Raw Flax Crackers and Sprouted Hummus

I love hummus!  And I mean, LOVE.  I've been known to just eat it from a spoon.  Don't judge me.  I think Mediterranean food is amazing.  It's so flavorful and full of vibrant color, you just can't go wrong.  I don't find anything inherently wrong with their cuisine, with the healthy fats, fresh veggies, and moderate wine consumption.  They definitely know how to enjoy a meal.  But, being the challenge-lover that I am, I thought, "I wonder if I can make that raw?"

 Sprouting is something I took up when I decided to get healthy.  It's incredibly easy, and sprouts are about the most nutritious thing you can consume.  I've done the obvious; alfalfa and red clover, but also the more adventurous; fenugreek, lentils, peas, and now chickpeas.  When I set out to make hummus raw, I first soaked about four cups of chickpeas overnight in purified water inside my sprouting jar, which is just an oversized mason jar with a mesh lid.  Mine came from Sunshine Nutrition and cost about $7.  I realize now that four cups was too much, but as Jimmy says, I always make enough food for an army.  (I grew up in a family of five, so I learned to feed them and have leftovers for lunch.  It just stick with me once we all went our separate ways.). The next morning, I drained and rinsed them until the water didn't firm bubbles as it ran over the beans.  You want to soak seeds to remove the digestive inhibitors.  This also allows the seed to germinate.  After they were rinsed and drained well, I rested the jar on a towel on my kitchen counter at a 45 degree angle.  I left them in that spot, rinsing twice a day for two days.  After two days, I could see tiny, and I mean itty-bitty tails starting to pop up from the point of the peas.  They were ready.  

SPROUTED CHICKPEA HUMMUS

2 cups sprouted chickpeas

1/4 cup tahini, sesame paste

Juice of two or three lemons, depending on how tangy you want it

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Sea salt to taste

Just blend it all and you're done!  Easy stuff.  Aside from sprouting time, it takes minutes to make.  You can add other favors to accommodate your tastes.  I like jalapeño and cilantro, but Jimmy and I love Mexican food, so it's kind of our thing.  

 Since I had my dehydrator working hard this weekend, I decided to try my hand at some flax crackers.  I mean, isn't hummus delicious on crackers?  I found a recipe online, http://www.eatingvibrantly.com/raw-flax-crackers/ and set to work.  They turned out beautifully, but I think next time, I'll cut back on the agave.  The flavor came through a bit much for my taste.  I wanted them more salty than sweet.  The recipe was extremely simple, and I was pleased with the results enough to make them again. 

So, having made this time-consuming mass of raw goodness, I've been enjoying flax crackers with sprouted hummus topped with fresh Cherokee purple tomatoes from my garden.  The balance of salty, sweet, crunchy, and creamy is pretty wonderful.  If you're feeling froggy and wanna attempt the crackers, please do.  I think you'll be proud of the end product.  However, if they seem like more work than you'd care to undertake, the hummus is perfect for chopped veggies for nori wraps, heck, maybe even a sandwich. It's all up to you.