My family loves crunchy stuff, so I make crackers pretty often. And if you had been following my old blog, you would know that I love making dips. Its so easy to whip dips and serve them with crackers/chips or pita bread or even raw veggies. They make great appetizers. And if that cracker is a super healthy one....... you can indulge guilt free!!
I have made Cauliflower Pizza, fried rice, cheese sticks etc in the past. So I knew the overall process of working with cauliflower. Seems a pretty daunting task, but trust me once you have the cauliflower ready making the crackers will be super easy. Two days back, I had made cauliflower paratha/ Gobi Paratha and ended up with too much of grated cauliflower. I just wanted to make some cheese sticks out of it but the crackers caught my attention while browsing through Pinterest. I will not take credit for the originality of this idea:) I read about them to get an idea and decided to come up with my own recipe.
My version of these crackers is without using egg. Usually egg acts like a binding agent. You can also substitute it with ground flax seeds and/or chia seeds as well. I had some psyllium husk powder which was perfect for this recipe. If using ground flax seeds, mix it with water to get the gluey - gooey egg like replacement and add this to the steamed cauliflower. You can also skip the cheese if you like.
I had almost everything handy and baked them last evening. I also made some Avocado Hummus and some Apple Cucumber Salsa to go with it.
Since I already had a huge batch of grated cauliflower I used them. You can just use cauli - florets and steam them. They will anyways get mashed in the food processor. You can use the microwave to steam them but if you wish to preserve the nutrients you can use a cook top as well. Just put them on a steamer or insert and cook them over boiling water for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. Four cups of grated cauliflower seems a lot but after removing all the water you will hardly be left with 3/4 cup only. This makes a perfect evening snack!
INGREDIENTS
For the Crackers
4 cups grated cauliflower ( you can use florets too)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
salt, as needed
For the Hummus
1 large avocado
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans/chickpeas ( drain if using canned)
1/2 of large lemon, juice
2 tablespoon tahini
3-4 green chilies
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoon olive oil and little more for presentation
chili flakes (optional)
salt, as needed
For the Salsa
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup red onions, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
salt, as needed
Take the cauliflower florets or the grated cauliflower in a microwave safe steamer bowl and steam it for about 10 minutes. Remove and drain it completely. Once it cools down, place them on a cheese cloth or muslin cloth, bring the sides together and squeeze as much as water possible. Let it sit for 10mins. Squeeze again and try to remove all the water. You will end up with 3/4 cup of mushy cauliflower. In the bowl of a food processor, take the cauliflower, onion powder, garlic powder, red chili powder, psyllium powder, cheddar cheese, almond flour and salt. Process until it all comes together, you will end up with a thick dough. Divide the dough into two parts. Working with one, place the dough on a parchment paper and cover it with another one( feel free to use cling wrap on the top). Carefully roll the dough into a rectangle (I used a pre-cut parchment paper which I knew would fit into my baking tray) as thin as possible. Once you have rolled out, sprinkle some sesame seeds all over. Press the seeds on the dough using your hands or cover the dough again and use a rolling pin all over again. Carefully lift the parchment on the top and place it on the baking tray. Bake for 8-10 minutes on one side, flip them and bake again for another 3-4 minutes. Keep and eye on them, as they tend to burn out quickly. Serve them with Hummus and Salsa!
For the Hummus
Place all the ingredients except the oil in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on the food processor until pureed. While the mixer is running, pour the olive oil and allow it to mix well. Transfer into a bowl and refrigerate until use.
For the Salsa
Mix all the ingredients mentioned under Salsa. Refrigerate until use.
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