We love crackers with soup, hummus, or just to have around for nashing with some cheeses. Gluten Free crackers can sometimes be expensive and I love baking so why not try to create a recipe that can easily be made at home? I had a recipe for an almond cracker that we sometimes like, but after a while the flavor of the almonds gets to be mundane and you would like a change.

Using my old recipe, I tried to measure out the right replacement for the THRIVE Gluten Free flour and the first batch created a very dry dough that I kept adding water to until it felt about right, soft and rollable but not sticky. It wasn’t too bad once I found the right texture, but when they baked up they were HARD. Almost too hard to break.
I recalled my first year of eating gluten free and remembered that many flours need to be exchanged by WEIGHT, not by measuring cup. So I weighed out the almond flour, and it weighed in at 8 ounces. I don’t recall exactly how much almond meal it was by cups, but 8 ounces would work. Trying the recipe again, using 8 ounces of Thrive GF Flour, the crackers turned out perfectly.

Now that I make these at least once a week, I am honestly tired of rolling them out with a rolling pin. It can be a challenge to get it just the right thickness every time. One morning I had a brilliant idea - why not use my pasta machine! I dug it out of the cupboard and after mixing the dough, within just a few minutes, I had all the dough rolled out into almost the same sized strips with uniform thickness! You may find that you need to sprinkle a little bit of Rice flour as you press the dough through the pasta machine, but I did not have to and it went through perfectly, without sticking anywhere. Then I was able to cut each strip down the middle, and cut those strips into bite sized crackers, bake as usual! Now I am trying to figure out what else I can use that pasta machine for with my Gluten Free Flour!
Now go bake some crackers and make a pot of soup, then enjoy!


Gluten Free Crackers 　

8 oz Gluten Free Flour (WEIGHED not measured in cups)
1 tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
4-6 oz filtered water
1/4 tsp baking powder, optional, makes a slightly lighter cracker

Salt, dried garlic (finely chopped), dried onion (finely chopped), or other toppings if desired.
　

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THIS RECIPE: This recipe was created to use THRIVE GF Flour mix, but can be used with other GF Flours as well. The key for this one is that it is NOT a “Cups" recipe, and needs to have the flour measured out in ounces. Many GF flours are different by weight, so this is very important for the right consistency dough. 　

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all dry ingredients well. Place a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and gently pour in about 4 ounces of the water, setting aside the rest in case it is needed. Mix all ingredients together with a fork until forms a nice ball. The dough needs to be soft, but NOT sticky. If it is too dry, add a little more water, 1Tbsp at a time and mix well. Knead gently for just a minute or two. Cut dough in half. On parchment, roll out one half very thin. Then do the same with the other half. With a fork, poke holes in the dough to allow steam to escape while cooking. Cut to desired size using pizza cutter. I usually cut to individual cracker sizes, like snack crackers.

Bake for 5-15 minutes, depending on size you cut the crackers into. Watch them carefully and if they need more cooking time, only add 2-3 minutes at a time so that they do not over-cook or burn. These can go from almost done to burnt in just a short period of time. So PLEASE remember to keep an eye on them, don't get distracted - because the over done ones taste nasty! Depending on your humidity outside and inside they can last for up to a month. Store in an airtight container or jar. Serve with your favorite dip, soup, salsa, cheese, or hummus.

VARIATIONS: Add 1-2 tsp rosemary to the crackers for a taste treat. You can also add other herbs or spices to go with the dip, cheese, or soup you will be serving these with, or Parmesan cheese to the dry ingredients, before adding water. With dry herbs or Parmesan, you may need to add a bit more water to make it roll-able. Herb suggestions: Dill, onion, garlic, chive, chili powder, Thyme.

When I was little, my mom used to make a tuna salad with onions, celery, mayonnaise, peas, and just a couple of chopped hard boiled eggs. Oh, and tuna of course. Every one of my friends thought it was weird, and it seemed like we were the only family in the whole neighborhood that put peas in their tuna salad. BOY! Did I love that recipe, though. It was great on a hot summer day with lettuce, tomato, sliced onions on a nice wheat or rye bread. I still remember how good it tasted!

