Herbed flax-quinoa crackers



I'm just a little hooded husky!

I can't get this cone off no matter what position I'm in.

I feel so trapped!

My husband and my husky, Misha, have a common bond. They are both ADHD! Now, imagine putting one of them--the six-month-old husky--- in a cone for two weeks while he recovers from surgery. I've been called a saint for putting up with my husband but this is really testing my mettle.

Misha is usually bouncing off the walls but the cone has added a whole new dimension. He reminds so much of my husband after he has been concentrating on something for a few hours. He's like someone ready to come out of his skin.

He (the animal ADHD'er) can't chew any of his toys or play with his animal buddies, Kona and Bailey. He has no peripheral vision which means he can't be allowed to have any unstructured play. His lack of vision also makes him a total klutz when it comes to chasing a ball or even sniffing for a bathroom spot. I wish I had a time machine to transport him 10 more days into the future when he gets his sutures out.

I've noticed a stronger bond between my human and animal ADHD'ers since Misha had his surgery. I think my husband can empathize much better than I can because he feels trapped like Misha does in the cone. But his human entrapments are the constraints of job, time schedule and other demands. He really comes to Misha's defense when I'm about ready to phone for doggie day care (not really).

There are certain advantages of having to provide only structured activities for a hooded husky. The biggest one is all the walks I've been taking the pooch on. I call this an advantage because all of the delicious recipes I've been trying recently have packed on the pounds.

I guess that's one of the problems of being a recipe blogger. You are constantly experimenting with and trying new recipes, many of which are desserts because after all, what do we all love. But, I need to get real. There are only so many desserts any human who wants to maintain or lose weight should be eating.

Another problem is no one else in my family wants to eat vegan, no-gluten desserts. You guessed it. I have to finish all of it which is not a good plan. This is why I have challenged myself to try only one new dessert or snack recipe each week. I guess what I am saying is we need more low-calorie vegan options out there. I would challenge all of you (who are fellow bloggers) to rethink what we are putting on our blogs. Are we contributing to obesity or does everyone out there have self-control?

This week I made some healthy crackers, instead of a dessert. They are lower calorie but not calorie-less. I'm guessing a serving would be about four crackers (120 calories). That's assuming you cut 48 crackers. Mine are extra thich because I am not good at rolling stuff out. I only got 24 crackers.

I also made a sweet, low-calorie chocolate spread to go with the crackers but my human ADHD'er snagged the camera before I could snap a picture. (He put the camera out in the car because he was going to need it the next day. It's one of his ADHD memory tricks. Put things in the car or in your backpack the night before.)

Flax-quinoa crackers

Herbed Flax-Quinoa Crackers
(makes 4 dozen if you are good at rolling out the dough)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ground golden flax
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
• 2 tsp. gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 T. melted coconut oil
• 1 T. dried cilantro or parsley (your choice)
• Optional: other dried herbs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened hemp milk
• pan spray
• ground black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put flax, flour, baking powder, salt and coconut oil in a food processor and mix until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• Stir in herbs. Pour in milk and mix until dough comes together.
• Divide dough in half. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to a nine-inch square. Transfer to sprayed baking sheets. Cut each square into about 24 crackers with a pizza cutter.
• Spray with pan spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake until slightly firm about 20 minutes.
• Flip crackers and continue baking until firm and brown. About 10 more minutes.
• Check often to account for differences in oven temperatures.
• Transfer to wire racks to cool.

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Wellness at: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2011/10/20/wellness-weekend-october-20-24-2011/