Oh She Glows Easy Vegan and Gluten Free Crackers Part 2 ~ With Toppings

Kitchen Play List: Lady Antebellum ~ Need You Now Album

These vegan and gluten-free crackers have been enjoyed and eaten! Gone..all for the sake of this blog posting..Ahem. lol. As promised I chose three recipes to try out as toppers for these crackers. 

Easy Vegan & Gluten Free Crackers with a Trio of Toppings

The first topping I chose was Lydia's Pea Spread. When Chris from Vegelicious.com posted this spread recipe I knew I had to try it out. I had been wanting to try a 'pea' dip for a long time and the closest I'd got to that was Edamame Hummus..OK..so not close at all but it was a similar principal. Chris had been served this on holiday in Germany and loved it so shared it via her blog. At the bottom of this posting is a link directly to her posting of this recipe. Chris does warn you about the intense garlic hit and even halving the suggested amount we still got quite a kick but this spread is addictive. It's fresh and very pleasing.  

Lydia's Pea Spread on Oh She Glows Crackers - Delish!

The second topping, a Chilli Bean Dip, I had found on vegweb.com many moons ago and it had been sat in my tray waiting to be tried. I added an extra 6oz cooked black turtle beans to it and it's a very mild Chilli flavour and then after swallowing you get a tiny cayenne hit. It was ok but we both felt it was missing something and maybe a little too watery. But we still enjoyed it with the crackers. 

Chilli Bean Dip on Oh She Glow Crackers - Mildly tasty

And the final topping was also found via vegweb.com but one I found on the day of baking the crackers. Broccoli Dip with Marinated Sun Dried Tomatoes and Brazil Nuts. The photo on vegweb is much brighter red than mine turned out. I was using a very dark brand of dried sundried tomatoes so maybe that was it? My Love thought this topping was delicious and thought it was quite 'broccoli and cheesey'. For me, I would definitely use a different sundried tomato next time. I felt the chewiness wasn't really to my taste. But the other ingredients were very tasty. 

Broccoli Dip with Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Brazil Nuts on Oh She Glows Crackers

As toppings for OhSheGlows.com vegan and gluten free crackers...I think they all worked really well. The crackers didn't wilt when you topped them and they were the perfect accompaniment for the toppings. My favourite combo was Lydia's Pea Spread but My Love's was the Broccoli Dip. I am now inspired to make new toppings to team the crackers with..and may be even have a go at making my own gluten free crackers.

For Lydia's Pea Spread link:
http://www.vegalicious.org/2011/08/01/lidias-pea-spread/ 


For Vegweb's Broccoli Dip:

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=37951.0

For Vegweb's Chilli Bean Dip:

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=41632.0

Hope you give these crackers a try...even if you don't 'need' to eat gluten-free they are a seriously delicious cracker....

Thanks to all for the great recipes..I enjoyed making and testing all of them...

Enjoy! 
~R~ 

Oh She Glows Easy Vegan and Gluten Free Crackers Part 1

Kitchen Play List: Audioslave ~ Revelations Album

I'm slowly trying to reduce the wheat in my foods as I have had to reluctantly accept that I am just not digesting wheat properly. Damn shame because wholewheat bread, pastry and general wholewheat products were some of my favourite foods. My Dad is a Master Confectioner and Baker so it was in my genes to love the stuff. Although I have eaten some white flour products in the past..they weren't my favourite. I almost always preferred the wholewheat versions of everything. Tortillas, bread, rolls, cakes and cookies..the list goes on doesn't it. 

I recently put myself on a three week detox and cut out all wheat products and found very quickly my tum was much happier and therefore so was I. I'm not allergic or even intolerant like some poor folks are but I know for me..my body is happier with only infrequent,  little amounts of wheat! So if I fancy something wheatie then that is ok..I'll have it but on the whole I shall be trying out and exploring further the gluten free world. 

Angela's Easy Vegan and Gluten Free Crackers - so easy..so tasty

Everyday I check in with OhSheGlows.com and enjoy the daily posts and photos provided by Angela who is the creator and writer of it. She, too, is also experimenting with gluten free foods and I was happy to find the recipe for these crackers the other day.  Firstly they just looked so good and I secondly I had all the ingredients in my cupboards. 

Today I made a batch and for Angela's recipe please click on the link below and it will take you straight to her blog and the recipe. This recipe was ridiculously easy to make and it was fun to get the rolling pin out and my arms got a good work out whilst getting the dough to the required thinness. I didn't have one of the pastry cutters that Angela had, so I used a little daisy cookie cutter and I got 48 crackers in total. They baked perfectly and looked so good when they come out of the oven. Smelt good too! 

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/17/easy-vegan-gluten-free-crackers/


I tested one straight from the baking sheet...who could wait with these? lol. They are very savoury and I enjoyed the hits of sesame, thyme and the garlic. They were perfectly crispy too! Tomorrow I am making some dip and a spread to test them properly with so check out tomorrows posting for Part 2...


Thanks again to Angela for a fab recipe..


~R~

Strawberry & Apple Crisp

Kitchen Play List:   Steve Earle ~ The Galway Girl
                                      Jack Johnson ~ Do You Remember?
                               Jason Collett ~ Blue Sky
                               Sara Sant'Ambrogio ~ Duet from Lakme
                               Colbie Coillat ~ I Won't
                               Mr.Buble ~ Mack the Knife

My Mystery Ingredient Challenge item this week was a large tub of freshly picked strawberries. The house smelt so good whilst they were sat in the kitchen. But if I'm honest they weren't the prettiest looking berries. So I made my mind up almost immediately that I would make them into something...rather than eat them freshly rinsed. And to be honest that's my favourite was of eating them..I don't like dipping them in sugar either...to me that is just spoiling them but maybe a scoop of a good soy vanilla ice cream..and I could be persuaded. lol. 


So as I had so many I decided upon two recipes...the first being a simple Strawberry Sorbet and the second a baked Strawberry & Apple Crisp. One of the blogs I follow is OhSheGlows.com. I find her very inspiring and her recipes always look so good. I had seen this one some time ago and knew that My Love would simply love it.

Today I made it and it was easy to make..smelt really good whilst it was baking. After you take off the foil you are hit with an intense aroma that just makes you smile! lol. And it looks so good...it's hard to walk away from it and allow it to cool. Seriously! lol.

It was so tasty that I'm going to try it again but with raspberries...I think that will work too. I shall update this post when I try it out.

Strawberry & Apple Crisp...wish you could smell this? lol

Strawberry & Apple Crisp 
(Recipe from OhSheGlows.com)

2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
3 large granny smiths apples, peeled & chopped
1/4 cup sugar (I used Demerara)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp + 1 tsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping: 
1 cup of Almonds, processed until chunky
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar (I used Demerara)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 400'F/200'C/Gas Mark 6 and grease a casserole dish. Peel and chop the apples and slice the strawberries. Place in a large bowl and mix with the rest of the filling ingredients. Stir well and set aside. 

In a food processor, place the almonds and blitz until they are chunky. Add the rest of the topping ingredients and pulse for a few seconds until just mixed. Take 1/2 cup of this topping and stir it into the filling mixture. 

Pour the strawberry and apple mixture into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining topping mixture over top.

Cover with a casserole lid or tin foil (with a few holes) and bake for 40 minutes in the pre-heated oven. If you do not cover it the topping will burn. 

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving..

Thank you Angela/OhSheGlows for a great recipe!