Two Fabo-licious New Recipes

Sorry, I can’t stay away. I know I said I wouldn’t be blogging very often on this site, but it’s only been a week or so and I’m already back! Not writing has turned out to be more stressful than writing. So this is just a quick fix.

I have to share with you two new recipes I’ve developed this week that are total yum, relatively healthy, and super easy.

The first is a recipe for Whole Wheat Flaxseed Oyster Crackers. That’s a terrible name, so let’s call them Healthy Oyster Crackers That Also Make a Great Snack. Okay, not much better. You can name them whatever you want. 

Healthy Crackers In Need of a Name

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

¼ cup flaxseed meal

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

6 Tablespoons butter (cut into small pieces)

2/3 cup warm water

Option: You could also try adding some spices. That’s my next plan – throw in some thyme, maybe some garlic, or even some shredded cheddar or parmesan

1. Mix all ingredients together in an electric mixer (if you don’t have a mixer, cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, then add water and form a dough)

2. Roll out dough on a clean surface (don’t overwork). Break off 1” pieces and roll into balls. Or I suppose, you could just toss them on the cookie sheet in little squares also, but that would be more like a saltine than an oyster cracker and oyster crackers are much better for munching and dropping into soup.

3. Place balls on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at 375. If you want them extra crunchy. Turn off oven when they are finished and leave them in the warm over a bit longer. Just don’t let them burn. That would be a shame.

This next recipe has a few possibly obscure ingredients – but go find them. You’ll be glad you did. One of these special ingredients is Lime Infused Olive Oil. I know this sounds obscure but infused oils are all the rage – look around. If you're local you can get it at Park Street Pantry. Here's a picture:

 The next, not-really-odd-but-maybe-you-haven't-heard-of-it ingredient is cardamon pods.You're not really after the pod, just the seed, but buy them in the pod so the seeds will be fresh. (Yes, it makes a difference.) Almost any grocery store should have them, but if you can get them from a bulk supplier, it's better because you can buy just a few at a time. (Again, it's the freshness we're going for.) Here's what the pods look like:

Coconut Lime Rice

2 tablespoons lime infused olive oil 

4 cardamom seed pods

2 cups sweet brown rice (very, very short brown rice – good for sushi, too, if you’re in to that. I find this rice at Sonnewalds)

4 cups (one carton) coconut beverage (They have this at Trader Joes, but also pretty much any grocery store anymore. This is NOT coconut milk, but you could use coconut milk instead – I’d go with half coconut milk and half water)

1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt

1. Heat oil in medium sauce pan.

2. Crack cardamom pods and add seeds to oil. (I use a rolling pin to crack pods) Cook for one minute, stirring seeds.

3. Add rice and cook two minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add coconut milk beverage and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir once, turn heat to very low, and cover. Cook 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

There you go – two yummy new recipes to try! If you’d like more yummy recipes, sign up for my occasional e-newsletter at www.carawrites.com.

Here's a picture of our current foster dog, who is excellent company in the kitchen and takes care of anything you might drop inadvertently. Every serious cook needs a dog helper.

I know, she's adorable. You can read all about her on my other blog, Another Good Dog.

(Like this blog? Buy my book! It's available on Amazon.)