Am I a Hippie?

Day 145.

Sometimes, making something from scratch is not the most economical choice. Sometimes, making something from scratch takes so long, so many ingredients, and so much money that it's not technically worth pursuing.

Except that when I duplicate something previously thought impossible, regardless of time and money input, it feels really good to "stick it to The Man." I love being able to say, "No, we don't buy ___. I make my own," not because it makes me feel superior to those who buy instead of make, but because I love how freeing it is to stop relying on the major food companies for my needs.

I love one of Michael Pollan's food rules, which says something to the effect of: Don't eat things advertised on television. He also lists a rule about eating all the junk you want...as long as you make it yourself and only eat it while hungry.

So today I present you with my own homemade junk. Only, when I made it, and ate it, it didn't feel junky. I made Wheat Thin knock-offs. I love Wheat Thins, but I hate the layer of grease that forms on my hand while I eat them. They claim that they're never fried, so where does the grease come from?

Homemade wheat crackers may not be the wisest use of my time, but the taste can't be beat (and it's very, very similar to Wheat Thins, minus the grease), and it feels so good to not need to buy them anymore.

Wheat Crackers
from Yankee Magazine

What You Need:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat germ (I used raw)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup oil (I used coconut)
• 1 cup water
• coarse sea salt for topping (optional)

How it's Done:

1. Mix all ingredients except for the coarse sea salt. Let the dough rest five minutes. Divide it in half.
2. Roll each half of the dough out onto a flat cookie sheet to under 1/8" thickness. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into squares. You don't have to separate them. They will shrink up a bit and separate themselves in the oven.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip the crackers over and bake for five minute intervals, checking the crackers and removing the crisp ones as they are ready.
4. The crackers will be toasted and hard when they're ready.

For more tempting recipes, visit Temp My Tummy Tuesdays at Blessed with Grace.