Making Raw Foods in a Dehydrator
Many of our customers have asked about raw food diets and how to use the dehydrators we sell to make some of the food they can eat, so we thought we would talk about making some of these amazing tasting recipes using only the dehydrator.
Why Raw Foods?
Many nutritionalists will tell you that raw food is much more healthier to eat because the naturally occurring enzymes in the food are not broken down by using high heat. The food temperature should be only "cooked"between 104 to 120 degrees F. The enzymes are the lifeforce in our diets that aid in digestion and in food absorption. When we are not getting them in our natural diets, the body must work harder to produce these enzymes.
Cooking food can diminish its nutritional value. For example, the cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli, sulforaphanes, are greatly reduced when broccoli is cooked. Certain vitamins, such as vitamin C and folate, are destroyed by heat. Other foods, however, become more healthful after cooking, because the fibrous portion is broken down. For example, cooked tomatoes contain three to four times more lycopene than raw tomatoes. People who follow a raw food diet believe it has numerous health benefits, including and increase in energy, clearer skin, weight loss, and a reduction of the risk of disease.
Preparing Raw Foods in a Dehydrator
There are several methods of preparing raw foods such as juicing, sprouting, and fermenting or marinating. We are concentrating on mainly using a dryer to prepare crackers, pastry crusts, breads, "cookies", and drying vegetables for chips or vegetable jerkies. Here are some great recipes we have found that we really like.
Dehydrator Crackers – Onion Flax Meal Crackers
1 Cup of Flax Seeds
2 cups Water
1 large Yellow Onion
1Ž2 cup raw Sunflower Seeds
1 cup fresh ground flax
2 teaspoons Braggs Amino Acid
1 Tablespoon Xagave
1 cup fresh ground flax
1. Soak flax overnight with the 2 cups water
3. Place onions in a large mixing bowl. Add everything else. Mix with a spoon. If it's dry and won't mix, you can add a small splash of water.
4. Spread onto dehydrator fruit leather trays.
5. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 118 degrees, then reduce to 105 degrees and dry for another 8-10hours. Once the crackers start drying out and holding together, score them with a knife and flip them overremoving the fruit leather sheet. Dry another 4-6 hours.
 Eggplant Bacon
- 1 Eggplant
- 2 T Olive Oil
- 1/4 C Water
- 1 t. Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 t. Ground Chipotle Peppers (I get them pre-ground)
- 2 T Agave
Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, slice the eggplant into strips about 1/8″ thick. Set aside. Mix together marinade ingredients. Place eggplant in marinade, making sure all is covered. Cover and let soak for 2-3 hours. Dehydrate at 116 for at least 12 hours, or until crisp.
Zucchini “Fries”
- 2 medium zucchini
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch Sea Salt
- pinch pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1. Cut zucchini into pieces. These should be about 1/2 x 1/2 by 4″. They dehydrate quite a bit so don’t be afraid to make them big enough.
2. Put garlic through press.
3. Combine garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Put in large bowl and add nutritional yeast (optional).
4. Toss to coat zucchini.
5. Place on screens and dehydrate at 140 for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 115 and continue to dehydrate for 4-5 hours.
Honey Wheat Bread
- 2 cups wheat berries, sprouted and ground into flour
- 1 cup zucchini puree
- 1 apple
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup ground flax
1. To make flour: Soak wheat berries for 24 hours, then rinse 2 x a day until small tails sprout. Dehydrate at 116 degrees until dry. Grind into flour.
2. In food processor, place apple, zucchini puree and honey. Process until a puree is achieved.
3. Mix together flour and ground flax.
4. Stir puree mixture into flour mixture.
5. Spread 1/4 inch thick on non-stick dehydrator sheets. Score mixture into bread sized squares. Dehydrate at 140 degrees for 1 hour, turn down heat and dehydrate at 116 degrees until tops are dry.
6. Flip over, remove non-stick sheet and continue to dry. You want to make sure the bread dries but stays soft so, check and don’t over dehydrate.
 Almond Cherry Macaroons
- 2 C Dried Coconut (Unsweetened)
- 1/2 C Almonds, processed into a coarse meal
- 1/2 C Dried Cherries, chopped
- 1/2 C Agave
- 1/4 C Coconut Oil (cold pressed virgin)
- 1 t. Almond Extract*
Place almonds in food processor and process until a coarse meal texture is achieved. Add coconut, dried cherries, coconut oil agave and extract*. Process until mixture starts to hold together. I use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture out and press into a ball. Place on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until desired consistency is achieved. 8 – 10 hours. I like them dry on the outside but still a little soft on the inside!
Makes approximately 2 dozen.
*The almond extract is not considered a raw food but adds a beautiful punch if you like. |
Eggplant Bacon
