Homemade Flax Crackers and the BEST Hummus Ever!

These two recipes lend themselves well to outside adventures, whether you find yourself camping, beaching, hiking, or just enjoying a snack by the sea this summer season, these treats are sure to enhance the adventure.

Inspiration for the Caramelized Onion Hummus came from my friend Lisa at Vegan Culinary Crusade. I adapted her recipe to include coconut oil for a roasty, sweet flavor. Quite simply, it’s the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. We served it with some Homemade Flax Crackers, which have become a new (wholesome, gluten-free, omega-rich) snack at the kitchen/office. These crackers are equally at home with the hummus, with a ‘cheeze’ or cheese, or with almond butter and jam. This is a baked version, although you could certainly use a dehydrator to ‘cook’ the crackers if you are doing the raw thing.

Caramelized Onion Hummus

6 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided
1 medium-sized onion, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
½ cup sesame tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon each cumin, black pepper, and sea salt
Water, as needed for texture

1. In a medium-sized saucepan heat 3 Tablespoons coconut oil until warm. Add onions and garlic, stir to coat, and cook over low heat until soft and brown, about 20 minutes.
2. In a food processor, pulse garbanzo beans until mashed. Add remaining 3 Tablespoons coconut oil, cooked onions/garlic, tahini, lemon, cumin, pepper and salt. Blend until very smooth, adding a few tablespoons of water to adjust texture. Add more lemon, salt, and/or pepper to taste.
3. Let stand at least one hour for flavors to meld. Serve alongside crackers, a veggie plate, or on your favorite sandwich.

Yield: 2 cups hummus

Homemade Flax Crackers

1 cup whole flaxseeds
¾ cup ground flaxseeds
½ cup chia seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt and black pepper
2 cups filtered water

1. In a large bowl, toss together whole and ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, salt and pepper. Add 2 cups filtered water and stir to combine. Soak for 15 minutes. Drain off excess liquid, if any.
2. To dehydrate: pour flax mixture onto two lined trays. Dehydrate at 115º for four hours. Flip, score into squares, and dehydrate for 2-4 hours more, until crispy.
3. To bake: line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, ensuring parchment covers edges of pan. Pour flax mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly with a spatula. Mixture should only be a few millimeters thick.
4. Bake at 350º for one hour. Flip entire pan of crackers, peel off parchment paper (it should come off easily), then bake half hour more, or until brown and crispy.
5. Break into 20-30 pieces after cooling. Enjoy with hummus or other dips, or just solo!

Yield: 20-30 small crackers, or 4-6 servings