LAMORINDA WEEKLY | These delicious heart healthy crackers pack a protein-rich punch


Nordic Seed Crackers Photo Susie Iventosch

We were a little late to the seed cracker party, since no one in our family is sensitive to gluten, but I was intrigued by a package of them at a local cheese shop, and decided to give them a try. I love seeds and nuts of all kinds, but had never had a cracker full of them. They were so incredibly delicious and, naturally, I decided to make my own version at home. Once you've tasted these, you'll wonder where they've been all of your life! This game changer just so happened to coincide with a family member needing to be on a heart-healthy diet, so we were all really happy to learn of the many health benefits of these crackers. Even the arrowroot, which is used as a thickening agent to bind the seeds together, is supposed to be good for the heart!

Arrowroot powder is comprised of starches from the arrowroot plant - maranta arundinacea. It's gluten-free, odorless and tasteless, so besides thickening things up, you hardly know it's there at all. It can also be a good substitute for cornstarch, and while some say to use 2 teaspoons of arrowroot for every tablespoon of cornstarch, I use it in a 1:1 ratio. Arrowroot powder has twice the thickening power of wheat flour. It also contains potassium, an essential electrolyte important to heart health. That sure sounds good to us!

While we are super excited about arrowroot as a thickening agent, all of the nuts and seeds in these crackers are also protein-rich, have essential minerals and antioxidants, and contain no cholesterol. But, have we mentioned how delicious they taste That's our primary objective when we create recipes, but having healthy benefits is important, too.

You should be able to find most of these seeds at your local market or health food store. If you cannot find all of them, just substitute with another seed that you like.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sesame seeds black or white or a mixture

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/3 cup hemp seeds

1/2 cup raw pepitas

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (can be raw or roasted,

salted or unsalted)

1/2 cup flaxseeds

1/2 tsp. sea salt or pink Himalayan salt

4 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup arrowroot powder

3/4 cup boiling water

Pink or sea salt grinder for the top of the crackers

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 275 F. Line a 13x18 baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Mix all of the seeds in a large mixing bowl. Stir in salt and arrowroot powder to blend. Add olive oil and mix well. Pour in boiling water and blend well. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken.

Spread the mixture out evenly on the prepared baking sheet, smoothing it out with an off-set spatula. Be sure to get the mixture to cover the baking sheet from side to side and end to end in a thin layer. If the spatula gets sticky, run it under hot water and continue the process.

Season the top of the seed mixture lightly with a salt grinder.

Bake for 90 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through the baking. The sheet of crackers should be a beautiful golden-brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before breaking it into the cracker-size pieces.

We like to break the sheet into larger chunks until we're ready to serve them. This keeps them from crumbling too much. But, not to worry, the crumbs make excellent salad toppers!

Store in an airtight container in the pantry.