Chickpea crackers- Gluten, grain, dairy and egg free

My Black sesame and chive variety

I needed a gluten and dairy free cracker to serve at a birthday party. Due to the eclectic nature of our friends food sensitivities it also needed to be free from rice, corn, soy, sugar and egg. Thank goodness for chickpea flour (also known as Besan). So, a simple cracker recipe for you to try out yourself. Being nut and egg free it’s suitable for the majority of school lunchboxes too.

The base:

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (optional but will make them a little higher and lighter)

Kale- a superfood or superhype? (Plus a recipe for kale chips, or Monster chips to us)

Kale- it seems to be a bit of a love it or hate it vegetable, especially when you discuss it’s health merits.

It’s a superfood of the moment and in the health circle people cant seem to get enough of it. It’s juiced, liquified into smoothies, shredded into salads, sauteed, stewed and swimming in soups. Here’s my two cents worth to put a little perspective on it.

Image credit: eatmoveinspire

It’s goodness:

* Good source of the antioxidants: beta-carotene, vitamins C and E and flavanoids

* Rich in naturally occurring glucosinolates, which help in the fight against cancer.

* Has the most vitamin K of all the green leafy veg

* Contains the minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, potassium and phosphorus

A little side note: you need to have some fat with your kale for maximum vitamin A and K absorption as these are fat soluble vitamins. So consuming it in a vege juice isn’t going to cut it.