Saturday, December 29, 2007

Christmas Snacks

Here are some photos of some of the snacks we made for the holidays. Above are homemade wholegrain crackers with a homemade cream cheese spread.
Above are almonds and pecans that I roasted with maple syrup, cinnamon and ground nutmeg and cloves.

Above are low-sugar roll-out cookies decorated with natural ingredients: shredded dry coconut, chopped pistachios, chopped dried cranberries and cherries, and maple sugar dyed with currant juice.

I forgot to get a photo of our chocolate fondue that was served with chunks of fresh fruit: bananas, pineapple, apples, strawberries, and pears.
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5 comments:

  1. AnaDecember 30, 2007 at 1:39 PM

    Hi Kathleen!
    I love your snacks, but the whole grain crackers look scrumptious, they look so delicious... is there a way you could share the recipe with me?? Pleeeeease????
    Thanks!! And Happy New Year! I wish you and your family a 2008 full of healthy goodies, happiness, and lots of love!
    Ana

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  2. KathleenDecember 31, 2007 at 4:50 PM

    Hi Ana! I found this link with one of Reinhart's whole grain cracker recipes:

    http://www.draegers.com/DCS/whole_grain_breads.html

    I think it would also be good with sesame seeds or chopped pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds on top. To do so, sprinkle the seeds on the raw dough immeidately after brushing them with the salt water, as it says in the instructions. Then continue following the instructions as written. An alternative to brushing salt water on the dough is to brush on some beaten egg, to give a shinier finished look.

    Here's another great looking cracker recipe:

    http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/515

    Here's a tip for getting thin crackers: first roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. Then let it rest for a few minutes. Then continue to roll until the dough is about 1/8 inch thick.

    Hopefully those recipes can get you started!

    Happy New Year to you and your family too! I wish you happy cooking!

    Kathleen

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  3. AnaJanuary 1, 2008 at 3:03 PM

    Thanks Kathleen!
    Is any of those recipes the one you made, the one in your picture???
    It seems yours have so much more grains going on than the recipe you pointed me to...
    I truly love the looks of your cracker and would like to try to make that. So, if yours is a different recipe, then would you tell me form which books you got? I can check my local library to see if I can find the book then.
    If you can't tell me, then that's ok too, and I will try one of the other recipes you linked to me.
    Thanks again, and Happy New Year!!
    Ana

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  4. KathleenJanuary 1, 2008 at 6:22 PM

    Hi again Ana! Oh, you are right, the recipes I gave the links for aren't the exact recipe I used. But you can find it on page 293 of Reinhart's new book Whole Grain Breads. The recipe is called Seeded Crackers. In the dough they have these ingredients:

    1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
    6 T sunflower or pumpkin seeds ground into flour w/food processor
    6 T sesame seeds
    3 T flaxseed meal or ground flaxseeds
    1/4 tsp salt
    1/2 cup (plus more if needed) water
    1 1/2 T honey or agave nectar
    2 T vegetable oil

    plus beaten egg or water for glaze and extra seeds for topping

    assembly, rolling, cutting and baking follows very similarly to the linked first recipe.

    HOpe that helps!
    Kathleen

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  5. AnaJanuary 1, 2008 at 7:12 PM

    Thank you Kathleen!!
    I love whole grain everything, especially crackers! Unfortunatelly, I can't eat bread, or yeast leavened foods, so crackers are my best option when it comes to whole grain baked goods, and I do like them a lot!
    I tried making some and like a recipe for flaxseed crackers that I posted in my blog, and as far as storebought I like the TLC origial ones and also the "dr. crackers" ones, have you tried them?
    Thanks again Kathleen, I really appreciate it!!!
    Ana

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