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Woah. Are you a crunchy sort of person? As in, the type who inhales crisps, Vegetable Thins, Kashi crackers and the like? The aisle of boxed cracker goodness squares of gut busters is no longer an option for me (still waiting for the day an AIP-friendly version appears on the shelf) but this recipe totally nailed it. No plantains or exotic flours needed!
I had gotten a slow juicer recently (the Omega J8006 Nutrition Center Juicer) and have been making green juice almost daily, keeping the leftover pulp for cooking purposes. This week has been about kale, collards, parsley, carrots, celery, cucumbers, and beets. Loads of goodness! So far I have turned them into patties and halwa. This juicer extracts just about every bit of moisture from fruits and vegetables, I was really impressed by how much it could squeeze out without being a chore to clean up.
Now I have another recipe to make use of leftover juicing pulp and I’m sharing it with you guys today. Inspired by my friend and fellow AIP blogger Martine of Eat Heal Thrive and her recipe for “Buttery” Baked Pita Crisps, these homemade vegetable crackers are the perfect vehicle for nice spreadable stuff (I’m thinking AIP hummus, guacamole, or even pâté), though you could enjoy them with a steaming bowl of soup. Just remember to share them with others, or at least try. I won’t say a thing if you finish the whole batch on your own!
Where to get certain ingredients online:
Equipment I used (identical or similar):
- 1 cup green juice pulp, packed slightly
- 120 g or 1 cup arrowroot starch
- 53 g or ¼ cup coconut oil (mine was a soft solid), plus an extra teaspoon for greasing
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup cool filtered water
- Place a large sheet of foil on the middle baking rack and preheat the oven to 325F/ 160C
- Place the pulp in a food processor and process until broken up (remove any clumpy bits like apple peel)
- Add in the remaining ingredients except for the water and process until well mixed
- With the processor running, add in the water by the tablespoon until a dough forms
- Turn a half-sheet pan (46 x 33 x 2.5 cm or 18 x 13 x 1") over and grease the surface evenly and lightly with a pastry brush
- Place the dough on the greased surface and cover with a sheet of parchment paper large enough to cover the half-sheet pan
- Roll the dough until it is evenly 3 mm or ⅛" thick (uneven thickness will result in chewy parts)
- Score the sheet of dough with a knife into squares (I scored mine into 24 crackers)
- Place on the foil-lined middle baking rack and bake for 35 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned
- Remove from the oven and run a thin spatula between the crackers and the baking sheet to release the sheet of crackers (Note: the oil may run off the half-sheet pan, so remove it carefully without tilting too much! I have an oil-stained recipe notebook now!)
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before snapping into individual crackers
Laying a piece of foil on the baking rack prevents any spillage of oil while baking
A long offset or angled frosting spatula works great for separating the sheet of crackers from the surface of the half-sheet pan. You can also use a knife but take care not to scratch your pan!