Chickpea Crackers with Mustard Seeds
>> 03 April, 2011 –
appetizer,
gluten-free,
snack,
vegan
Now there is all sorts of vegan milk alternatives. Soy milk is good to have in porridge, etc. but unusable in tea or coffee. Today I tried rice milk for the first time. It is actually nice in taste and works well when added to tea. It surely needs further testing. If I'd only find a way around my yogurt consumption...
For a gluten free flour alternative, I bought some chickpea flour. I had bought it before, but abandoned it in my pantry, because I didn't really know what to do with it. I have been a big fan of pulses for a long time. The nutritional values of legumes like chickpeas are well known: low GI, good source of proteins and dietary fiber. And gluten free.
It is most important to roll out the crackers as thin as possible. If you leave them to thick, they won't get crunchy, but this is what's most important with the crackers. Like the name says.....
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CHICKPEA CRACKERS WITH MUSTARD SEEDS
1 cup chickpea flour (besan)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup water
Yields 15-20
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Preheat oven to 175C/375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, combine chickpea flour, salt, mustard seeds and garlic. Add oil and water and mix until dough is formed. Add more water if dough seems to dry, or more flour if it seems to wet. Form into a disc.
Between two sheets of parchment paper, roll the dough evenly and as thin as possible, to 1/8 inch thickness. With a knife or cookie cutter, cut the dough into desired shapes. Poke each cracker with a fork to prevent puffing. Transfer onto baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges turn golden.
I've also wondered if a gluten free diet would improve my health. I often feel exhausted and lethargic as my diet is so so high in carbs and 'whites.' Have you noticed any difference yourself. And where did you buy the rice milk? Crackers look fabulous....liek the ready-made versions!
I just bought chickpea flour the other day, so I've been looking for recipes that use it! This is such an easy one, and the crackers look great! Dipping them in herbed yogurt sounds really good.
@ Lick My Spoon
I have only been cutting down, but not totally omitting gluten or dairy. Before you see results one should probably cut it out completely for a month or so.
I bought the rice milk in Spinneys, it's on the same shelf as the long-life cows milk.
These crackers look wonderful. I just recently found out one of my kids is allergic to wheat, oats and other grains so I'm always looking for good gluten-free recipes. I bought some lentil flour which I think might work with your recipe.
I, too, having been toying around with eliminating all dairy from my diet. Almond milk has been my go-to for the past two years, but I cannot seem to let go of the Greek yogurt, especially with the ease and convenience (and not to mention tastiness) of its protein. I have tried soy yogurts, but has anyone seen any soy "greek-like" yogurt? Plain soy yogurt is too pricey to purchase and strain myself.
I have been trying to see how my body responds to a gluten free diary, and have been phasing it out just the past two weeks. I haven't seen a huge change, but I look forward to seeing a difference one way or not in the next few weeks. These will have to be tried and perhaps become a new cracker staple for me!