If you ask Billy his favorite food, he’ll answer, “nachos”, every time. On average, he makes nachos 3 times a week. I share his heart with nachos, but standard Bee-style nachos don’t have a place in his Paleo challenge.
- grains & dairy
Billy has become a big fan of hummus. I make it at home a couple of times a week, and we eat it with toasted pita bread. Pita and hummus? Not Paleo-friendly.
- grains & chickpeas
What’s a guy to do??
He came home with an eggplant, and after careful thought, he announced that he would substitute his love for hummus by making some homemade baba ghanoush.
Genius!
He roughly followed THIS recipe.
But what to eat with the baba ghanoush? We aren’t easily satisfied with carrots and celery for dipping. We crave a carb-like crunch. A cracker of some sort.
So I searched for “paleo crackers”, and found several different nut-based recipes. I decided to go for the one with the most basic ingredients:
- almond meal
- egg whites
- salt
In my opinion, a dip should typically have more than enough flavor so that the dip-deliverer, in this case a cracker, is more about the texture.
1.5 cups roasted almonds.
Processed to make almond meal (+ a dash of sea salt).
Added 3 egg whites.
Mixed until it looked like almond butter. Tempting! Minus the raw egg whites…
Spread onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Baked at 325° for 20-25 minutes, checking for desired crispiness.
While still warm, use a pizza slicer to cut into preferred size and shape.
The crackers crisp up even more after they cool. The flavor is simple and nutty, perfect for a strong, flavorful dip like garlicky baba ghanoush.
SO VERY DELICIOUS.
I’m excited to experiment with other grain-free cracker recipes. We baked these in the oven for the sake of time and hunger, but I’d like to make some in our dehydrator as well. We did use our dehydrator to make something yesterday.
Any guesses?
Do you like hummus? Baba ghanoush?
Love both. And happy to make them both homemade now.
What’s you favorite chip (or cracker, bread, etc.) and dip?
You know I’m not good at picking favorites. I love chips & guacamole, and blue corn tortilla chips with jalapeno-cilantro hummus. To be specific.
Today’s the last day to enter my Love Grown Foods granola giveaway! The winner will be announced in tomorrow’s post.
~Bird
What a fabulous solution!!!! The crackers look delicious!! =) I’ll have to add them to my crackers-to-try list that is picking up some major steam in my bookmark section! hehe
chickpeas are not paleo friendly? ohmygosh! I had no idea! my paleo friend cheats so much I really don’t know the details of what is and isn’t paleo — only the basics!
kudos to you guys for trying a new way of eating!!!!
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons recently posted..DIY Braided Satin Pearl Necklace
Billy is doing this Paleo challenge on his own – I’m just along to help him out, but I can’t imagine not being able to eat chickpeas or hummus! The crackers are really simple and tasty. I’m excited to experiment with more varieties – I’m thinking rosemary!
I love hummus and make it often as well. I’ve never made Baba ghanoush though. I am loving that cracker idea though. Wonder if you could get away with using flax “egg” rather than egg whites…
Heather (Where’s the Beach) recently posted..High Reps Weights- Honesty- & Home Project
I usually use flax or chia eggs in my baking, but Billy was into the egg whites instead of a recipe with oil. There are so many recipes for nut-based, grain-free crackers and many of them didn’t call for eggs at all! Some call for olive oil, coconut oil, etc.
Billy is AWESOME!!! k, I want those crackers…..you have me drooling. You are AMAZING!!! I LOVE guac and chips……I could eat them until I die and be happy!! HUMMUS is amazing…I need to go get some for lunch:)
janae@hungryrunnergirl.com recently posted..GOOD MORNING
The crackers are yummy! I’ll add that to the list of things we eat together when we meet.
Hope you found some hummus for lunch!
I’m not a huge fan of hummus, although homemade hummus is really tasty!
I love tortilla chips/guac the best!
Holly @ Couch Potato Athlete recently posted..Back to Normal Life
I wouldn’t know what to do with out hummus!!! Sounds like you guys made interesting AND tasty choices! Love the cracker idea! But now you have me wondering if they’d be tasty with hummus. lol
I love chips/salsa chips/guac crackers/cheese crackers/spread any of that! I honestly don’t like very many *chips* chips though. I do like Sun Chips…but that’s about it besides tortilla chips.
Stephanie recently posted..SaturdayErrrSunday Seven
I don’t know what I’d do either – I’m impressed with Billy’s discipline during his Paleo challenge – I couldn’t survive on Paleo because I don’t eat meat! Beans, lentils, etc are a big part of my diet. I don’t like chips as much as crackers either! Never really have…
I am passing this on to my paleo friends – those look good!! And so simple to make at home, assuming we have parchment paper, which is a “never”.
My favorite is definitely chips & salsa!!! Hummus is a very very close second, but this Southwestern-raised girl doesn’t mess with her spicy first love.
