Carrot Crackers (ref. sugar, dairy, soy free)

I love when your typical munchy snack also includes a full serving of vegetables. It makes my conscience feel so much better about snacking and munching.

I'm going home to America on Friday after a year in Cambodia (see my About Me page to find out why), and that flight is not short! It's about a 15+ hour flight. I used to think Asian airlines were awesome because they give you food no matter how long the flight is. We've flown from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (which is about 40-60 minutes) and they still give you food! When I first came here I was like, "Wow! this is totally awesome!" However, as I started to fly more and more throughout the year, my liking of airplane food dropped to a zero. Not only did my allergies and IBS prevent me from eating a lot of it, but I realized how fake the food is! I'm convinced it's not real food (for good reason too!).

Well, this being said, I don't want to starve on the way home. I'm sure they will feed us several meals since it's such a long flight. So, I'm coming up with a back up plan. And that plan includes awesome, healthy, nutritious, full-of-as-many-veggies-as-possible, yummy snacks and meals! I don't know if I'm allowed to bring raw fruits and veggies since it's an international plan, so if I do end up having to throw them away, I will still have veggies packed into snacks like:  CARROT CRACKERS! Yup, carrot crackers!

Who woulda' thought?!

I'm still working on my list of food to make/bring, but these hit the top and I knew I must try them. Being bored on an airplane/airport for 15+ hours definitely makes me want to munch and crunch. These crackers are the perfect solution! They are packed full of a whole carrot, oats, and herbs!
If you want you could replace the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour or even a gluten free flour. I chose white flour because I don't want to take any chances with my stomach hurting (even though I usually feel as big as a whale due to the altitude!).

No matter how long your flight is, these crackers should be with you! They are so yummy and crunchy!

Carrot Crackers

Yields: ~50 1”x1” crackers

Ingredients

·      1 cup oats (measured and then roughly ground into flour-it doesn’t need to be fine)

·      1 cup all purpose flour (or ww or gf)

·      1 cup grated carrots-about 1 large carrot (blended until pretty much smooth-again, it doesn’t need to be totally smooth)

·      1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro (you may want a little more)

·      1 tsp. Himalayan salt

·      ½ tsp. onion powder

·      ½ tsp. garlic powder

·      ½ -1 tsp. dried basil

·      ½ -1 tsp. dried parsley

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350.

2.     In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients and cilantro together.

3.     Add the blended carrot and mix well.

4.     Wrap the dough in saran wrap and put in the fridge for 5-10 minutes (this step is optional)

5.     Roll the dough out on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Cut into squares about 1”x 1” pieces. Poke holes in each square using a fork, to prevent them from puffing up.

6.     Place the parchment paper with the cut dough on a baking sheet and bake for about 45-60 minutes (you don’t want the bottoms to turn black) After the first 30 minutes take it out and remove the hard, done pieces. Return the rest to the oven and finish cooking.