Seedy crackers (GF, GRF, V+)

Gently dried, lovely, crunchy crackers made with seeds only.

No flour, no nuts, no eggs, no dairy, truly gluten-free, vegan, no soya, no yeast and absolutely no sugar. Great as a snack on its own or as an open sandwich base, topped with mashed avocado and smoked salmon for example.

You will need (makes two trays):

1 cup brown flax seeds (use gold if you prefer)

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

Flavouring ONE: 1 tbsp. chia seeds + 1 tbsp. poppy sees

Flavouring TWO: 1 tbsp. dried wild oregano + a good pinch of sea salt

1. Put the flax, the pumpkin, the sunflower and the sesame seeds in separate glass bowl, pour filtered water over them to cover well (flax seeds will need extra) and soak them overnight, with a wee pinch of salt in each bowl.
2. Except the flax seed, discard the soaking water, rinse the seeds with fresh water.
3. Put all four in a chopper and pulse for a minute or two, or until half of your seeds get broken up (tricky with the slimy  flax seeds). Alternatively you can use a food processor but that will produce rather smooth paste-ish cracker base, I prefer more whole-seed.

4. Halve the processed seed base. Flavour one half with chia and poppy seeds, and the other half with the oregano and sea salt.

5. Line two baking trays (I have used Pyrex) with baking paper and spread out the flavoured seeds evenly. With a spatula shape the edges to nice straight lines so they bake/dry evenly.

6. Put the trays in a preheated oven and dry them at 75 C for 4-5 hours, leaving the door a crack open or opening the door every half an hour for a few minutes to get rid of the moisture.

7. After the first hour turn both seed-sheets so the bottom is on top (be gentle with the first turn but should be easy as the seeds are fused together by now). From now on turn every half an hour.

8. Continue turning every half an hour until it is completely dry (the required time depend on your oven, on the size of your tray and of course on the thickness of the seeds).

9. Take the trays out, lift the first seed-sheet on a chopping board and slice it with a sharp knife or pizza roller into strips of squares.
10. When they are completely cooled down put them in an air-tight glass containers or jars with lids that keep out the moisture. They should last for a week or two but usually go within a few days. Enjoy!

Tips: Great snack to have at hand when you need something crunchy. Transportable so great on the go as well. You can crumble on salads for extra nutrients (the seeds are activated). Not to mention the fibre content! Spread some mashed avocado or houmous on them, add smoked salmon perhaps for a more substantial snack or light meal option.

Inspiration: Pete Evans Family Food - Nic's Seed Crackers