Orange-Kissed Seed Crackers

Do you own more cookbooks than you can possibly cook your way through in this lifetime?  I have a large bookshelf devoted entirely to cookbooks, and due to space limitations, I treat myself to a new book only once a year or so. I recently bought Vegetarian Everyday solely for their Orange-Kissed Seed Crackers, a recipe definitely worth breaking my moratorium on cookbook purchases.

These seeded beauties satisfy my cravings for salty crunchy snacks, not to mention that they’re rich in protein AND are gluten-free too.  Even if you binge on these, you’ll still feel more energetic and won't suffer carb-coma as you might after gorging on a big bag of potato chips or a whole sleeve of Ritz crackers.  (Not that I would know anything about that, ahem…)

I’d never made crackers before, but these couldn't be easier.  If you are also a cracker-making novice, here’s the perfect way to start. 

Fiddlehead Sauté With Shallots and Bacon

This is usually the time of year when Kitchen Fiddler is woefully neglected because the rest of my life goes haywire.  April and May are notoriously busy months for freelance musicians in NYC, and this year is no exception for most of my waking hours are spent with a violin in hand.  (Forget blogging, I'm scrambling to eat proper meals and sleep six hours at night!)  However, today was blissfully free with no daytime commitments, and as I wandered around my neighborhood enjoying the sunshine this morning, I picked up these adorable fiddlehead ferns.  I couldn’t wait to make this easy Fiddlehead Sauté With Shallots and Bacon for lunch, and it was so delightful that I immediately hopped back on my blog to share it with all of you.

Fiddlehead ferns are aptly named since they clearly resemble the scroll of a violin.  My own fiddle is more than happy to provide a visual comparison!