In recent years, what with mercury contaminations and radiation worries, we have gotten away from eating tuna fish, but every now and then I still would love a tuna sandwich. One day I got the bright idea to try mom’s old recipe, but with THRIVE Feeze Dried Chicken. WOW! Was I surprised!

I made my homemade mayonnaise recipe, rehydrated all the appropriate vegetables and the freeze dried chicken, diced some fresh onions because I had them on hand, tossed it all together in a bowl, mixed it well and chilled it for several hours.

We served it on gluten-free bread made on Gluten Free Flour, with fresh lettuce, tomatoes and sliced onions as well as some pickled hot banana peppers and YUM! Was it perfect. It doesn’t taste exaclty like mom’s because, let’s face it, there will always be a taste difference between fish and chicken - no fish taste with chicken. But next time I am craving mom’s old fashioned tuna salad with peas, I know I can whip up this recipe and feel like a kid again.



Easy Chicken Salad
Servings 4-6

3/4 - 1 Cup of Freeze Dried Chicken
1/3 Cup Freeze Dried Celery
1/2 Cup Freeze dried Peas
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Green Onions
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Chopped onions or fresh onion chopped
1 Cup Water (An extra 1/2 Cup may be needed for best rehydration depending on preference)
Place all these ingredients into a large bowl, and mix well. Cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes to fully rehydrate.
2-4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chilled, then chopped
Sprinkle of Onion powder, Garlic powder, Black pepper, and salt to taste
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise (I use our recipe for Homemade mayo!)

Drain off any excess water from the meat and vegetables, if there is any. Shake the colander thoroughly so that your finished salad won’t end up runny. Place back into your large bowl, add the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. May be served right away, but is always best chilled 1-2 hours or over night. Great served with sliced tomato, sliced onion, sliced pickled hot pepper rings, on homemade bread! Wrap it in lettuce or scoop with chips, or enjoy in a wrap!!! This salad will be perfect no matter how you serve it. ENJOY!



　
　

We had one of those odd hot autumn days a couple weeks ago. The kind that reminds you suddenly of summer, and  the temperature made us feel that we just weren't in the mood to heat up the kitchen with a hot meal being cooked. So early in the day, I decided to make something a little different.  I grabbed different cans from the pantry and stared at them for a bit until it hit me - chicken salad.  Easy quick to mix and let sit until evening.  I wanted something a little different in flavor, though, and then I saw the Freeze Dried Chili Peppers, Freeze Dried Corn, and that bag of corn chips from the cupboard.  That's when I got the idea to throw together a Mexican Spiced Chicken Salad and serve it with corn chips and pickled jalapenos.

This one was easy to make and makes a great meal that can be mixed ahead, set all day to meld, and be pulled out when you are ready to sit down to the table.  Served with corn chips, potato chips, or even in wraps, this would also be great for nights when you need to eat in a hurry. 

Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken Salad
Servings 4-6

3/4 - 1 Cup of Freeze Dried Chicken
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Sweet Corn
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Chili Peppers
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Green Onions
1/2 Cup Freeze Dried Chopped onions or fresh onion chopped
1 Cup Water (An extra 1/2 Cup may be needed for best rehydration depending on preference)

Place all these ingredients into a large bowl, and mix well. Cover and let sit for 15-20
minutes to fully rehydrate.

While the meat and veggies are rehydrating, mix together:

2 Tbsp Tomato Powder
2 Tbsp Dry Cilantro, or 1/4 Cup fresh chopped
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
Sprinkle of Onion powder, Garlic powder, Black pepper, and salt to taste
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise (I use our recipe for Homemade mayo!)
Make sure to mix thoroughly.

Drain off any excess water from the meat and vegetables, if there is any. Shake the colander thoroughly so that your finished salad won’t end up watery. Place back into your large bowl, add the mayonnaise mixture and mix thoroughly. May be served right away, but is always best chilled 1-2 hours or over night. Serve with salsa, fresh diced tomatoes, chopped onions, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or sliced avocados. Wrap it in lettuce or scoop with corn chips, eat in taco shells, or enjoy in a wrap!!! This salad will be perfect no matter how you serve it. ENJOY!