Nutty keto crackers... pack in the protein!
When it comes to following a vegan ketogenic diet, I have found one of the easier way to keep on top of things without having to specifically track every macro to the last detail is to focus on packing in the veggies in my main meals and make up most of my protein needs through snacks in between. The hemp porridge is a great boost in this respect but handfuls of nuts and seeds (and spoonfuls of nut butter!!) also factor in pretty heavily.
These crackers are virtually the same as eating a handful of nuts and seeds but a lot more interesting with the flavours and texture. I would serve these up alongside a big salad, or just nibble on their own with a slather of PB or almond butter. The pictures show hummus which isn't really so keto friendly :-)
I use a dehydrator for maximum nutrition (no heat destroying nutrients) but you could use an oven on the lowest hear setting- just keep an eye on the timings as I haven't tried it that way.I always soak the nuts when I make crackers, this makes the nutrients much more bio-available to the body as in the nature nuts have enzyme inhibitors which make them harder to digest- soaking them breaks this down. You don't need to soak the hemp seeds.
I haven't added any extra spices to the recipe below as you can leave plain or add your own... I love chipotle pepper sauce, or soy sauce instead of salt. Italian herbs would work well too.
These crackers freeze well so I tend to make a double (or triple) batch, and sometimes divide the mixture before mixing in different spices.
Recipe: Nutty keto crackers
Makes approx. 15-20 crackers
Ingredients:
½ cup each 3 types soaked nuts/seeds (I used shelled hemp, almonds* and sunflower seeds)
1 small tomato (or 2-3 cherry tomatoes)
½ an onion
2 tbs flax seed
scant 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Method:
Process all ingredients together until you have a sticky, lightly chunky mix.
Spread the mixture on to a lined dehydrator tray and smooth to approx 3mm thick as evenly as possible.
Dehydrate for 2 hours at 50C then 6 hours at 40C. Flip the sheet carefully and finish with 1 hour at 40C. Or try oven baking on the lowest temperature for approx 1 hour (maybe more?) To keep the temperature low you could leave the door open a crack.
Slice to serve. The crackers may be a little crumbly depending on how finely you've ground the nuts.
* walnuts are also especially good too.... but for this recipe version I was looking for the highest protein and lowest carb option so opted for almonds. Sunflower seeds could be swapped for pumpkin or another lower carb option, but I happened to have sunflower to hand at time time!
These were some similar crackers using almond, sunflower, sesame and chia.