Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Banana flax crackers and banana walnut crackers made in my food dehydrator
These raw dried crackers are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Banana Flax Cracker Recipe
Banana flax crackers are simply made by mixing 1/2 cup flaxseeds with the puree from one banana and then dehydrating. The recipe is even better with a little lemon juice added. This adds a little zip to the flavor and should help reduce browning of the banana. In this recipe the banana puree provides the glue that holds the flaxseeds together to form the cracker. I spooned the batter onto a solid dehydrator tray lubricated with Crisco Canola Oil with Omega-3 supplement. The crackers were dried for a few hours and then transferred to a screen tray to complete the drying. Any flaxseeds that are not thoroughly chewed when eating may pass through our bodies undigested, so much of the nutrition potential of the flaxseeds may be lost.
Banana flaxseed batter on a solid dehydrator tray.
Banana flaxseed crackers after dehydration.
Banana Walnut Cracker Recipe
I made banana walnut crackers by replacing the flaxseeds in the recipe above with chopped walnuts. Coarsely chopped walnuts produced thick crackers that looked more like cookies, but they tasted great! Finely chopped walnuts could be used to make a thinner cracker that would dehydrate faster. The banana lemon walnut crackers did turn somewhat brown during dehydration, so more lemon juice must be needed to prevent the browning reaction.
Banana walnut cracker batter on a solid dehydrator tray.
Banana lemon walnut crackers after dehydration.
I added 1/4 tsp of ascorbic acid powder (= vitamin C) to the next batch of banana walnut cookies and eliminated the browning problem.
Banana ascorbic acid walnut crackers after dehydration.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Nutrition.
Oh Mega: Part I, Part II and Part III describes why we all should be watching the omega-3 vs omega-6 fats in our diets. All of us who don't eat a lot of oily fish (salmon, sardines, herring) need to get our omega-3 nutrition from plant sources. Flaxseed and walnuts are two of the best plant sources for omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed nutritional value)(walnut nutritional value). On those days when I don't eat fish I plan to eat some banana walnut crackers or flaxseed crackers to be sure I get the omega-3 nutrition that I need.More information:
• Garlic rosemary flaxseed crackers made in my food dehydrator.
• Raw Flaxseed Crackers made in my Food Dehydrator.
• Cranberry Walnut Flax Granola Bar recipe made in my food dehydrator.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Your Nutrition Questions Answered - Harvard School of Public Health
• Discovery Health - Top 10 Foods High in Omega-3
• Dehydrated foods for Indoor Snacks and Outdoor Activities - BRT Insights.
Tags: flaxseed crackers, banana flaxseed crackers, food dehydrator, homemade snacks, snack food recipe, healthy snack foods, tv snacks.
Tags: banana walnut cracker, flaxseed crackers, omega-3, raw vegan, wheat-free, gluten-free, hors d'oeuvres, appetizers.
Labels: food-drink
