I'm thrilled. My new Vegikiln 8-drawer dehydrator arrived 2 days ago and I've been running it almost non-stop. Currently I've got kale chips, onion rings, and granola bars drying out. Yesterday I made 2 types of crackers using chia seeds as the base. I also whipped up a batch of luscious lemon cookies. Yum, yum.
Since deciding to eat raw, I've discovered a whole new world of food preparation. It's allowed me to experiment and let my creative juices flow. For example, the granola bars. I started with a base of rolled oats. I'm not sure if they are raw; however, I did see a recipe on a raw food blog that used this ingredient.
Next I added chia seeds and water. When chia seeds are soaked in water, they form a gel that is sticky. This holds ingredients together. That's the basis of the cracker recipe. Start with chia seeds and water; then add other ingredients.
I looked in the pantry and added various nuts: brazil nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds. I also put in raw cacao nibs, coconut (left over from the luscious lemon cookies that call for cashews, coconut, lemon and agave). Can you believe? I actually started with a whole coconut and split it capturing the milk and then shredding the meat.
For extra nutrition I added coconut oil, which I placed in warm water to melt (it's solid at room temperature), and for sweetener, raw honey and agave. Cinnamon was my main seasoning. Finally, gogi berries gave it color and more flavor.
There were so many other ingredients I might have used. That's what makes it fun to prepare raw foods. Next time the batch will be entirely different.
I especially enjoy being able to taste the mixture before it is ready for eating. Because it's raw, I can actually alter the flavors and make it taste right. No guesswork. The granola bars are an easy thing to pack when traveling and I'll be out of town tomorrow.
The new dehydrator is fast and quiet. What kinds of things do you like to make in a dehydrator?
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