These mini rosemary socca rounds are a great gluten free, dairy free, cracker substitute to snack on or serve your favorite dip or pesto on. It's a great addition to your holiday appetizer collection.

Once October hits, I feel like it's just a slide into the holidays and the end of the year. I call it the end of year trifecta of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday which fits in there as well. It can be a great time, or a difficult time coordinating events, activities, and mood, but this year, I am definitely choosing to have a great time. It's a choice, right?

With all the holidays come parties and fun food to prep. As my diet gets healthier and healthier, the recipes that I used to reach for need some updates. I used to throw anything on a crostini and have half of my menu planning done. Since gluten free and dairy free are my jam now, I needed to come up with a better go-to app, and that's where these mini rosemary socca rounds come in.

I've made socca before, aka, chickpea flatbread, but it was in a larger form, pizza style. Given the many delicious, social parties that lay ahead, I wanted to use my gluten free chickpea flour in a different form - a form that would allow us allergy-sufferers to kick the cracker to the curb!

Of course there are gluten free - dairy free crackers and bread, but sometimes I think they make better coasters since they can be super dense and hard, not to mention, filled with unpronounceable ingredients. These socca rounds have a nice texture, made even nicer by the addition of organic spices like rosemary, crushed red pepper and garlic salt.

So serve these mini socca rounds at your next get together with friends, or bring them to an upcoming holiday party - it'll be here before you know it. You can eat them straight up, or slather on my vegan tzatziki, spinach mint pesto, or smoky cashew chipotle "cheese". Either way, I hope you enjoy some fun times with friends and healthy food in the coming weeks.

Mini Rosemary Socca Rounds

Makes About 35 rounds

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1 cup warm filtered water
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 for the pan
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon regular salt
• Crushed red pepper to taste (a dash will do!)

Instructions

1. Place the flour in a large bowl and gradually add the water while whisking. Then do the same with the 2 tablespoons of oil. Next add the spices and mix well. Set the bowl aside, cover with a plate, and let stand for a minimum of 30 minutes. If you have the patience, you can go up to 12 hours, but place in the refrigerator after 4.
2. When ready to bake, turn the oven to 400. Place a mini-cupcake baking sheet in the oven while it heats up. When desired temperature is reached, remove the baking sheet and take the last tablespoon of oil and coat the bottom. Use more oil if needed so the socca doesn't stick to the sides. Take a small spoonful of the chickpea mixture and fill each hole - it should be a little less than a tablespoon.
3. Bake the socca in the oven for 10 minutes and then check. If it's not developing any color yet, put it back in the oven on the top shelf and cook for another 5 minutes, or until starting to turn golden. Remove from oven and eat warm. They also keep well in the refrigerator, but you'll want to heat them up before serving. Try one of my dips below for a party appetizer.

Try these dips on your socca rounds

I was given the Simply Organic spices for recipe testing. All opinions are always my own.