While you can use an oven to make these crackers, a dehydrator is worth buying if you are looking to be more self-sufficient, want your foods to retain the most nutrients, or if you want to preserve foods and make healthy alternatives. They can run for hours or days depending upon what is it you’re dehydrating, without using up a huge amount of energy.
This recipe actually comes from my very own mum, who is always trying different things in the kitchen. Opting recently for more alkaline recipes due to a few different reasons, we’ve been juicing and making everything from scratch even more than usual.
Using a dehydrator is also a wonderful way to reduce waste! There are a number of things you can do with leftover pulp from juicing (or leftover vegetables, or parts you aren’t going to cook with) but apart from putting them in the compost or adding some to a smoothie for added fibre, there aren’t a whole lot of delicious things you can do with unused vegetable pulp…. Until now!
These crackers are high in fibre, extremely tasty and full of vitamins and healthy ingredients, but they’re still very savoury and satisfying. You could make sweet versions with the pulp from fruit juices, or create a whole pizza base or flatbread instead. Try this recipe out using either your dehydrator or oven, knowing that you’ve reduced waste, saved energy, and created something healthy that will last the whole week, so you can grab something good for you on-the-go!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of vegetable pulp left over from juicing
- (ideally some carrot, celery and greens)
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped pepper (any colour)
- ½ tsp sea salt or pink Himalayan salt
- 1tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ cup milled flax seeds
- ¼ cup milled chia seeds
- 1 tbsp tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Optional: 2tbsp nigella seeds/sesame seeds
Method
In your food processor, add the onion and pepper and process until almost liquid and pour into a large bowl.
Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well. If it is too dry add a little water. If it is too wet you will need to add some more dry ingredients such as extra milled flax/chia seeds.
Scoop out the mixture onto dehydrator sheets and spread evenly in a rough square.
Use your hand and/or the back of a spoon to spread the mixture until it is about an eighth of an inch thick. (Quite thin).
If you want to, at this stage, you can sprinkle some nigella seeds or sesame seeds over the top, pressing them into the crackers lightly.
Score the crackers into the shape and size you would like them to be using a pizza cutter or similar.
Set your dehydrator to 110-115F and dehydrate for about 12 hours.
If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use your oven set low:
Place the crackers on a baking tray in a preheated oven (lowest setting) with the door ajar for approximately 6-8 hours.
Once dehydrated the crackers will keep for a week in an airtight container…. (unless you live in our house, in which case they’ll all be gone within a few days!)
Leave a Reply