cravings to increase. Main thing first…don’t beat yourself for you binge! We all go through it and what is done is done…To me and you will have to correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like you miss the crunch factor and perhaps a salty flavor? I don’t know what type of cleanse you did but did it include any salt? If not, that may be triggering that craving. Increasing healthy fats, such as coconut oil can help satiate you and help to over-come carb cravings too. Many, many factors can come into play.
You mentioned that you are struggling with getting the right textures on some of these recipes… Maybe we can look at one that really sounds good to you and work together on it to see what might be happening. Does any of this help or give insight? I hope you have a good weekend Dee. hugs!
Hi Annue Sue..you hit the nail on the head! I crave salty, crunchy..chips have been my downfall for years! I actually do like flax crackers I have tasted at different raw buffets but I can’t get mine to come out crunchy and crispy like the ones I’ve tasted :-(…I brought some home from Karyn’s Raw restaurant a few weeks ago and snacked on those when I got cravings but once they ran out I was in trouble…
Good evening Dee… I understand, don’t give up though…let’s work together on this. If you want help with a recipe please don’t hesitate to ask. Maybe we can figure what you are doing that causes the textures that you are getting. Corn chips are one of the most craved things that I miss myself. My husband eats them and stick my head in the bag and inhale so deeply that the bag deflates. haha Anyway, keep me posted, happy to help if I can. amie sue
Another OMG moment..the marinara sauce was the bomb! I made the flax crackers yesterday and while mine didnt come out that good (I spread them too thin and should have made more sauce) I fell in love with the marinara..wow! I made the sauce again today (without the dates) and poured it over fresh spinach…omg! Even my husband who usually talks about my raw foods loved it! Another keeper!
I love OMG moments! Thanks for sharing yours. hehe
Regarding raw crackers which have great taste and crunch–look up krazykrackerlady.com–I haven’t actually tried them yet, but they look great and recipes are in ebook form though she has demos on youtube!! all the best as we share in this healthy-for-life endeavor!!! Warm regards as God continues to bless, Grandma Shelley
Thank you for sharing Grandma Shelley!
Hi there,
Just wondering how much water to soak the Flax seeds & Chia seeds in? It doesn’t say, but as you can’t drain them off, I figured the amount of water to soak them in would be the right amount to be soaked up if that makes sense lol
Thank you :)
Hi Sarah,
I added it to the recipe. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. :) Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue
Thank you Amie-Sue :) I have been waiting for your reply so I can make these :)
Another question lol In the ingredients you said 3 1/2 cups of soak water, but in the prep it says place flax & chia in 2 1/2 cups of water. Is it 2 1/2 or 3 1/2?
Well for goodness sake lol… sorry, been a bit distracted! I fixed, I promise… hehe
I recently was at a raw health place and had the best flax seed crackers ever! They were truly melt in your mouth, thick, buttery, and extremely flavourful. I have made about 5 attempts to make them and failed every time. They turn out thin and have this flaxy, odd medicinal taste. Here are the ingredients and maybe you can figure out what is going on(I believe something might be missing and they never gave us the correct recipe):
5 red peppers, 1/2 red onion, 3 garlic cloves, 3 TB chili powder, 2 1/2 Cup gold flax seeds, 1 1/2 Cup flax, ground, 3 oz fresh lemon juice, 3 celery stalks, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 pinch cayenne, 5 1/2 Cup water…
Soak flax seeds minimum 3 hours. Blend remaining ingredients and add to soaked flax seeds. Mix in ground flax seeds. Spread on teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115 degrees overnight and peel off teflex sheet. Flip and dehydrate again until crispy.
The cookie has too many whole flax seeds while the one I tasted you couldnt really feel it. As well, the flavour was so buttery and mine tasted really odd, like I said, medicinal..HELP!!!!!
Anabella,
Is it a cracker or cookie? You called it both throughout your comment here. Is it made “in-house” at the health place or is manufactured somewhere? Do you or can you send me a picture of what it looks like ([email protected])? Could you identify pieces of the ingredients in it or was the batter pureed and even in color? I am happy to help but lets start here first. amie sue
Hello Amie Sue!
Thanks so much for responding…
It is in fact a cracker. The chef makes them at the Institute. He puts the whole flax seeds to soak, plus the ground flax seed mixed in. But the cracker to me turns out too thin while his are thicker and melt in your mouth. I have tried to not spread the flax mixture out so much on the Teflex sheet but automatically the mixture thins out and you just get the same thin result. In his original cracker, you really could not get a sense that there were many whole flax seeds–it felt almost like very few. Like I said, I just cannot figure out what makes his melt in your mouth, buttery flavor, and mine the complete opposite. And there are no nuts in it…
Hmm Anabella…. I will have to play around a bit. It is hard when I can’t taste, see and feel the texture myself but when I get a chance I am going to play with the ingredient list that you gave me. I shall keep you posted. Have a wonderful day, amie sue