Crowd Pleasing Green Crackers and an Exciting Announcement!

raw vegan green crackers

Hey all! Glad you liked my Aloo Gobi wraps. They’re mighty delicious, and they’ve quickly found a place on my “to make again soon” list.

I’m back today with a very different kind of recipe. It is, I’m sorry to say, yet another raw cracker recipe, but I’m taking a break from the usual flax or chia meal/pulp/spice formulation to share something a little heartier and more flavorful. I love the simplicity of my regular old juice pulp crackers (flax or chia variety) but what I’m finding lately is that being in class till noon, on my feet from noon to 3:30, and studying till the wee hours means that I need foods that are higher-fuel than the usual. Flax and pulvarized veggies taste great (to me) but they’re not quite high enough in the fats and/or protein I need to keep going over an extended period of time—especially since I don’t have much room for food breaks in the summer class schedule.

So that’s where these crackers came from. I wanted to keep the basic idea of my juice crackers intact (juice pulp, spices, salt, flax or chia to bind), but add some nuts or seeds for a little extra calorie and nutrient density. I used almonds to make that happen, but keep in mind that you could certainly use cashews, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, too. They’d all be delicious, and seeds are typically cheaper than tree nuts.

What’ll make you happiest about this recipe is that I’ve included both non-dehydrator and non-juicer recipe variations—this means you can make these crackers even if you don’t have raw food appliances at home! I hope it’s also a reminder that eating raw is simply a means of preparation; anyone can harness the benefits of plant-based nutrition at home, often with no more than a good knife and a mixing bowl. I use a food processor (my most used kitchen appliance) here, but you could even use a spice mill to grind the nuts and then mix by hand.

What’ll make you second happiest is that this recipe is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser: whether it’s the ginger and tamari, the thick texture, or the simple goodness of green, it’s a recipe tasty enough to appeal even to those of us who’d find regular juice pulp crackers a little bland. You can enjoy them on your own, or share them with anyone: I call that a winning proposition.

Crowd Pleasing Green Crackers (raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free if you replace tamari with coconut aminos)

Yields 35 crackers

1 cup almonds (not soaked)
1/4 cup chia seed
2 – 2 1/2 cups green juice pulp with ginger (if you don’t have juice pulp, use 2 cups grated zucchini and 1 inch grated ginger, along with a fistful of spinach)
3-4 tbsp regular or low sodium tamari (use your own taste here; I like these salty, but you can absolutely modify for a lower-sodium diet)
Black pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups water

1) Grind almonds and chia seed in a food processor (or coffee grinder, or spice mill) till finely ground.

2) Add the juice pulp or veggies, tamari, black pepper, and lemon juice. Pulse to combine (you’ll probably need to work on scraping the bowl as you do this).

3) With motor running, begin adding water. You may not need two full cups; what you want is to keep adding water and scraping the bowl until you have a mixture that’s still sticky and thick, but spreadable.

4) When you’ve created a proper “dough,” remove it from the food processor and spread onto a single Teflex dehydrator sheet (you want these crackers relatively thick). Score into cracker shapes.

5) Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 7 or 8 hours. Flip the cracker dough over (you may want to put a new Teflex sheet on top, flip the whole thing, and peel the first Teflex sheet off). Continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours. Break the crackers apart, and serve.

If you don’t have a dehydrator: Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread the dough onto it evenly. Bake at 350 degrees till nice and crispy: I’d guess this take 40 minutes or so, but use your kitchen intuition to see when it’s done.

As I said before: crowd pleasing. Seriously. Hope you try them soon!

And now, a big announcement: I’ve been nominated for two VegNews Magazine Veggie Awards! I can’t believe it! I just found out at the end of last week, and I’m so delighted to share the news with you. Now, I try never to grovel here on my blog, or ask you guys for much (except your killer comments and thoughts), but I’m hereby genuflecting and asking you all to please support me with your vote!

Voting can be done here, and it’s very easy: you can either enter your vote for all categories (which I suggest doing, so that you can show support for movers and shakers in our community!) or you can skip ahead by hitting “more veggie awards please” at the bottom, until you get to the “people and media” page. I’m listed under best column (“Raw Done Right”) and best blog (“Choosing Raw”).

For voting, you qualify to win a year of Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss Ice cream, a Vitamix, trips around the world, and pounds of vegan chocolate. All for a click of the mouse. And you’ll also be doing me a huge personal favor, which is to show your support for CR. It has been very tough to keep up my blog with summer pre-med studies, counseling, and (starting now) MCAT prep, so I really appreciate that I’m still being offered the chance at this award, which is a big honor in the vegan community. I’d be so excited if you all helped me to get there.

With that, back to work. See you all tomorrow!

xo

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Categories: Uncategorized
Dietary Preferences: Raw

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    48 Comments
  1. Hi, great idea all these crackers – particularly like this one…but can I ask you why there is lemon juice in this recipe? Is it for the flavour or as a preservative? I am severely allergic (to all citrus fruit and pineapple) so any alternative ideas welcome! Congratulations by the way!

  2. Already voted for you, dear Gena! I think I wrote that last week on your Facebook page, haha 😀

  3. done! congrats, Gena! I love how many of the products and restaurants are familiar to me now. And a nice place to hear about new products and organizations to check out.

