You can see a picture of the adorable rabbit-cut crackers I made. They were so cute, but they took so long. I figured I would save such energies until Nora really cares about the shape of her food. Meanwhile, I'll just make cheese sticks. And I've updated the recipe slightly, which has made a huge difference to me. Feel free to say otherwise.My big move was to add 1/2 a teaspoon paprika for nice color.
Adjusted Dilled Havarti Cracker Recipe
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoonsunsalted butter
6 oz. (3/4 block from Aldi or 1 1/2 cups coursly grated) Havarti cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon herbed salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
I learned the last time that I don't have to pre-shred the cheese. I just throw it in the processor with the butter. Just cut them into a few cubes. Because I just have a mini food processor, I don't wait for the dough to form a ball, I just get two halves of the batch well mixed and then mold them together myself. I've learned that they cook far better when spread apart instead of in a full sheet like I originally made them.
We--Paul and I--have been on a mission. We'd like to serve Nora crackers with a little less additives and that are a little healthier. Some people might call that "processed" but I hasten to clarify. After all, if I'm using a food processor, it seems like the recipe is rather processed. My goal is to have fewer ingredients, adding more whole wheat flour when possible. And hopefully creating a cheaper product while I'm at it.
Recipe for Dilled Havarti Whole Wheat Crackers
Based on Smitten Kitchen's Cheddar Cracker recipe.
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
6 oz. (3/4 block from Aldi or 1 1/2 cups coursly grated) Havarti cheese, grated
1-2 Tablespoons fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon herbed salt
Combine ingredients in a food processor. Run until a ball of dough forms. (The original recipe says 2 minutes. Mine was faster than that in two smaller batches.) If dough feels too soft or difficult to handle, wrap in parchment and freeze about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut cracker shapes as desired. Bake about 1/2 inches apart on cookie sheet, preferably lined, at 350 for 12-17 minutes. You want the crackers to be slightly browned on the edges.
I'm so embarrassed. I can't for the life of me figure out how I missed posting this amazing recipe when I loved it so much and had it two or three times in a two-week period. Mollie Katzen's Eat, Drink and Weigh Less is all about making your meals as healthy as possible, which means skipping the fried Eggplant Parmesan. Although it messed up my jelly roll pan a bit (But do you really want your kitchenware to look unused?), this recipe went far in keeping the flavor and minimizing the fat.
Recipe for Simple Tomato Sauce
Blend one can diced tomatoes (mostly drained), two cloves garlic, and dehydrated basil in mini food processor until garlic is chopped. Add salt and/or fresh black pepper to taste. Heat in heavy sauce pan over medium low heat if necessary.
1 large can whole tomatoes, drained (I prefer Muir Glen for best flavor
2 cloves garlic
1 large handful dried basil, crushed
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
Combine all ingredients in a food processor. I have a small food processor and made two rounds. Chop to desired consistency. Some people prefer chunkier tomatoes. Dump sauce into a sauce pan and heat on low-medium. Stir to keep it from boiling over.
Note: Because the tomatoes were already salted, I left salt out of the recipe. You may want to add some salt if you have no-salt tomatoes. Or, you may want to try the sauce without any salt. You just might be surprised that you don't miss it.
Another Note: If you're of the non-wasteful type, do what I did and freeze the tomato juice. You'd be surprised what recipes call for it, and you'll already have it on hand! For example, when cooking beans from scratch, replace some of the water with some tomato juice. It increases the flavor. Or add it to broth in a soup.
