Chips, Crackers, Crepes

Buckwheat chips/crackers/crepes.

Buying overpackaged foods is something that entices experiments in making them on your own - in your own kitchen, with the ingredients that you can control, and the process totally at your finger tips. Chips and crackers are possibly the worst when it comes to costs, packaging and the ingredients. Finding crackers without sugar (or other sweeteners) is really hard.
Chips are usually so overprocessed, they don't even resemble food though taste really good! But it is also nearly impossible to find chips made with good oils (even organic brands are made with canola oil, which is not a good oil for our bodies - or for the bodies of our children who love chips for snacks). Oils and sugars are really some of the big issues in processed foods. There is an old adage that if you wish to eat well, shop on the perimeter of the grocery store - that is where whole and least processed foods are usually located.

Using barley and buckwheat flour (usually found in a health food store in bulk section), you can concoct very nice crepes, and any left overs can be dried in your oven as chips (or are they closer to crackers?). Here is the recipe:
Mix one cup of barley (or whole wheat) flour with one cup of buckwheat flour.
Add salt to taste.
Add one or all of the following: buttermilk, kefir, sour cream, whey or water. If using kefir or buttermilk, use about 1/4 cup plus water or whey to thin it out. Add as much liquid as is needed, but you can always thin it out more later.
Let the mix sit overnight - this process is called "soaking" the grains (flour in this case). Soaking makes it more palatable, releases certain nutrients that are otherwise chemically bound, and makes it taste better. Soaking is done at room temperature.
In the morning, mix one egg in the batter and thin more if needed.
Heat your frying pan, add oil (using a brush allows to put less oil while coating the pan evenly)
With a measuring cup pour about 1/2 or 2/3 cup of batter on the frying pan. First crepe is usually not very round, but as you get in the process they will become close to perfect!
Fry away, eat and enjoy. Any leftovers go in the oven, at 200F to dry them out. Add more salt if you wish, break into pieces and store in a jar - or on the counter top! These taste good with butter, jam, eggs. And by themselves. If made as part of one process (breakfast preparation) time and effort needed seem to be minimal.