  4. Congrats! My vote has been cast, and your crackers will be perfect for my upcoming road trip.

  5. Ooooo! The crackers look fun! and Congrats, I’ll definitely be voting for you!! You’ve been my fav vegan blogger in the 3 years of reading blogs!

  6. Congrats!! I voted for you of course! What a huge honor! I’m so excited for you!

  7. I voted for you!! I admire you so much and I hope you win! I loved reading through the options. Those were a lot of good resources! 😀

  8. Thanks for the non-raw appliance modifications, and congrats on the nominations!!!

  9. I voted! And in the process discovered some awesome vegan websites and companies. Hope you get it 🙂

  10. congrats Gena! I voted for you 🙂
    love all the variations you give on the crackers! They’re an awesome way to use juice pulp and get in some extra nutrients!

  11. Congratulations on the nomination! Love that the crackers are Green! Also love the chia, pumpkin seed blend. Also adore flax, but for awhile all I ate was flax, flax, & more flax and appreciate other flavors.

  12. Done! So hope you win, Gena! Thanks for persevering here through your very busy summer…I greatly appreciate your posts, recipes, insights, etc. etc. etc.!

  13. Those crackers would be amazing with pecans I bet! I voted for you, good luck girl!

  14. I voted for Choosing Raw and Raw Done Right. Mostly because your blog (meaning, YOU) has both inspired me and comforted me on numerous occasions. But I would be lying if the idea of a year of Coconut Bliss didn’t sound like one of the best prizes ever! I bought some last night after not having had it in a really long time (therefore meaning I was totally looking forward to a bowl of it last night), put it in my mom’s freezer while I was hanging out there, and then forgot to take it out before I went home. *Sad face.*

  15. Huge congratulations on the nomination, Gena! There’s no more deserving blogger out there, given your fierce work ethic, brilliance, creativity and your overall generosity to our community! I am so happy to have the opportunity to support you, my friend!

  16. Just voted! I think I would have been surprised if you weren’t nominated! I love all the great content, recipes, and inspirational stories you bring to your blog every day so you definitely have my support. And honestly I don’t know how you do it all, but am so glad that you do. 🙂

  17. Thank you for sharing this with the options to not use pulp or dehydrator. Definitely going to try this soon! The tamari should we store it in the refrigerator or in a dark place (cabinet)?

  18. Voted! Very excited for you. It also helped me decide who to vote for…I struggle every year with that survey! Especially now that I I’ve only been back to the US to visit family once since I’ve lived in Australia. I’m so out of touch. 🙁

  19. You got my vote girl! Thank you for up keeping your blog even during these busy times. It’s much appreciated.

  20. Thank you SO much for adding the variations to this recipe, I really can’t wait to try out my first crackers!

    Just gone off to vote for you too – the effort you put in here is amazing and so, so appreciated. Thanks, Gena!

  21. Congrats on the well-earned nominations! I’ll definitely take my clicker on over there.

  22. Voted. I’m a long-time lurker — I read your blog everyday. I’m a big fan! Thanks for the support, guidance and great recipes. Oh, and the ED recovery stories are much appreciated…

  23. Woo hoo! You are so deserving of both these nominations, and I’ve already voted! I hope everyone does the same. You set such a great example as an accessible vegan blogger who manages to balance it all. Plus, the amount of raw crackers you produce is probably enough for an award on its own. I haven’t used my dehydrator in months!

  24. I voted for you Gena!! I hope you’re enjoying DC, living near M, and my alma mater. I think of you every time I see a Pan Quotidien. 🙂

  25. Voted! Already beat ya to it.

    The raw police are going to arrest you for sure for not soaking those almonds. 🙂 you rebel .

    I must ask again about this thyroid thing that pops up on you site. On my phone and can’t tell if it’s a link or what. Your thoughts? Just because I need thyroid help.

    Hope today was a better day!

  26. I need a sticker that says “I voted!” 🙂 I’m happy to see you recognized for all the hard work you’ve clearly put into Choosing Raw.

  27. Gena! Well-deserved nominations!!! I’m thrilled for you! (and off to vote!)

  28. I definitely voted for you! You’re blog was certainly a huge help in my transition to veganism. I started for the health – as you promote- but have gotten into the ethics because of you. Thank-you so much, I hope you win!

  29. Awesome Gena! Congrats! You always inspire me to be the best blogger I can be so thank you! Voting…

  30. I’ve already voted and you were most definitely included. I love all your posts and you make it seem effortless to blog along with all your hard work at school; you definitely deserve some kudos. Best of luck with MCAT prep

  31. My vote is in- nothing would stop me from voting for one of my favorite, most inspiring blogs! Way to go, Gena. You sure deserve all the recognition you can get. 🙂

  32. Congrats, Gena! What a big honor, so happy for you!

    The crackers look great and I really love that you didnt require a dehydrator or a juicer for them. The fact that you’re flexible and gave options about how to make them in an oven and without actually juicing things and using juice pulp is music to my ears!

    They look great!

    Off to vote for you now….
    🙂

  33. WOOOO congrats girl!! That’s like being nominated for an Oscar!! I mean sorta. Woooo crackas!