Homemade Crackers - My New Favorite!

Snacking and wheat products seems to go together so I decided to figure out a way to have a healthy snack on hand that kept within my self-imposed dietary restrictions. This is what I came up with and I plan to make another batch . . . soon!

Cheddar Crackers
3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup slightly toasted sesame seeds
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix to form into a dough. Divide the dough in half. On a large working surface, lay out a sheet of parchment paper and pat down one portion of the dough on it a bit. Cover with another sheet of parchment and using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough as thinly as possible, about an eighth of an inch. Carefully remove the top parchment paper and move to a baking sheet and place the whole thing, bottom layer of parchment and rolled out dough on it. Repeat with the second portion of dough.

You have the option of cutting it into squares, but not taking them off the parchment before baking or just baking the whole sheet and breaking them into random pieces after baking.

Bake in a pre-heated, 350 degree oven for approximately ten minutes but check to avoid burning or under cooking. Cool and serve. Keep in a closed container after completely cooled.

Words for Troubled Times . . .

“O heart of Love, I put all my trust in You. For I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from your goodness.” ~St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Pie Crust - No Wheat Involved!

When people find out that I've decided to try going wheat-free in my family's diet, they are shocked not realizing that it is relatively easy to incorporate into your lifestyle and can be done gradually. If you like to work in the kitchen, it is a new level of challenge and actually wakes up your creativity as you reinvent favorite recipes. People also forget that it is only wheat you are omitting and that butter, sugar (depending on your personal diet needs), and most everything else is still in place. It can also stretch your grocery money a bit further as you will no longer want to purchase boxed cookies, cake mixes, and prepackaged fast food items.

As I said, however, my suggestion is you read about making this change, search the Internet and browse the recipes, and ponder how and if you can make a change like this. My free time on the computer, yesterday, was Googling my favorite cookie/bread recipes but prefacing the search line with 'gluten-free'. I came up with a substitute on every search!

Over the weekend, I made a lemon custard pie to treat my family. I found a recipe that used cornstarch for the thickener and my real change was the pie crust. Wanted to share it with you as it smelled amazing while it was baking and tasted like extra-good graham cracker crumb crust.

Gluten-Free Nut Crumb Crust
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup ground golden flax seed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Press the crust into a pie pan (8"-9" size).

If you need a prebaked pie crust, bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until crust is set and golden. Fill with your favorite custard or non-baked filling.

If you want to bake a filling in the crust, prebake for approximately 10 minutes, cool a bit, add your filling and bake according to your recipe.