One of the added bonuses of a ketogenic, low-carb diet; is that it forces one out of one’s comfort-zone to try something new.

I’ve always been quite traditional in the kitchen, so I was really not sure how I’d feel about these zero-carb crackers. Firstly, they’re cooked in the microwave, which the food-snob in me abhors! Secondly, the ingredients-list hardly sounds appealing… Flax-seed, water and dried-herbs (yes, I know).

I took the basis for this recipe from the New Atkins UK website. I almost couldn’t bring myself to try it; but the cook in me was intrigued…the recipe sounded such a strange thing. But guess what? I tried them and they’re brilliant! 

Whilst cheese has always been on the ketogenic-menu; the cheese-board rather lacked something with a bit of bite. Sure; you can have celery; but it’s no real replacement for crackers. But now you don’t need one!

I really urge you to give these a go. If I can do them, then anyone can! They’e perfect for diabetics too, as they have no impact on blood-sugar. Everyone can always use a bit more fibre in their diet, and what could be a better source of fibre than flaxseed?! So go ahead and try them. Make sure to get back to me to let me know how you got on…

Take four tablespoons of flaxseed and a good pinch of salt. Sprinkle in some dried herbs; I used sage because of its warmth of flavour, but thyme would also be lovely. Grind in a generous whack of black-pepper, then slowly mix in cold water until the ingredients come together to form a cohesive paste. This will probably be about 60ml.

Leave for five minutes to bind, then spread flat onto non-stick baking-paper with the back of a spoon. Neaten the edges, then microwave full power for circa 2.5 minutes, until the crackers are solid and crisp-feeling to the touch. Sprinkle with a final pinch of salt and serve alongside your cheese.

For variation, try adding a pinch of dried-ginger or cumin. The above quantities should make 6 generous crackers, depending on size.

You’d never know these were low-carb! They also work brilliantly as an accompaniment to starters (picture pâté, mackerel or a selection of dips). Because of this, I’ve included this recipe in the ‘starters’ section, as well as ‘puddings’ for the cheese-board.

Thanks for reading and bon ap!

Adam.