Homemade flax crackers and "cheese" (vegan)

Happy New Year Friends! We are starting off 2020 by giving up cow dairy in order to reduce inflammation and calm the autoimmune disease my family struggles with! We're doing sort of a modified paleo/low carb/keto diet. We are replacing the protein, fat, and flavor that dairy used to add to our meals with nuts, seeds, veggies, meat, nutritional yeast, and herbs. My type 1 diabetes kiddo is doing GREAT with the shift in diet. Here's an easy recipe that's delicious and easy if you're also trying to make healthy changes in your diet.

Flax Crackers

*Soak flax seeds for a couple hours with enough water to make it a thick gelatinous texture (I stir occasionally to make sure all of the flax seeds are plumping up!)

*add seasoning that you like; for this batch I added vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. (also consider herbs de province, pepper flakes, poppy seeds etc)

*spread about 1/4 inch thick on dehydrator sheets (I use the excalibur)

*lightly score into squares to help them break apart more easily (although you can see in my photo I have yet to figure out how to produce a uniform flax cracker!)

*dehydrate on 105 degrees until crunchy (at least overnight!)

*store in airtight container (you can add some grains of rice or dried beans to the bottom of your container to absorb any moisture so your crackers stay crisp!)

*enjoy with avocado dip or with cashew cheese

Cashew Cheese

*Soak organic raw cashews in filtered water overnight

*rinse cashews then add to blender with a little water, salt, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast to suit your taste

*blend on high until you have a smooth, tangy, rich, cheesy, creamy, spread

*serve with flax crackers, on low carb toast, or add to low carb pasta for a creamier dish

**nutritional yeast has many nutritional benefits and it's what imparts that cheesy taste to this "cheese" dip! Learn more here: https://runningonrealfood.com/what-is-nutritional-yeast/?fbclid=IwAR3CjfoQpG953WZ5lf9KSpbzJEhCfzk3WhgtqtnYsR4BhfPj8sZAAlJgW7c

**flax seeds are super healthy too: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/263405.php