Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Crackers


Have you ever noticed that you can live your whole life without ever hearing a certain term, or about some product, or car, or movie, or book - and then, all of a sudden, BOOM, its everywhere?

Case in point: chia seeds.

Other than those freaky little Chia Pets, I've given zero thought to anything chia over these past 40-whatever years. Now chia seeds are everywhere, including my fridge.

It all started with this post on ChezWhat?, announcing the grand opening of his new store on OpenSky. I like to be a good neighbor, so I clicked over and started browsing around - lo and behold, I see he's offering chia seeds. Wait, what?! And beside the description, there's this mysterious comment: "What is your favorite way to add chia seeds to your diet?" Wait, what??

Not more than 24 hours later, I'm standing in the shallow end of the pool with my pal, Becky, and as we don our flippers, she asks me if I've heard about chia seeds. I laugh, then almost drown. Clearly the universe is trying to tell me something: I need more chia in my diet.

Turns out that chia seeds are kind of a super-food. They're high in fiber, protein and calcium; and they pack a powerful Omega-3 punch as well. Chia seeds have been shown to lower blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, and slow the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body due to their remarkable ability to absorb water. The list goes on and on.

Becky suggested a product called FitFlax - a blend of roasted flax and chia seeds. I wasted no time in hunting them down. So far, they've made their delicious way into my oatmeal and yogurt, dusted the top of a few salads - I'm tempted to put them in everything. They're wonderful! Not content to stick with the ordinary, this past weekend I turned them into crackers.

I used Joy Manning's cracker recipe, found on her blog, The Oyster Evangelist. I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour and added 1 1/2 tablespoons of FitFlax to the mix. Other than that, I followed Joy's recipe - though prior to baking, I dusted the top of my crackers with a bit of Fleur de Sel and some sweet paprika. The results? Magnificent! These crackers are crisp, crunchy, and thoroughly delicious. Frankly, they're addictive - I could probably polish off the batch in one go.

Joy suggests pairing them with some creamy, runny cheese ... drool ... but I'm here to tell you they're amazing all on their own. The roasted flax has a nice, nutty flavor and the chia seeds offer a flavor similar to poppy seeds. Winning combination to be sure and perfect for a cracker/flat bread. They're a terrific vehicle for hummus as well. I'm baking another batch today. Honestly, I can't recommend this simple and simply delicious recipe highly enough ... with or without the chia seeds. They're just.that.good.

The crackers take all of 15 minutes to make and the results are so much better - and so much better for you - than any store bought brand. Bonus - they're South Beach Friendly too. I hope you'll try them. Pop on over to Joy's blog and you'll find the recipe here.

So, what about you? Are you adding chia seeds to your diet or do you prefer to grow them on the terra cotta head of a former US President? Crunchy Diva wants to know.

Bon appetite!

p.s. - Please note that the seeds found in Chia Pet products are NOT suitable for eating.

25 comments:

Tony said...

If I could buy it at the local grocery store, I would probably incorporate it into my diet.

Adam said...

I'm not big into eating seeds of any kinds, but you make it sound pretty appealing, so perhaps I will take you up on your challenge.

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

I've never heard of chia seeds and I'm waiting now to see how many times I hear about them this week!

They kind of look like the crackers we had a dinner last night. I am anxious to try these.

I so enjoyed meeting you and wish today wasn't so nasty and we could go play in the Big Apple.

I'm sitting in my room looking out of the window trying to decide if I want to eat at the restaurant downstairs or if I am brave enough to go down to Chelsea market.

stephchows said...

you are on a roll with chia!! I still haven't tried it... but totally need to! thanks for all the info :)

Charmian @Christie's Corner said...

I love flax seed and would definitely give this flax-chia product a try. Love seeds of all kinds and am happy to add another to my repertoire -- providing it is tasty.

Makes me wonder what they'll dub the next "super food". Sea monkeys?

Anonymous said...

Those crackers sound totally addictive! I'm looking forward to trying chia seeds soon!

