Crunchy, Gluten Free Garlic Sticks | Keto Friendly

Life without gluten

How did I end up making gluten free garlic sticks? Well… If you would have told me three years ago that I would completely reduce all types of gluten from my diet, I would have laughed. I was unable to imagine my life without pizza, pasta or bread.

But surprises happen in life… Just like my decision to go to India for the second time in one year, and the stomach issues that came with that trip…

When I first realized that the best way to treat my new parasite friend was to reduce all gluten, sugars, preservatives and lactose, I felt helpless. Having to work with these limitations was not easy in the begining, but time and patience revealed a new world of ingredients and new possibilities. With that came hope, joy and creativity. And the best part – is that I didn’t really have to reduce pizza, pasta or bread. All I needed to do was change the materials I work with. Long story short, here I am making yummy gluten free garlic sticks 🙂

The joy of dough

Opening up to new healthy ingredients, I found out that dough doesn’t have to be made from wheat or rye flour. In fact, I realized that flour can be made from a huge verity of foods, such as grains, e.g. buckwheat, oats or rice; legumes, such as chickpeas and lentils; seeds – sesame, sunflower, pumpkin; and nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews.

I make this specific recipe with almond flour. It was born out of a crave I had for Israeli salty cookies, called ‘Abadi’, which are crunchy and firm in texture and use as the perfect savory snack. Almond flour has a very subtle taste, so it is a great option for replace regular flour when a crunchy texture is wanted.

Making almond flour at home

I do not buy the almond as flour, I buy bleached almonds and grind them in the blender instead. I have two reasons for doing that – The first is money save – it is cheaper to buy fresh almonds than to buy almond flour. Second is the freshness – It always best to grind the flour right before actual use, rather than using nut flour that was grind a while before. Nuts oxidize when cut, so it’s best to cut or grind them close to the baking time. With that said, both options are great and depend on your personal preferences.

This recipe is easy and fun to make. I find it very therapeutic to create the “sticks”. We use our hands and roll. It is made from only a few ingredients with some optional additions. The recipe is made with:

Ingredients:

• Almond flour
• Grind flax seeds
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Dry, minced garlic
• Water
• Optional: Nutritional yeast

This recipe is:

• Gluten free
• Vegan
• Sugar free
• Healthy ingredients
• Fast
• Easy to make

How to make

I start by grinding the almonds and flax seeds to flour (I use a blender to do so, just make sure that it is completely dry before). I than add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. It is best to let the dough sit for a few minutes so that the flax seeds will absorb the liquids.

Now for the fun part. I take a small piece of the dough, a bit smaller than a ping pong ball, and I squeeze it into a ball. I now start rolling the dough on a cutting board, until a snake-shaped stick is created. Thin is good, about a finger size. I cut the sides to create flat corners and place the stick on a parchment paper. This process is repeated with the rest of the dough.

I like to sprinkle sesame seeds over the sticks, but you can put whatever you like – more garlic, sea salt, cheese (vegan or non-vegan) or herbs like thyme or rosemary.

I bake the sticks for about 40 minutes on 180 degrees (350F), until they are golden and firm. Then, I let them cool for about 10-20 more minutes before I eat them – this helps the sticks become crunchier and firmer. I snack them during the day, they help me feel full. I love eating them with my Vegan fast and easy garlic spread.