A slightly healthier Whole Wheat Cheez-itz

I need a little gift to take to dinner at friends tonight so I’ve been searching my beloved blogs to see what’s out there. I’ve been following Dara on Generation Y Foodie since Ann at Cooking Healthy for Me reviewed her self published cookbook. Dara generally cooks on the healthier side so when I saw this recipe originally posted by Ann, with a little twist, I knew I had to try it. What Dara did was change out the white flour for whole wheat and she added a bit of texture with some ground flax seeds! Brilliant, if you ask me. These little cheese nibbles are a family favourite now, thanks to Ann (my niece and nephew devoured an entire batch in 25 minutes last weekend!) and as I’m always looking to make things a bit healthier…I jumped on these.

They still have the same cheesy taste, but they have a bit of texture from the whole wheat and the flax, and they also have a touch of earthiness too. We gave it a good thumbs up. Thanks Dara for this lovely treat, I will be making it again and again.

Yummy little cheesy nibbles

Whole Wheat Cheez-Itz

You know you want one!

Ingredients:

• 8oz sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated (I had to add a bit of mozzarella as I had run out of the cheddar)
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp ground flax seed
• 2+ tbsp ice water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425° F
2. Add the cheese, flour, flax, sea salt and cayenne into a food processor. Process a couple of times to mix everything together.
3. Add the olive oil at once as you are processing the mixture, adding in the ice water one table spoon at a time until the dough sticks together nicely.
4. Refrigerate for 30+ minutes (but to be honest, I never have time for this, please see my tip below).
5. Place a sheet of parchment below and on top of the ball and roll out to about 1/8″ (2mm) thickness.
6. Cut using your favourite cookie cutter (mine is a 1″ (2.5cm) square with scalloped edge. It’s a perfect size because they do shrink in the oven.
7. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until they have a golden bottom (this is the perfect crunch).
8. Cool and enjoy.

Tip:

I store my grated cheese in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. I virtually never remember to defrost it in advance, but using the ice cold cheese in this recipe allows me to skip the step of chilling the dough. Time saved on both counts!

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Whole Wheat Flax Crèpes

This is a very versatile recipe, fill with your favourite savory or sweet. Pictured is roast chicken with a cheesy mushroom sauce.

Makes two 12-inch crèpes
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup soda water
3 tbsp egg whites
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes (it should be runny, not thick like pancake batter). If it’s too thick add a bit more soda and blend again.
Pre-heat crèpe pan (mine is cast iron that I picked up in Paris on my first visit – ya, I know, weird souvenir!)
Rub a little olive oil all over hot pan.
Pour 1/2 the batter into the pan and either swirl around the pan to get the batter thin and evenly distributed, or spread out with a crèpe trowel. Cook the first side until the edges curl up a bit, flip carefully and cook until golden. Repeat with the second bit of batter.
Crèpes will shrink a bit.

Fill with you favourite filling and grill both sides with a panini press. Drizzle reserved sauce and garnish with finely chopped green onions. Bon appetite!

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Whole Wheat Flax Crèpes

This is a very versatile recipe, fill with your favourite savory or sweet. Pictured is roast chicken with a cheesy mushroom sauce.

Makes two 12-inch crèpes
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 cup soda water
3 tbsp egg whites
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Allow to rest for 15-20 minutes (it should be runny, not thick like pancake batter). If it’s too thick add a bit more soda and blend again.
Pre-heat crèpe pan (mine is cast iron that I picked up in Paris on my first visit – ya, I know, weird souvenir!)
Rub a little olive oil all over hot pan.
Pour 1/2 the batter into the pan and either swirl around the pan to get the batter thin and evenly distributed, or spread out with a crèpe trowel. Cook the first side until the edges curl up a bit, flip carefully and cook until golden. Repeat with the second bit of batter.
Crèpes will shrink a bit.

Fill with you favourite filling and grill both sides with a panini press. Drizzle reserved sauce and garnish with finely chopped green onions. Bon appetite!

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