I was asked by new runner Judith(keep it up girl) for a couple of recipes for dehydrated goodies, so I am always happy to oblige .
Your Food Dehydrator
- Image via Wikipedia
I find that for my self the longer I am following the raw food life style fresh fruits, green smoothies and blended salads are the majority of my food intake.
I will admit to giving in to emotional food choices and this is where have some sort of treats on hand can be great.
There are several fruits and vegetables that can be dehydrated but not every fruit or vegetable retains quality.
As I am no great chef in the Kitchen, I thought I might just throw in a couple of lines about choosing a dehydrator if you are thinking about getting into healthy food choices
Depending on how much dehydrating you plan on doing you might be okay with a mid-level unit.
Getting the cheapest model isn’t recommended here is a couple of things to consider when choosing a unit
- Cheap stuff won’t last.
- You can hold off on upgrading if (when) you find out you love drying food and want to do more of it.
- Get one with an adjustable thermostat. This will let you dry everything, from fruits to meats to potpourri. Some recipes require drying at one temperature for two hours and a lower temperature to finish. Being able to adjust the heat makes your dehydrator more useful.
- Look at shape. There are cylinders and cubes. I recommend the square food dehydrators because you get more usable drying space. The round ones have a hole in the middle, ( speaking from experience its inefficient) you can’t lay food down all the way across the tray.
- Finally, think about getting one with a timer. Food dehydrator recipes vary widely when it comes to drying times. You might dehydrate something that won’t finish until the middle of the night. A timer will turn the machine off at the right time
- Image via Wikipedia
How To Make Chia Seed Crackers
Ingredients: Chia seeds and water
2 cups of Chia seeds I put them through my coffee grinder for easy mixing
2 1/2 – 3 cups or more of water
Mix together in mixing bowl and add more water if necessary. It should be very moist. Don’t worry – it does not have to be perfect. They always turn out.
Spread onto dehydrator trays I tend to make a thicker type of cracker but you can vary it to your own preference.
It depends on what else you are drying with it I try to put a few trays in that will take about the same time to dry so the thicker the cracker the longer it will take
Before starting cut into triangles is you have a round unit or squares if obviously you have a square one. Dehydrate at about 95 degrees for 12-24 hours or until they look dried and crispy.
About half way through the process, just make sure they are scored through flip over and continue dehydrating.
Now this is a very basic Chia seed cracker recipe. But you’ll want to add spices or additional ingredients to make them flavorful. Otherwise they will be bland.
Optional:
I often add the pulp of stuff I have juiced to the mix which gives it a variety of taste.
A favorite one of mine is, after soaking a couple of cups of dates which I use the liquid for a sports drink when I go for a kayak or run, the pulp of the dates added to the chia seed gives it a good texture and taste.
Raw in the Kitchen is great but stuffed in a kit bag for a hike or a paddle it does not travel well this is the beauty of being able to dehydrate a calorie packed food source.
After awhile you know what works with what Don’t be frightend to experiment, I have to admit to some faliures that even the animals won’t eat but what the heck it’s all fun.
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Thanks! I managed to pick up a tray of mangoes today for $6 so they are all getting sliced and put in tonight. I will keep a look out for chia seeds so I can give this a go. Thanks again.
If you are drying mangoes I have found that when you have sliced them, put them on a paper towel to soak up a bit of excess juice, if you use another piece of paper towel to cover them and sort of squish them down a bit they seem to dry out better on the rack.
For me I dry them until the outside is dry but the inside is still a little bit soft them I have a vacuum bagger i use which seals them making a healthy convenient energy source to put into the race bag.
I gave my mum my dehydrator to use to show how simple it is to use what veges/fruit etc we’ve already got to make delicious snacks, you can make your own fruit rollups too… this is one of my coolest appliances and now she won’t give it back lol! Great recipe mate will definately try… thanks!
It will most likely turn into one of your great Kiwi yarns that give me a smile. I have to admit at never being successful with any fruit roll ups, hope ya Mum makes some for you. I got a food processor for Chrissy from my Mum and have been playing with wickedly over the top fatty seed and nut based bases and making avocado, lime and coconut whipped toppings OOOHH yummo
Kerri, you now have an excuse to buy another one!
I was given my first dehydrator from a friend, which did me until I could buy my own. My first is now being used by another friend.
My kids love most of what comes out of it also (especially if it is fruit leather/rollups) and I need to put restrictions on how much they can have and when (especially the dried plums and apple chips).
That topping sounds yum. Is the coconut a shredded/dessicated coconut?
oh, and where can you find chia seeds? I checked in coles but couldn’t find any, so am guessing I will need to go somewhere like a ‘healthy life shop’.
Yes a decent health food store should have them ,you can get either white, black or a mixed supply.
You can get them on line, this is an Ozzy supplier I met at a trade show in Brisbane http://www.chia4life.com.au/stockists/ As much as I think John is doing a great job at $26.50 per kilo delivered in Australia it is a bit expensive. I have ordered from him and it was delivered promptly.
I can source them between $17-$21 per kilo reasonably local to me ,though I can not be sure if they have been imported they are not irradiated.
As for the coconut I buy fresh and wizz it up in the processor and mix it into the avo, or I have used tinned coconut cream,but you have to serve it up in a container as it gets a bit runny. I find you have to either make enough base for a pie dish and layer the topping in and put it into the freezer and serve as slices or use a plastic cup or small container put the base in, tamp it down, pour the topping in and eat it with a spoon. I like experimenting, even the failures go down ok
haha! cheers for the lovely comment. Love this site…all the best and keep sending us emails on your latest and greatest:-) and Judith… I definately think that I should pass my first dehydrator to my awesome Mum for her to keep.. and hope you find the Chia Seeds girl.. all the best at helping others eat healthy… especially the children