Crackers are a great way to fill the gap between meals when smeared with some hummus, guacamole, labna or pate. They’re also great for the school lunch box when combined with your child’s favourite dip, spread or cheese. They’re packed full of healthy fats, vitamins and minerals that growing bodies need to support their development and keep them feeling full and fueled throughout the day.
Most store bought crackers are made from refined white flour or white rice, sugar (yes, even the savoury ones), salt and a raft of preservatives, colors, flavours and other food chemicals – all which offer little to no nutritional value and will leave our kids feeling irritated and hungry not long after eating them, thanks to the spike in their blood sugar from the refined grains.
I started making these superseed crackers about 4-years ago to fill a healthy cracker-gap and these are pretty much everything ‘free’ – gluten, dairy, nut, wheat and soy. You can find similar ones of the shelves at health food stores now, but they’re expensive and contain more packaging than product.
They’re easy to make which provides are a great opportunity to get kids in to the kitchen, especially if you got an under-3yo like me. They can stand and stir the seeds (teach them to hold the bowl with one hand), spread the mixture out in the pan and break them up in to free form pieces at the end.
This is a plain – but delicious – recipe base that you can simply enjoy as-is or pimp with your favourite flavour combinations by adding a few dried herbs – I like rosemary & garlic and sumac, cumin & mint (just add 1 Tbsp of each herb).
If you’re making them for little people, I would recommend placing all the seeds (expect the chia seeds) in to a food processor and pulsing until smooth – this just makes the seeds easier for tiny tummies to digest (otherwise they’ll just come the other end whole!).
HEALTH BENEFITS
Unlike the usual processed wheat crackers, these are full of protein and fibre (both soluble and insoluble) to help balance blood sugars, keep kids feeling fuller for longer and support gut health. The main ingredient, linseeds and chia seeds, are high in omega-3 fatty acids which is essential for brain development and heart health. All the seeds are great sources of fiber and also contain healthy monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and many important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, like: zinc, which helps to promote immune health, balance blood sugar levels, influences learning and behaviour, aids wound healing, is an antioxidant and prevents damage to cells and DNA from free radicals and plays a role in taste perception; calcium which is important for healthy bones and teeth, aids in muscle contraction and relaxation and promote a healthy nervous system and vitamin E which is essential for a healthy immune system, a potent antioxidant. Seaweed is the best dietary source of iodine, a mineral that many children are deficient in. It’s necessary for healthy thyroid function, physical and mental development and a healthy metabolism.
SUPERSEED CRACKERS
Prep time: 20-mins – Cook time: 2-hrs – Makes: 25-30
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flax seeds (linseeds)
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbsp dulse flakes (seaweed) *optional
- 1 cup filtered water
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 100’C and line a baking try with baking paper – depending on the size of your tray and how thick you want your crackers, you may need to use two trays
- In a large bowl add the chia seeds in water for 15-20 minutes until they form a gel
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the chia gel and mix well
- Spread the mixture evenly on the baking paper and bake at for an hour. Flip it over and bake for another hour, until all the moisture is gone and the crackers are crisp (you don’t want soggy crackers). Turn the heat off and let them cool down inside the oven
- Once cooled, break them into free form uneven pieces (makes 25-30). If you want your crackers to be even, then score the seed mixture with a knife to your desired size before baking, then break along these lines once cooled
- Store in an air-tight container
Happy Cooking!
Lucy x
