Garlic Flax Crackers and Cilantro Cream Cheese w/ Pic

[Rubysugar]

Mmmmmm! These are sooo good!

-Garlic Flax Crackers-
1/4 cup Flax Meal
1/4 cup Water
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt

Mix the flax and water in a small dish. Find your parchment ( I use wax paper 'cause that's what I have) and gather your garlic powder, onion powder and salt. This gives the flax a minute to rest but doesn't give it enough time to get gooey. On your paper, spread the flax mixture out (I made a large rectangle) Keep the flax about Wheat Thin thickness. Next dust the top with your Garlic and Onion powders and sprinkle with salt. I am kinda liberal with the garlic but I'm just that kinda girl. Slide your dusted flax into the microwave. Nuke for about 2 minutes. At this point I went in with a butter knife and pressed lines in where I wanted my cracker to break, perferating the "leather hard" cracker. Then nuke it approximately 2 more minutes, give or take 20 seconds or so. It can still be just a little bendy in spots while hot, it will crisp up nicely. Once cool you can break it into pieces.

-Cilantro Cream Cheese Spread-
However much Cream Cheese you want
Enough sour cream to make it spreadable
Cilantro to taste- or you could try dill, or diced roma tomato, or salmon
Mix it all together and slather on your guilt free crackers

It was sooooo good!
Thanks to those who post the thread about flax crackers, another big winner in my book!!!


Happy snacking and let me know of any knew combinations you come up with!!

[not2late]

Oh yeah, those microwave flax crackers I developed are very versatile. You can give them a savory flavor or you can give them a sweet flavor, depending on what herbs and spices you use.

Just remember there is a limit to the flax you can have during Induction and during OWL. Not to mention your stomach might self-limit your flax consumption. Also be aware that while flax is a nutritious food, you shouldn't overdo it. Lilian Thompson, PhD. is regarded as a leading Flax expert recommends 1 tablespoon daily, provided you are not a breast cancer survivor, pregnant or a child.

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/62/71770

[MotherOfGizmo]

Looks yummy. I like to mix in parmesean and fennel seeds with the flax, its yummy too.

[2big4mysize]

yep they are great

Megs I read the whole link and she never points out any research just saysd the infamous "they" further on she states "they" say 3-5T a day is high. I know in the raw it has a compound that acts like cyanide in our system but cooking breaks that down so it is elinminated as a concern for everybody other then breast cancer folk and that is being tested more as they discover more about exactly what sites it reacts with in the body.

[not2late]

True there is no data quoted, but Lilian Thompson is the expert on Flax: I take her word for it. Just like I would take Dr. Atkins' word for it that on his diet you can't have X, Y, Z because he was the expert on the Atkins Diet.

To cook the cyanide out you have to cook it at 400 degrees F for at least 15 minutes. Those microwave crackers are more dehydrated than "cooked".
http://www.flaxcouncil.ca/Vegetarian/Prudent%20Use.htm

[2big4mysize]

Megs that link says even more is safe and adds almonds to that cyanide compound list YIKES!

the one tablespoon does is becuase that will supply the minimum amount of ALA folk need a day

[not2late]

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one 2Big. I don't believe eating any food in what the expert considers to be excessive amounts is good for our bodies. The jury, imo, is still out on Flax because there needs to be more documentation on it and its effect on our bodies, even Dr. Thompson agree with that. Better safe than sorry, imo.
http://www.aicr.org/publications/new...sso?index=1457

If the objective is to get enough dietary ALA, then that can be done eating canola oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, walnuts and walnut seed oil as well as leafy green veggies like purslane, spinach, collards. But your body will only convert ALA to EPA and DHA and you can easily get those from fish. Flax is good, but it ain't the be all to end all.....

[2big4mysize]

Megs she was paid by the flax council of Canada to research flax and the effect on breast cancer for 1 yr, and now she is more of a flax "expert" then the many other folk they have given grants to to do more studies longer term then her.

[not2late]

2Big, l believe in putting the information out there and letting the folks here read it so they can decide for themselves how to treat Flax or any other "miracle" food promoted these days.

Thompson has done research on flax. Here's her bio from the University of Toronto with a list of selected publications.
http://www.utoronto.ca/nutrisci/faculty/Thompson/

But here's a non-Thompson source for flax limits

Flaxseed is increasingly being used in some food products because of its high content of alpha-linolenic acid and dietary fibre. However, flaxseed contains cyanogenic glycosides, which release toxic hydrogen cyanide in the presence of water (autohydrolysis). (Chadha R, et al (Food Research Division, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), Food Addit Contam, 12: 527, 1995) Cyanogenic glycosides (linamarin, linustatin, neolinustatin) were highest in extracted flaxseed mucilage. We conclude that up to 50 g high-alpha-linolenic acid flaxseed is palatable, safe and may be nutritionally beneficial in humans by raising n-3 fatty acids in plasma and erythrocytes and by decreasing post-prandial glucose responses. Cunnane S, et al, (University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada) Br J Nutr, 69:443, 1993)

http://www.gaiaresearch.co.za/flaxse...c%20Glycosides

We've both read up on flax---the negative and positive aspects of the food. And we've both formed an opinion of it. Let's let the folks here do the same thing.

[Rubysugar]

I made Garlic Flax Crackers of Death!!!

I only ate a few pieces and I am still kicking so far. I will keep an eye on the amount I am eating.

If all else fails I can use it as particle board in my Barbie "Home Improvement" Kit. She can always use another cabinet for more shoes.