Heather @ Dietitian on the Run recently posted..Sticking with NonTraditional Ways
They were super easy and taste great! Fun that you can spice them up however you want. How about chips dipped in hummus, then dipped in salsa? I’ve been known to make a mess of the individuals bowls in an attempt to combine the 2!
mm, it has been SO long since I have had baba ghanoush – it reminds me of my first job after college… I was working downtown and would go to one of my favorite middle eastern restaurants for lunch..
I made a new hummus this weekend – it was SO good… and crackers are really fun to make too – so many flavor possibilities! Go Billy!
Kris @ spabettie recently posted..donuts in a flower shop
Ooooh, a new hummus? Yummus! I’m excited to start making more crackers – not just nut-based, but with some GF flour, too.
yummus-lol
looks delish! thanks for the great recipes. i too love the crispness of a carb but don’t enjoy the gluten effect- what a great alternative:)
paleo power! i just had to – it’s the cheerleader in me-
have a lovely monday-
xo-
av
allison recently posted..a fresh start
They were so easy to make! And I can imagine they’d be great with a variety of different nuts, too. Billy is kicking butt on this Paleo challenge so far!
I love homemade hummus!! never have had Baba ghanoush before..but I love trying new things!
Oh you should try it if you like eggplant! It’s really good.
I love making hummus at home. The best! I would be at a loss without it too. Interesting cracker solution! Funny that it is basically almond butter that you stop short or the creaming phase.
And it has egg whites in it!
But, there are a lot of versions of nut-based crackers that can be made vegan as well, and those are a lot like nut butter. Homemade hummus really is the best! You can tailor it just the way you like it.
oh so yummy! I made some pecan and herb crackers like that before. The only problem was that I didn’t make enough. hehe.
I’m thinking you made some paleo energy bars in your dehydrator? am i right?
xxoo
LC
p.s.
Billy makes the best faces!
lindsay recently posted..A Successful Runner……
I want to try some with different nuts – pecan and herb (rosemary!?) sounds great. We’re making plantain chips in the dehydrator!
The baba and chips look awesome!
My fave dip is guacamole…mmmm.
Lisa @ Thrive Style recently posted..Hormone Casseroles and Life Changers
You guys are so resourceful! I think I have to make those crackers for myself!
Abby recently posted..Just Being Honest
The picture of Billy with the eggplant made me laugh. I never saw someone express so much love for a veggie before!
I love baba ghanoush! I made it once and now you’re making me rethink why I didn’t make it again. I think I love hummus and baba ghanoush equally – I have a thing for eggplant – sorta like Billy! 
His days as an actor haven’t quite faded. He likes to ham it up for the camera! Hummus and baba are both so good and satisfying.
i do like hummus to throw in a salad, or to dip carrots in!
i love love your cracker idea/recipe!! i honestly did not know you could make a cracker that wasn’t grain based…thanks for the info, dorry!
i’m not really a chip n dip fan…i would choose a sweet (like a choco chip cookie) over a salty snack!
good luck with your packing!
CathyK recently posted..Sunday in Aruba- Tick Tock on the Clock
Hummus is so good on a salad – I mix it in with red wine vinegar to make a creamy & tangy dressing. Delicious! I think my sweet and salty tooth is about even these days – it definitely used to favor the sweets!
Great cracker idea! I love it.
I like the nutty flavor you get in some crackers so this would be perfect.
I love this idea!! I will be making baba ganoush very soon!
Paige @ Running Around Normal recently posted..Signs of a Vacation
That’s so freakin’ cool that you made both diet-friendly things at home! I love the idea of those crackers!! Me? I’m obsessed with those Mary’s Gone Crackers, crackers. I could easily eat a box to myself in 2 or 3 days!!
Laura recently posted..day six
I looooove hummus and baba ghanouj. I haven’t had the baba in far too long though. As much as I love it, I think cooking eggplants are kinda gross!! I’m such a picky brat, I know
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine recently posted..Readers Request- Grocery Post
I am such a huge fan of baba ganoush but never make it! And I totally found a recipe for almond meal crackers that I had bookmarked last week, but this one is even easier and probably what I’ll end up making instead!
Christin@purplebirdblog recently posted..Take Your Lunch To Work!
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I found your website while looking for paleo + dehydrator.
I have a replacement for the chick peas in hummus. Peel a zucchini, cut it up in to manageable chunks, buzz it up in a food processor – then add the rest of your hummus ingredients – garlic, lemon juice, tahini, etc. Process until it’s the texture that you prefer. Believe it or not, it’s pretty darn tasty, looks like hummus (as long as you peel the zuke!) and I’ve even passed it off to non-paleo hummus eaters who didn’t even know the difference. Put a dollop of the zucchini hummus on a big leaf of lettuce and roll it up with some grilled chicken for a fantastic light lunch.
Enjoy,
Barb
barb recently posted..Introducing
I love this post! You have a great blog here!
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