Strawberry Coconut Crackers

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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~

Sometimes we need to take a step back, and put aside those elaborate recipes with long ingredient lists and simplify life in the kitchen.  Over the years I have learned that we need to spend less time thinking about food and more time just enjoying it. As a recipe developer and passionate healthy-eating chef… the part of spending less time in the kitchen doesn’t seem to apply. hehe

Make every bite count.

If you are going to make recipes that contain only 1-3 ingredients, make sure each one of them counts.  Just because we live in a generation of convenience-foods, doesn’t mean that we have to sacrifice taste or nutrients.  It also means that we need to turn off our autopilot switch when we eat and stop planning our next move to the point that we don’t allow time to savor the food we have in front of us.  Let alone allow time for it to digest.

Strawberry Coconut Crackers

This recipe is nothing but fresh, organic strawberries and unsweetened coconut.  There is a third ingredient, a sweetener, but that is only to be added if needed or desired.  Hopefully, the strawberries that you have on hand will be sweet enough on their own.  I did add salt but that isn’t required, it helps to bump up the sweetness naturally and frankly, I love the taste of sweet and salty food.

Honoring our Food – Honoring our Body

It’s interesting if you stop and think back over the years how much our food and the traditions of eating it, have changed.  Rarely do we just sit down to a meal, and enjoy the food that was made with love as we share life’s events, dreams, and doings. Instead, the conversations revolve around the ingredients (the components of our food). We cringe when discussing the methods that are used in growing and producing it. And due to the poor quality of much of our food, combined with our health issues, cause the variety of foods on our plate to seemly continually dwindle.

Anymore to have friends and family over for dinner, a questioner has to be filled out. Are you vegetarian? Vegan?  Gluten-free? And if so are you Celiac or just have a low tolerance? Dairy-free?  Oh, can’t eat grains?! Low-fat? It can be exhausting.  That wasn’t the case fifty years ago… it’s pretty amazing to have those options today, but on the other hand… sad.  In many ways, this all doesn’t appear to be healthy for our mental wellbeing.  We bring far too much negativity into our thoughts as we eat and I personally believe that this “tarnishes” all the effort spent in trying to eat healthier.

“Amie Sue, just because I can’t eat gluten, dairy or sugar, doesn’t mean that I eat with a negative heart.”  I truly hope this is the case…. but over time when our list of food restrictions increase, we start to feel deprived. It consumes our thoughts, far much more than the fact of just being able to eat freely.  Mercy, why did I get off on that tangent?  I just want to quickly brag about a two-ingredient recipe that tastes amazing, is simple and nutritious to make. lol

Ingredients:

Yields: 18 crackers

• 1 lb fresh organic strawberries
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup (only if needed)
• Pinch Himalayan pink salt
• 2 cups shredded coconut

Preparation:

1. Remove the green stems from the strawberry tops.
2. Place the strawberries, salt, and maple syrup in the food processor, with the “S” blade.   Process to a semi-chunky texture.
3. Add the coconut and process until well mixed.
4. You may not need to add the sweetener, it depends on how sweet the berries and your taste buds are.
5. Spread the mixture, about 1/4″ thick, on a non-stick sheet that fits on the dehydrator tray.
   • Square up the edges using an off-set spatula and then score into squares.
   • My sheet turned out to measure 12 x 12″ and once scored, I got 36 crackers.
6. Dehydrate at 145 degrees for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 (F) and continue to dry for another 8+ hours or until crispy.
7. Allow the crackers to dry, snap the score lines and store in an airtight container at room temp.
   • If left exposed to humid air, these crackers will soften.  If this happens, they are still tasty but they can be thrown back into the dehydrator to crisp them up.
   • If you decide to put a frosting in the center, do so as you eat them.  The frosting will add moisture and cause the cracker to soften.

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.

Tags: Dairy Free, Dehydrated, Gluten Free, Nightshade Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan