Foodie Pen Pals – Gluten Free Sweet Potato Crackers

This month’s foodie pen pals parcel was an absolute delight to open. As soon as I tore through the packaging the beautifully rich aroma of coffee hit my nose.  The smell of freshly ground coffee beans is one of life’s little pleasures and I immediately knew this month I had received a great parcel. I was already excited before the parcel had even arrived as this month I was paired up with Saidas and Rita from Lithuania. I don’t know an awful lot about Lithuanian cuisine so was really excited to see what exotic treats I might receive.

As you may have guessed from my initial description my parcel had a distinct coffee theme. This was because when Saidas and Rita first got in touch they asked what food thing I could not live without. My immediate response was coffee. Now I’m not a total caffeine fiend and I rarely drink more than one coffee a day (I can quite happily live for days without a coffee) but I really appreciate a good cup of java and honestly don’t think I would be able to live without it! So my foodie pen pals took the hint and sent my some lovely coffee related goods.

There was of course coffee! The little sachets of Gurmans Kava are apparently a popular brand in Lithuania and I have already sampled one of these and can see why as it really was a delicious coffee.

Coffee chocolate – This is dark and rich and perfect for after dinner snacking (I have ‘snacked’ my way through most of it already

Coffee sweet – These have taken up residence in my desk at work providing much needed afternoon treats!

Dried cottage cheese – Apparently this is great enjoyed with a cold beer, I haven’t had the chance to try it yet but is certainly something different.

Pumpkin crackers – A perfect accompaniment to the cheese.

So a great package that will provide me with a good few caffeine fixes over the next month or so! Thanks Saidas and Rita.

It was also quite a coincidence that I received cheese and crackers as these were two of the items that I sent to my foodie pen pal this month. Teresa (who has a lovely arts and craft blog at Rockspring Crafts) confessed to loving cheese and trying different varieties so while on a work trip to Wales earlier this month I picked up a local one for her. And I don’t think cheese should really be eaten without biscuits so I made these gluten free crackers for her to enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

100g sweet potato

15ml olive oil

100g gluten free flour mix

1 tsp xanthum gum

Lots of black pepper (to taste)

Pre-heat the oven to 220°C and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.

Take the sweet potatoes and zap on full power on in the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes until cooked through. Allow the potatoes to cool before peeling and mashing (I used my ricer at this stage to produce a smooth mash).

Mix the potato with all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl until combined into a smooth dough.

Dust the work surface with a little flour and roll out the dough until about 1/2cm thick. Cut out rounds using a biscuit cutter and transfer to the baking tray.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before enjoying with cheese.