How to Make Your Own Vegetable Crackers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends incorporating vegetables into your diet to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and provide your body with the nutrients it needs for good health. Vegetable crackers can deliver some of the benefits of eating vegetables in a snack format that's convenient and tasty. According to LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate, a serving of 3 Breton brand vegetable crackers contains 60 calories, 2.5 g of fat, and 1 g of protein. If you'd rather not buy vegetable crackers at the supermarket, you can prepare them using fresh vegetables at home. The following recipe yields 130 crackers.

Step 1.

Place the flax seeds in water. Allow to soak overnight.

Step 2.

Place the tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots and garlic in the food processor. Use a setting that will grate the vegetables and continue until all ingredients are grated.

Step 3.

Add the basil, dill seed, sea salt and cumin. Switch to the regular setting on the food processor and blend all ingredients, adding just enough water to create a smooth mixture.

Step 4.

Place the vegetable mixture in the large mixing bowl and add the flax seeds. The mixture should taste slightly mild at this point; the flavors will become stronger during the dehydration stage.

Step 5.

Using a tablespoon, drop spoonfuls of the vegetable mixture onto cookie sheets, if you're using an oven, or onto Teflex sheets for a dehydrator. Set the oven or dehydrator to 110 degrees Fahrenheit and dehydrate for eight to 12 hours, or until the crackers turn easily and have reached your desired level of crispiness.

Things You Will Need

• Food dehydrator or standard oven

• Food processor

• Large mixing bowl

• 3 cups water

• 1 cup flax seeds

• 2 medium tomatoes

• 1/2 medium onion

• 2 carrots

• 2 celery stalks

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tsp. basil

• 1 tsp. dill seed

• 1 tsp. sea salt

• 1 tsp. cumin

• Cookie sheets

Tip

Chia seeds can be used in place of flax seeds.

If your oven cannot be set as low as 110 degrees Fahrenheit, dehydrate at the lowest oven setting possible.

If you plan on making dehydrated foods regularly, consider purchasing a food dehydrator to use instead of your oven.

Warning

Dehydrated foods are only as good as the fresh foods from which they are made. Choose high-quality vegetables that are ripe and free of bruises.