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

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

1. Cheap stuff won’t last.
2. You can hold off on upgrading if (when) you find out you love drying food and want to do more of it.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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

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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