Zucchini Crackers (grain-free)

First came cauliflower crackers, until recently they were my go-to homemade snack. Recently I put myself on a therapeutic low-FODMAP diet and now they have been replaced with these zucchini crackers. Just as delicious, and of course equally as simple to make. While I work with my doctors and practitioners to find out what’s causing me to be sick after an appendix removal surgery, I’ve learned so much about therapeutic diets for medical purposes.

In the last few weeks I’ve been surprised by learning which foods ferment in the gut and at what rate. Who knew something like cauliflower was highly fermentable, but zucchini in moderate quantities is not. There’s an inherent belief that all vegetables are good for us but actually, when the gut is in a sensitive state, even vegetables can hurt us.

Foods contain fermentable carbohydrates and saccharides in the form of starch, resistant starch, soluble fiber, sugar, and prebiotics. So if you have a pathogen overgrowth or imbalance, the fermentation of food can feed the pathogens. Even the bones of animals can produce GAG (glycosaminoglycans) sugars during cooking, means something as simple as bone broth can feed a pathogenic overgrowth. I noticed this for myself drinking broth a few months ago and immediately having a major symptom flare-up.

So long story made short, every pathology requires a careful approach to nutrition. This is what excites me about my career as a functional nutritionist.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 zucchinis

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 cups sprouted nuts*

• 2 tablespoons ghee, melted

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*I used sprouted macadamia nuts for this recipe but any type of nut should work.

Method

Grate zucchini and toss with salt, let sit in a medium bowl for 20 minutes. This process will pull water out of the grated zucchini.

Pulse nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Watch this process carefully so as to not let it turn into nut butter.

After 20 minutes have passed, put grated zucchini into a thin towel or nut milk bag to ring out the excess water. Preheat oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Back into the large bowl add the rung-out grated zucchini, ground nuts, eggs, and baking soda. Mix to combine.

Divide the batter in half and use a spatula to spread evenly over baking sheets until 1/4” thick. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate sheet placement, bake for an additional 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.