What the Heck do you do with Flax seeds! Click on the image to see!

My wife came home the other day from the doctor. He wanted her to increase her consumption of flax seeds. Click on the image and I will show you 3 recipes to do just that.

Why Flax Seeds? I looked around and this post from Healthline summed it up well. They are loaded with nutrients, Omega-3 Fats, Lignans and Fiber (both soluble and insoluble)

That sounds pretty good to me.

Since posting the video I also found out that the "Good Stuff" in flax seeds are better if the seeds are ground. For the Overnight Oatmeal Jars that is easy enough and I ground them in the Flax Seed Crusted Salmon. For the crackers that is not so easy. I will leave the as is.

Overnight Oats Breakfast Jars. (Yield: 3 8oz jars)

1 cup Oatmeal (old fashioned rolled oats)

1 cup Milk

1 cup Yogurt (He used Vanilla Greek Yogurt) (substitute plain yogurt if you desire)

2 tablespoons Flax Seeds (more if you like)

Flavor (crystalized ginger, figs, raisins or any other nut of dried fruit)

One concept Chefs use when developing a recipe is not to this quantities but to think ratios. The ratio for this recipe is 1 : 1 : 1 (milk to yogurt to oats). with that knowledge you can scale this recipe however you want. As I said before you can grind up the flax seeds before you add them or leave them whole like the video shows.

To assemble place the yogurt, milk, oatmeal and flax seeds in a large bowl and mix together. I didn't do this in the video but if you have 30 minutes to spare let these ingredients soak for 30 minutes at room temperature. This will let the oats soak up some of the milk and thicken the mixture. It will be easier to divide between the jars afterward.

Place about a tablespoon of flavor in the jars. I used raisins, figs and crystalized ginger. My favorite was crystalized ginger! Fill the jars with the yogurt, milk and oat mixture.

Lid the jars up and place them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. If you wish to used steel cut oats (aka Irish or Scottish oats) they will need to soak for a good 24 hours.

Flax Seed Crackers

1/2 cup Quinoa

1/2 cup Sunflower seeds

1/4 cup Chia Seeds

1/4 cup Flax Seeds

3/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

Flavor (chili powder, I used Ancho, dried herbs or other dried spices)

This recipe was surprisingly easy. Place all the ingredients in a bowl let them stand for 15 minutes. During that 15 minutes the Chia and Flax seeds will give off a gel that will bind to the water and hold everything together. Do not skip this step! Once the seeds have soaked spread them out on a sheet pan either lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. You want the mixture to be thin enough to cook through, yet thick enough to hold together. About 3/16 of an inch (3 - 4 mm) worked best for me.

One thing I didn't do in the recipe is to grind on some sea salt before baking. this will give you that immediate salty flavor many people like in a cracker.

Throw these in a 350f oven for an hour.

Pull them out and let them cool for ten minutes. They will still be hot but cool enough to handle. Use your hands or a spatula to turn the crackers over. Do not worry if they break apart. Once they are completely cooled break them into nice sized chunks.

Feel free to add in or substitute pepitas or other seeds. If you do not cut back on the flax and chia seeds this recipe will work well for you.

Flax Seed Crusted Salmon (yield about 3 6 ounce fillets)

6 Oz Salmon

2 Tablespoons Flax Seeds

1 teaspoon whole cumin

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1 teaspoon Turmeric

2 teaspoon ancho powder (any ground chili will work!)

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

This is a very simple recipe first toast off the flax seeds, cumin and coriander in a small sauce pan. This will help release flavors from all the seed and it only takes a minute. Next transfer to a spice grinder. I use a blade style coffee grinder that I only use for spices. I add in the ancho powder and turmeric also to integrate them into the crust.

Next take the seed mixture and place them in a small bowl with a tablespoon or so of Olive oil and mix until it form a thick paste.

Check the salmon for pin bones. They can be very hard to see but they are easy to feel. Look for transitions between muscle groups. Run your finger along these seams. You will feel the pin bones under you finger. Also rub you fingers along the side of the fillet. Sometimes you will find a few there also.

You can remove the skin if you desire.

Season the bottom of the fillet with salt and pepper. Rub a little oil on the bottom side also. Flip the fillet over and season the top side with salt and pepper then rub on a thin coat of the flax seed paste. Place the pan in a 350f oven for about 10 minutes. I look for an internal temperature of 130f.

Feel free to use any firm fleshed fish.

Making these recipes I found flax seeds to have a pleasant flavor that played well with southwestern spices, such as cumin, coriander and chilis. Have fun playing around with flax seeds. ~ Terry