Star Party Crackers

 

Aren't these cute? Hmmm... might have been good for Christmas truth be told but also nice into the New Year, you could easily vary the color scheme.

For the crackers themselves you will need a star-shaped cookie cutter, parchment and

2 C. flour

just a tsp. of sugar

1 tsp. salt (have some on hand to sprinkle as well)

1/2 tsp. baking powder (you caaan leave it out but I like a little rise to it)

1 Tbsp. paprika (smoked is nice)

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 C. oil (olive oil is fine, you can use a bit less, have some on hand to brush as well)

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

a dash or two or three of hot sauce

some water or broth, add by the tablespoon as needed

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together then mix in the wet except for water/broth and make it into a crumb mixture. Add the additional liquid slowly until you make a workable dough, a bit stiff is good. Pat it out on a floured board and roll to 1/4" thickness. Cut star shapes and place those on a parchment lined baking sheet. Extra dough reform into a ball gently and roll it out and cut again until there isn't enough dough to make any more stars. Brush the stars with oil, sprinkle with a little salt and bake for around 18-20 minutes on the middle rack. Depending on what is going on in your oven they may need a little more or less time. A slight bit of browning is alright, they will harden somewhat as they cool. After they've been out of the oven for a few minutes you can move them around with a spatula to make sure they didn't stick (they really, truly should not),

That green hummous spread is good- blend in a food processor:

1 C. cooked chickpeas

1/2 C. firm tofu, crumbled

1 tsp + to taste of salt

2 to 4 crushed garlic cloves

1/4 C. lemon juice

a couple Tbsp. broth or garbanzo liquid

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2-3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 small chopped serrano or jalapeno

1 C. chopped kale

3 Tbsp. tahini

While that is blending, drizzle in 1/4 C. of olive oil, slowly

until smooth yet chunky. Haha- define those terms for yourself, you know what I mean, just not big huge chunks of anything still in there. Chill this mixture, you can add more or less of this or that to achieve the texture you prefer. 

For your red blot, you could use sundried tomato, a cherry tomato half or mix:

1/4 C. tomato paste

a few pinches smoky salt blend

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. chile sauce

1-2 Tbsp. chopped spicy pickles

1 Tbsp. minced onion

and a little water, broth or unsweetened orange or pomegranate juice

horseradish also makes a nice addition, as does a little fancy mustard

And dollop a small amount of that atop the green dip atop the red crackers. You can of course garnish with herbs, dill being probably the most obvious choice. 

This, along with setting them in those cupcake liners like in the photo is a good way to have crackers and dip for people without them all touching everything communally. An alternative to the usual party grab-all, doing the individual servings like this.

Anyway, enjoy!