I wish I could say that going gluten free has been easy for me. The truth is that it is often hard and can be so frustrating. (Especially when traveling.) Sometimes I just want to be a normal person and be able to go out for a sandwich or order the hummus and pita chips off the appetizer menu. Every time I’ve done something like this, I always regret it. Over time, it seems like my reaction to gluten has intensified and so now I’ve learned that it just isn’t worth it.
I am all about dips, especially during football season. Seriously, the only reason this website doesn’t have 50 dips on it is that I don’t use quinoa when I make them. 🙂 Though there are some really good gluten free crackers out there, they can get expensive and some of them make you wonder if you are eating cardboard or food. Plus, with all of our travels I’m not always in a location where I can find gluten free crackers.
At first the idea of making crackers was more than a little intimidating. I’m not really sure why since I’ve been making my own bread forever. Now, it seems like second nature. There is a bit of a learning curve (kind of like when you start making your own tortillas) but is is so worth it!
This recipe, from The Gluten-Free Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook, is a family favorite. As in, have to hide them from the boys if I want them around for dipping at a later time. I have found that I much prefer them if I roll them a little thinner than you see in the photos which were taken the first time I tested the recipe. They do soften up after a day or two but this is quickly rectified by a few minutes in the oven.
Quinoa Chickpea Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 ½ cups all purpose gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 5 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening Like spectrum organics
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons unsweetend almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 ½ tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 ½ tablespoons coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a blender or food processor, pulse chickpeas and quinoa until smooth. Add in salt, pepper, gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, vegetable shortening and nutritional yeast. With machine running add in three tablespoons of water until a dough forms.
- Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Brush with almond milk and cut into rectangles. Place on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool on baking sheets then store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Servings 12, Calories 160, Fat 6.3g, Carbohydrates 21.8g, Protein 3.6g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 916mg, Fiber 7g, Sugars 1g
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