Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy's Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Shredded Crisps
 
If you are a fan of rustic, unsweetened, unflavored 100% whole grain shredded wheat, you may also be tired of tossing all those crumbled shreds that accumulate in the bottom of the bag. So much food in our kitchens is wasted. Ending up in landfills, it generates methane, a particularly toxic climate-warming greenhouse gas. So here is an eco-friendly, super healthy solution: tasty, bread crisps to serve with dips or alongside soups, or wherever a good cracker beckons. Most commercial crisps and crackers are ultra-processed and loaded with fat and salt. These, happily, are anything but: full of fiber and flavor, without added oils, salt, or sugar.
 
To up the nutritional heft and flavor of these crisps, I used cush-cush yam, a tasty, nutrient-dense tuber from the Central and South America. Cush yams have a texture that’s a denser than potato, and a flavor that’s a touch sweeter. If your grocer doesn’t carry it, no worries. Japanese sweet potato or waxy potatoes work quite well too. 
 
Prep 30 minutes
Bake 10 minutes
Makes about thirty-five 3-inch by 4 ½-inch crisps
 
1¼ cups cush-cush yam, Japanese sweet potato, or waxy potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes, boiled 
2 cups whole grain shredded cereal shreds
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon golden flaxseed, freshly ground
1 tablespoon arrowroot
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
6 big grinds of black pepper
½ banana, peeled
1 tablespoon date paste from ¼ cup pitted dates
Up to 1/8 cup water, only if needed
1/3 to ½ cup dehydrated onion flakes to decorate the surface
 
Hints
To make date paste, cut the dates into pieces. Cover with water and microwave for 2 minutes. Cool. Blend until smooth in a high-speed blender, using as little of the soaking water as possible.
Grind the flaxseeds in a small coffee grinder into a powder.
 
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 375°F convection with the rack in the center of the oven.
Place the cubed yam in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the yam is easily pierced with a sharp knife. Drain.
Add all ingredients – except the water – to the bowl of a food processor. Process for a full 2 minutes for the contents to fully hydrate and gather into a soft ball of dough.  If it fails to form a loose ball, add a little water, a teaspoon at a time, and pulse. Use as little water as possible to keep the dough soft yet dry enough to prevent sticking.
Transfer the dough onto a large board and press into a rectangle. Now use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. Roll the dough to 1/8 to 3/16th inch thickness for crisps that are crunchy on the outside with a bit of softness in the interior. Use a straight edge to prod the dough to form straight edges.
Sprinkle the onion flakes evenly over the surface of the dough and lightly pass the rolling pin over it one final time to embed the flakes into the dough.
Use a straight edge and butter knife to cut the dough into 1½ inch wide strips with lengths between 3 and 4 inches.
Line a baking sheet with silicone or parchment paper. Transfer the raw crisps onto the baking sheet, spaced an inch apart. Bake for about 12 minutes, checking at 10 minutes. The crisps are ready when they are firm and golden on their edges. They will be a little soft right out of the oven but firm up as they cool.
Transfer to a cooling rack. When cool, serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge or freezer until use.