Mo Diva said...

never had the opportunity to try chia seeds but im very interested!

and thanks for the disclaimer! Chia pets are not food LOL!

Christo Gonzales said...

thanks for the shout out and these crackers sound addicting - I think I am going to spend 15 minutes and make some - today is a perfect day to fire of the oven -

Lisa said...

Diva - those crackers look amazing..AND..you won the panko bread crumbs! :) Send me your addy at lismi171@yahoo.com, and I'll get them right out to you!

Molly said...

I've been adding chia seeds to my smoothies since the summertime, they thicken them up nicely, and fill up your belly too. The crackers look great, I'm going to have to check 'em out!

Queen "B" said...

Aloha,
just when I thought I had heard it all!!!
you crack me up!! but you got me intrigued... goona have to check it out.....you rock
Brandi

Christina said...

Hmm I heard about them on other blogs and thought the same thing -- Wait WHAT?! But they were all making them into smoothies w/ instructions to let them sit and get gooey. Gag! I like your cracker idea a LOT more!

Give away on my blog! Head on over and comment!

Ca88andra said...

Funny you should mention chia. Our local bakery has just introduced a new Chia bread and I was wondering what it was.

The Diva on a Diet said...

Hi Panda - let me know if you find them. :)

Adam - they're really very tasty, especially baked into things.

Katherine - Ugh, the snow! I'm sorry I'm not out playing with you too ... but I'm kind of a snow-wimp ... I'm in my nest and staying here. I hope you did venture out to Chelsea Mkt. its a great place. Any word on when you might get out??? Loved meeting you too and hope we can do it again. Such fun! :)

Steph - I'll bet you could whip up some tasty chia muffins! I'll stay tuned to see if you do. :)

Charmian - LOL on the Sea Monkeys ... you've cracked me up!

5 Star - I can't wait to see what you'll do with the chia seeds too. I know it will be amazing. :)

Mo Diva - I'm LOLing with you too ... no, Chia Pets do not = food!

doggybloggy - you're clearly ahead of your time with the chia seeds. I bet you'll love the crackers too. Love the store, btw!

Lisa - no way! Thank you!!! I'll shoot you an email now. :)

Molly - you too?! See, chia really is everywhere now!

Queen B - aw, you are so sweet! Thank you! And let me know if you find the seeds. :)

Christina - they definitely don't get gooey in these crackers ... which is a good thing, from my perspective too! Will pop by your give-away too, thanks!

Ca88andra - your bakery too?! How funny! You'll have to let me know how that bread is if you try it. I'll bet its yummy.

Sook said...

Wow,those crackers look so good! Chickpeas is like Chia seeds for me. I'd never heard of them but then boom, they're everywhere and now I don't think I can live without them. I'd like to try these chia seeds crackers.

pixelgal said...

But do they grow hair?????? Ot make you look younger????? Save me some just in case.

Laura said...

I'm up for flax! I have not seen chia pets er seeds anywhere up here. I'll keep looking though.

Tangled Noodle said...

Only 15 minutes?! I think I can handle that! I've been picking up flax seed products but I didn't know anything about chia seeds. I've been lax visiting ChezWhat? so thanks for the link to his OpenSky store. Two great discoveries in one post! 8-)

Laurie said...

I've never heard of chia seeds either, but they sound super.

I'm so envious you got to meet Katherine!

Thank you so much for welcoming me back to bloggerland....

The Blonde Duck said...

Popped in from Katherine's to say hi!

SKIP TO MALOU said...

YOur title cracks me up... ch ch ch chia crackers! sounds intriguing... never had it before but im too intrigued to try!

Jewels For Hope said...

ha I love how you put a warning to not eat the seeds in a Chia Pet!

Deb in Hawaii said...

I have just started using Chia seeds in things this past year--mostly baked goods and drinks. I love the cracker idea and am going to give it a try. ;-)

Fresh Local and Best said...

I just bought a container of chia seeds. These look like a great snack!!!

Alexis AKA MOM said...

LOL no chia pets hurt in this post ... :)