Sweet Chia Cardamom Bark

Sweet Chia-Cardamom Bark

A good friend of mine, who is a firm believer in healthy food/nutrition, sent me an interesting cracker recipe to try, the other day: no grains (flours), just seeds. Although her multi-seed crackers recipe, entitled I Can’t Give Up Crackers, is savory, the recipe below is a sweet counterpart to this easy to make, healthy, wonderfully delicious crispy cracker—that I called bark. Thanks Alex, for inspiring me to come up with this! The original savory recipe called for pumpkin seeds, which I did not have in my pantry.  Nevertheless, I really wanted to try this cracker recipe! A few tweaks later, (which involved some ingredient substituting), my sweet bark was born.  

Enjoy this flavorful cracker with a touch of your favorite nut butter, as the perfect accompaniment to your morning tea or coffee. Savor it as a mid-day snack, with a touch of Brie and fig or raspberry jam! Or love it any time of the day, as a mini decadent desert, spread with my Mascarpone Whipped Cream (see my post) and fresh berries. I hate clichés, but a little goes a long way; and yes, ladies and gents, everything is healthy and good for us as long as we consume it in moderation!

Ingredients:

·         1 cup water

·         ½ cup flax seeds (whole)

·         ½ cup chia seeds

·         ½ cup sunflower seeds (raw)

·         ½ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened; no additives)

·         ½ cup slivered almonds (raw)

·         1 Tbs honey (I use raw, local)

·         1 Tbs vanilla extract

·         5 Cardamom pods, ground (or any other spice of your choice, such as cinnamon, or even hot pepper flakes, for an interesting kick)

Instructions:

·         Preheat the oven to 350 deg F

·         In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients plus your choice of seasonings.

·         Let sit at least 10 minutes, so that the chia and flax seeds steep into the liquid to become a gelatin-like mixture.

·         Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper, and lightly oil it with coconut oil or other oils of your preference, to make it non-stick.

·         Using the back of a spoon, spread seedy mixture and press onto the baking sheet, to a thickness of about ¼ inch.

·         Bake for 30 minutes.

·         Remove from oven, and slice into crackers using a pizza cutter.

 

·         Turn crackers over and place back into oven for an additional 10-15 minutes.

·         Store in an air-tight container, once cooled.  Crackers will remain fresh for one week.