Sunday, June 13, 2010

Healthy Whole Wheat,Oats and Sesame Crackers

 


Hot, frothy, filter coffee and crunchy, savory crackers on a rainy day evening. Sounds like bliss right?? Right!!! And if they are low fat, loaded with the goodness of whole wheat and oats, its a dieter's wish as well.

I am always wary of 'low-fat' or 'oil-free' or 'baked, not fried' category of snacks and desserts. Very few of these are truly fat- free or low calorie. They are usually, just relatively lower in fat or calories. So I try not to go overboard with the quantities of the low fat stuff, as the total calorie count would probably be more than the calories I would have consumed if the same snack was a regular, fat-laden snack. We then tend to restrict ourselves to a small quantity.   

Undoubtedly, low fat versions of any snack, most of the times are not on par in taste with the deep-fried versions. Its an acquired taste. And again it depends on how much you can compromise on a wee bit of taste for good health in the long run. Before you think I am turning a dietitian, lemme move on..:-))

I saw these crackers on Sharmilee's blog and instantly craved for them. Don't go by the very ordinary picture above, Sharmilee's crackers look super tempting. You can find the recipe on her blog here. Love her super recipes and drool worthy pics. I made these crackers and they turned out quite tasty. The flavor of garlic and the nuttiness of sesame seeds was a great combo and made the perfect accompaniment to my coffee.

Here comes the recipe
Ingredients :
  • Wheat flour (Atta) - 1 cup
  • Oats - ½ cup powdered coarsely( I used Quaker)
  • Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Butter - 1 Tbsp (add more if you prefer crispy crackers)
  • Sesame seeds - ¼ cup
  • Garlic paste - 3 tsp
  • Salt per taste
  • Baking Powder - ½ tsp
  • Water - as required to knead the dough
Method:
  1. ln a bowl add the wheat flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Add garlic paste, sesame seeds. Combine well.

  2. Add oil. Melt the butter and add at this stage. Add water little by little to form a thick chapathi like dough. Keep aside undisturbed for 30mins.

  3. Divide the dough into half. Roll each half thin and cut into squares or sticks. Combine the scrapings and repeat the same with the other half too.

  4. Preheat oven to 180C for 10 minutes. Place the squares on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 15-18 minutes or until the crackers are crisp. The baking time depends on the thickness of the squares and the oven settings
Store in a air tight container. It can be stored upto a week.I  strongly recommend adding atl east 1tbsp butter.
Hubby who usually doesn't ask for seconds of the baked variety of snacks actually wanted to know I still had any more of the crackers left. A friend of mine, again not so enthusiastic about low fat versions loved the snack.  I think these will also taste good with ajwain in place of the sesame seeds or hing, green chili -ginger paste. You bet I would be making these again!!


This is also my entry to Champa's weekly Bake Off.


29 comments:

Kiran said...

Suma these whole grain and kowfat crackers look very delicious.Definitely going to try them.Adding sesame must have made it more flavorful.

Kiran said...

Sorry I meant lowfat.

Anonymous said...

Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake Cakes and More...bake me a cake as fast as you could go!
Though this isn't a cake post, I couldn't help dedicating a small verse in favour of my favourite Baker! Great to see you take a healthy turn Suma...these crackers sound just perfect, and Im glad you're still having good food around you while on your diet. You bet I'm bookmarking this right away and trying them on a day when the rain gods deem fit to descend upon us. Hail Rain-Gods! Blore is good to live in, all over again :) :)

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Nice and crunchy crackers. Yum!

Rach said...

Looks so healthy and yumm :)

Sweet Artichoke said...

These crackers look delicious and with so many healthy ingredients, they are guilt-free :-D I'm a great fan of crackers and will definitely try yours soon!

Priya Suresh said...

Crunchy crackers looks incredible...

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

Wow...Suma,
Looks awesome...Pass d plate dear..drooling over here...

Indian Cuisine Blogroll said...

very healthy...love the crackers...wish my son also say the same if I make it for him..he is a sugar maniac!

Dhanya Ganesh said...

Looks Crispy, yummy and healthy.

Unknown said...

They look amazingly crispy and crunchy and delicious :)

Nandinis food said...

Mmm! This is nutritious! I'd love to have some!

Sum said...

Wow! These look so good.... and they are healthy too... I'm surely gonna make these soon... Thanks for the recipe!

M D said...

Wow Suma, I am sure to come to u more often for some great diet tips. Probably have a separate section on ur blog that discusses health and related stuffs! I adore you for the patience and control you have over food. I can hardly resist! Lovely cracker, surely a delight even for the ones who aren't on diet!

Rachana said...

Healthy and Crunchy Crackers!

sanjeeta kk said...

A must try for my kids snack box.

Vrinda said...

Lovely crackers,healthy indeed...

Padmajha said...

These crackers sound perfect with coffee now for its raining non stop and ur description makes me drooollllll..Looks inviting...

Champa said...

Nice ones. Thanks for the entry.

FH said...

Looks crispy and healthy snack, Looks great.

Panchpakwan said...

Looks healthy crakers..Adding garlic is new to me..but sounds gr8.

Indian Khana said...

The crackers looks so yummy n crisp..thanks for dropping by my space..you have a lovely blog ..glad to follow u :)

Sushma Mallya said...

looks very crispy and lovely perfect for my tea time snack:)

Champa said...

Suma to answer your question on the bread,
If you want to make khara bread or masala bread, leave out the milk. Use just water and use only about 3/4 cups. After you add chopped preferably sauteed onions, you might have to add some more flour to get the right consistency since the water in the onions might make the dough mushy. When you start with 3/4 cup of water, don't add all of the flour. Use how much ever is needed since when you add more flour at the end, it'll balance out. Hope this helps.

Veggie Hut said...

Healthy CRackers..

RV said...

I would munch and munch and munch .. A keeper recipe..

shubs said...

Hi Suma,

I tried your receipe with little bit of change. It was not bad for the first try. http://shubasree.blogspot.com/2010/06/wholewheat-crackers.html

Still will want some tips on how to get like Aliva biscuits ? :)

Unknown said...

Wow I have my version too....http://www.sharmispassions.com/2010/05/wheat-oats-sesame-crackerssquares.html Check out. Ur look crispy n light

Unknown said...

Hey just saw u tried from mine....never new it was from mine :) Thanks for trying it out!!