Is there an easier Dehydrator recipe ?

[mbf]

Hi I just got my dehydrator and set it up but am now feeling I made a mistake and am condsidering putting it back the box and sending back !

I have been soaking oat groats for 12 hours, they need to go 24 :( and EVERY recipe recquires something to be soaked either overnight or 24-48 hours ! I don't think I have the time or patience for this.

Help ! I need some easier well actually faster recipes that recquire shorter or even better NO soaking. Do they exist ?

Thank You.

MBF

[Revvell]

There are lots of them. What books do you have? Have you looked online? (try googling "raw food recipes").

Here's a start and a fave amongst many: http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4264&highlight=coconut+caramel+cookies

Personally, I think cookies tend to be easy. Flaxseed crackers only need soaking for about six hours and some don't need any ~ just grind 'em.

Mmmm, I think Alissa's lasagne doesn't have anything soaked. If you look carefully it seems like a LOT of stuff yet, it's quite simple to make once you have the ingredients.

What kind did you get? (dehydrator I mean)

Enjoy!!!

R.

[mbf]

Hi,

Books... I have Alissa's book & DVD , 12 steps to Raw, The Raw Gourmet by Nomi Shanon Rainbow Green live food Cuisine, Abebas crazy Crackers, Elainas Poor Joy Kitchen and The Raw Food Detox diet.

I bought the Excalibur 5 tray.


Thank you for that recipe. I have coconut oil not butter...I am assuming they are 2 different things ?

MBF

[Revvell]

The coconut oil will do just fine methinks. I don't have butter either so must have used the oil. (psst ~ if you look through that thread you may find some really good, easy fudge also.)

Alissa's book has loads of non-soaking dehydrator recipes if I remember correctly. Look through 12 steps also. Not sure if they have dehydrator recipes in there or not. Books are upstairs, I'm down.

Here's how you do it ~ Take stickies and go through recipes. Look for recipes that don't have soaking. Put a sticky, move on. Then go through the pages that have stickies. See which use the dehydrator and which don't. Choose the ones which sound good, you have the ingredients for, etc. Sounds complicated yet, it's a learning process. You'll get good at it as you go along.

I think Alissa is the one who has a flax cracker where one grinds the flax instead of soaking. Not sure.

Most of all, enjoy the process and ~ play with your food!

R.

[mbf]

Thank you Revvell !

12 steps has some good cookie recipes !

MBF

[Sharon in Colorado]

This is excellent and easy:

Chop up a head of celery, a few tomatoes and a lemon.

Dehydrate for at least a day until dry then grind up in coffee grinder.

Best all purpose seasoning. My mouth seriously waters everytime I smell the stuff.

[raeannasun]

I just made some tasty snacks and all I did was slice an apple in my mandoline slicer (you can slice them with a knife too, this was just easier and faster) I put the slices in the dehydrator and 6 hours later I had a yummy little snack!!! They would be good dipped in some sort of sweet dip too. I just didn't have the time or ingredients to whip anything up.

[anneley]

I have a book "Raw Foods for Busy People" and it has simple and tasty recipes.

How about making fruit leather? You only need 2 cups of fruit and 1 cup juice or water, add spices (like cinnamon, if you like) and a pinch of salt. Pour onto a solid sheet and dehydrate for 12-20 hours.

[mbf]

Thank You for your responses. I just saw the fruit leather in Alissa's book and I think I am going to try the Ban Mac fudge cookies, I have all the ingredients !

How about chips or cracker recipes ? That what I am really missing chips and salsa etc..

Thank You again.

MBF

[happy_kauai]

HI mbf!

It's funny that you posted this today, because just this morning my mom was voicing your same concerns. We just got our dehydrator ( a 9-tray Excalibur) two days ago, and have since tried two unsuccessful chip recipes. The first we kinda made up, and was just horrible. We did get a good laugh out of seeing the teeny- tiny little wrinkled shapes the carrots took though! :p The second we followed a recipe but I must have done something wrong because it came out soooooo salty. Plus, we left it in there for 3 times longer than what the recipe called for, and they still never dried or got crunchy. I wonder if it's cause we're on an island? I read somewhere else on this site that being on an island means high humidity = longer dehydrating times.
If any one else has some simple recipe suggestions, or dehydrator advice, I would love to hear about them - especially since I can't imagine going raw and not having anything crunchy or crispy or cookie/bread like!
Thanks!

Oh, and good luck with your adventure too mfb! After all, half of the fun of reaching your goals is had while getting there, right? :D

[JennaBoBenna]

Thank You for your responses. I just saw the fruit leather in Alissa's book and I think I am going to try the Ban Mac fudge cookies, I have all the ingredients !

How about chips or cracker recipes ? That what I am really missing chips and salsa etc..

Thank You again.

MBF

Flax crackers are soooo good with salsa! I didn't make my own, but it is simple to make(i'm sure).
Alissa has the basic flax cracker recipe in her book. I take out the garlic though because I didn't really like them with it in there.

[Revvell]

Alissa has a very good corn chip recipe.

And, as I've mentioned previously, flaxseed crackers. Great w/ quacamole or almond butter and agave.
R.

[mbf]

Hi H_K, Are you in Maui ?thank again Revvell...I just have an aversion to Flax crackers, bought some recently from a Raw Food on-line store and they were just awful ! But maybe I will try my own.

MBF

[rawpriestess]

coconut butter and coconut oil are the exact same thing.

coconut cream is different

[mbf]

Thank You RP ! That is such an eye opener, I was staying away from recipes that called for C butter because I thought I didn't have it.

MBF

[Raw_Medic]

Mbf-
Something I either read in Alissa's book or heard it on the DVD that if you don't have time to sprout it's okay...just let it soak the amt of time needed so it softens and germinates, that will release the enzyme inhibitor so you can digest them easier...not as easy as if you completely sprout, but enough to eat! Alissa says don't let the sprouting stop you.

[raeannasun]

Flax crackers are the easiest to make! I prefer them soaked with chopped onions and spices. You can blend all the stuff together and than drop onto your dehydrator or just mix the soaked flax seeds with other ingredients. I've also made crackers with sprouted flax seeds and they've tasted good. Alissa's corn chips recipe is easy, although it's never come out good for me. I like crispy crackers and the chips have always been chewy.

[Raw_Medic]

My corn chips never come out well either! now I don't feel so bad!

[CAdreamer]

mbf,

Once you find even one dehydrator recipe you like, to keep you going, you'll be thankful you got it. Alissa's onion bread is easy (I've adapted the recipe to our particular tastes). I make tortillas, which are super easy and no soaking.

Soaking does lengthen the process, but it's worth the effort for the results. When I first got my dehydrator, I made a few critical errors (too short time, too long time, didn't like end result, etc), but I kept trying and now have a number of staple items that are easy and very satisfyling.

I buy bulk fruit from a stand, and also a local grower. There is too much for the two of us, so I cut and dehydrate only until the fruit is soft and warm....not fully dry. Then I bag it and put in the freezer. The water in the fruit is gone sufficiently for the fruit to freeze well without breaking down and mushing when thawed. They never freeze hard, and are delicios when eaten right out of the freezer. This process keeps my food costs down. For purists, who use only fresh, this is probably not an option....but it works for us.

[mbf]

Thank You all so much ! I have made a few cookie recipes that came out great the first try :D ! I have 2 kinds of fruit leather going now !

Thanks again for all the support and ideas !

MBF