It's a cracker. That's all.

I've been thinking about protein lately.  Specifically, how to get more of it, without eating more animals.  See, I've been pursuing a primarily plant-based diet of unprocessed whole foods.  Original, I know.  Me and everybody else I know.  Of course! So that's why you are still reading this blog post with the stupid title, right?

So here it is.  I don't want to buy crackers.  They are expensive, and also the dreaded "processed" food, even if they look like compost and a medical doctor invented an marketed them. But I love crackers.  Eating hummus just off my fingers isn't the same.  I think I probably NEED crackers. Ok, want.

And another thing.  You know those health-food crackers in the store?  They almost all have nuts and sesame, to which I am allergic.  Which also underscores the problem, posed in the first sentence of this blog post with the stupid title, that I need protein.  Plant sources.  So here's your cracker.

Amaranth-Flaxseed-Quinoa Crackers

1/3 cup amaranth, ground (you can use a coffee mill grinder, or buy amaranth flour)
1/3 cup flax seeds, ground (ditto)
1/3 cup quinoa, ground (ditto)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup each of whole amaranth, whole flax seeds, whole quinoa (raw), and dry roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup water

Yield: 100 crackers
Serving size: 10 crackers

Here's how to make them:
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Mix the dry ingredients together (first seven).  Mix the oil and water.  (Ha-ha).  Add the oil and water to the dry ingredients, and work into a dough. Divide the dough in half to have a workable lump. Lightly flour a work surface and pat and roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and cut into squares.  Transfer the squares to a baking pan.  Repeat the process with the other lump of dough.
From here, you can lightly spray the crackers with water and salt the tops, or add additional toppings of your choice (this will change the nutritional information to follow).
Prick the crackers with a fork, and bake them for 12 minutes.
Now wasn't that easy?

Financial Analysis : This is the equivalent of at least three boxes of special health-food crackers. That saves you about $20.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 319
Fat: 14.54g
Saturated Fat: 1.76g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.25g
Monounsaturated Fat: 5.7g
Trans fat: 0g
Sodium: 705mg
Potassium 372mg
Carbohydrates: 40.29g
Fiber: 8.59g
Sugar: 1.47g
Protein: 10g

Weight Watchers Smart Points: 9

Fringe benefits: High in Omega 3 fatty acids, folate, and calcium.
Also perfectly fine to serve for dinner, with hummus, if you don't feel like making anything else.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to a week.