Healthy crackers without packaging:

Get ready to save that juice pulp and make your own crackers!

Recently inspired by the “Superfood Crackers” recipe made from juice pulp in “Deliciously Ella” (same name, but a different Ella with different chronic health condition causing different food sensitivities), I decided to tweak it to suit my own food needs. I was excited for a healthier alternative to the usual shop-bought crackers, especially if it resulted in package-free crackers that I could store in my cute cookie jar! And let’s face it – while it takes some costly effort, homemade without the packaging was likely to save a few dollars too.

So, out with the almond meal and in with some ground seeds. (No nuts for me.)  But if your body thanks you for a plant-based diet complete with nuts, I encourage you to check out the book and Ella Woodward’s original recipe. A bonus of these crackers is that you get to drink fresh juice, without wasting the pulp!

Here’s my nut-free version of the juice pulp crackers (also without apples):

Ingredients:

• Approximately 700g juice pulp (I use 1kg beets, 1/2kg carrots)
• Approximately 375g ground seeds (I use mostly sunflower seeds with some sesame seeds) – sunflower seeds are cheap, grown here and delicious; pepitas are nice too but cost a little more.
• 10 tbs olive oil
• 3-4 tbs tamari
• Salt to taste

 

Method:

1. Juice the beetroot and carrot and collect the pulp. Enjoy the juice while you make the crackers!

2. Grind up the seeds in a food processor.

3. Combine the juice pulp and seeds in a large lidded container. (A large bowl will do, but a lidded container is great if you don’t have the time or energy to cook all the crackers in one go and need to leave some of the mixture in the fridge for a day.)

4. Add the olive oil, tamari and salt.

5. Mix well with your hands until the mixture sticks together nicely.

6. On trays with baking sheets (reusable baking sheets are fabulous!), press out the cracker mixture to a thickness of approximately 5-8mm.

7. Bake slowly at 110°C. They take approximately 2 hours on each side, depending on the thickness. You know they’re ready to turn when it’s easy to pick up the whole cracker sheet and turn it without it bending and breaking. I find they also need a little longer on the first side than the second.

8. Remove from oven and break into smaller pieces (whatever size you like). Place in an airtight container promptly. They will stay crispy if kept in an airtight container or jar. But leaving them out will make them soft…no one wants a fresh cracker that seems stale!

A note on zero waste:

Let’s not be so naïve as to think that just because these crackers don’t come packaged doesn’t mean there is no packaging involved at all. Steps toward zero waste include reducing the waste and packaging in the ingredients.

So far, my favourite way to minimise packaging waste in products we by has been to buy in bulk. But even then, our 20kg of rice comes in bag; our 3L of oil comes in a tin; our 5L of tamari comes in a large bottle. You get the picture. If we buy from a bulk food store using our own jars, the goods still need to get to the shop in some sort of large packaging.

But the bigger the package we’re buying – or out of which we’re buying a share – the less packaging per bite. So it’s not zero waste…but it is less waste. And that’s a small win that’s worth the effort. Plus, jars of dry goods look really pretty on a shelf! So…win, win? 😉