Raw Sun Dried Tomato Flax Crackers + Macadamia Mozarella

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If you haven’t yet ventured into making raw flax crackers yet then this recipe is a great one to start with. When making raw crackers, try following Lauren Glucina’s rule of using 4 cups flax to ½ a cup or more of nuts, with a few cups of something to help bind such as vegetable pulp, grated zucchini, or the sundried tomato she’s used in this recipe. Add whatever herbs and spices you like!

Don’t forget about the ‘mozarella’ cheese! This recipe will change the game for you if you’re a cheese lover-gone vegan. This recipe uses a base of macadamias, which lend a softer and fluffier texture, great for mozarella. It is very easy to prepare, you just have to factor in some time for the culturing process.

ENJOY!

Ingredients

Crackers

• 4 cups golden flax seeds
• ½ cup pecans
• 2 cups organic sun dried tomatoes
• 4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Italian herbs
• Pinch or two of cayenne powder (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
• ½ cup tightly packed fresh basil, minced
• ½ cup tightly packed fresh parsley, minced

Macadamia Mozarella

• 1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked in water for five hours
• ¾ cup water
• ½ teaspoon probiotic powder
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

To Serve

• Couple of heirloom tomatoes Fresh basil Olive oil and balsamic vinegar Sea salt

Instructions

Crackers

1. In a very large mixing bowl, soak your flax seeds with 6 cups of water for around 30 minutes, or until they have gelled up.
2. Meanwhile, put the pecans in a small bowl, only just cover them with water, and let soak for 30 minutes. Put the sun dried tomatoes in a separate bowl, add 1 cup of warm water, and let soak for the same amount of time.
3. Once soaked, add the pecans and sundried tomatoes with their soak water to a blender and whiz till combined. You’ll get a thick paste. Add this to the flax bowl.
4. Add all other ingredients to the flax bowl and mix in by hand till well combined.
5. Spread the mixture evenly over dehydrator trays lined with the teflex paper (or baking paper). As a rule of thumb: 3 heaped cups of mixture per tray. Aim to spread it evenly – at least .5cm thick (otherwise they will break). You should get three to four trays out of this.
6. Dehydrate at 145˚C for 2-3 hours, then remove the trays. Place a new dehydrator tray, with just the mesh sheet and no teflex, over the cracker, then flip them over. Gently peel off the teflex sheet – I found that quite a bit stuck to the sheet –that’s ok, just scrape it off and place it on a new tray so you don’t waste it.
7. Dehydrate again at 115˚C for another 6-8 hours or until dry.
8. Once dry, break them up either by hand or using a knife – expect this process to be a little rustic! Store in an airtight container.

Mozarella

1. Once the macadamias have been soaked, drain the water and give them a little rinse. Add to a blender with ¾ cup of water and blend till smooth. Add the probiotic powder and blitz till just combined.
2. Transfer the mixture to a nut milk bag and tie it closed. Hold it over the sink, gently squeezing out any excess liquid. Place the nut milk bag in a sieve and rest it over a small bowl.
3. Place a heavy object on top of the nut milk bag such as a large jam jar. This extra weight will help press any remaining liquid out.
4. Cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm and cosy but out of direct sun – I usually pop mine on top of my dehydrator. Leave to culture for 24 hours.
5. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the nutritional yeast, salt and lemon juice.
6. Divide the mixture into three equal portions and roll into ‘mozzarella’ balls. From here, you can slice them up as you wish. Keep in the fridge for a week or so.