Dehydrating – 8 Fun And Delicious Recipes

Here at Creative Health Institute we love to make great recipes in our dehydrators, but we always keep in mind that the majority of the food that Dr. Ann Wigmore believed we should be eating consists of sprouts, fresh leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, wild edibles and of course wheatgrass…

Basic Rules of Dehydrating

 

1. Choose fresh, high quality produce.

2. Produce should be carefully washed and prepared.

3. Remember to turn dehydrator no higher than 110 degrees as this is when damage to enzymes begin and at 120 degrees there are no living enzymes left.

4. Dry until food reaches desired consistency or doneness.

5. Store in a cool, dry, dark place and

6.  Some dried foods can be reconstituted (raisins, figs, other dried fruits and some vegetables) by soaking 5-6 hours or overnight. The soak water from fruits can be used to add sweetness to foods you are preparing.

7. Use dehydrated foods or reconstituted foods as snacks, in main dishes, cereals, salads or sauces.

8. Layer foods close but do not let touch

 Why Dehydrate?

 1. Nutritionally superior to dried foods that you would purchase from stores pr off the internet.  Much of the dehydrated food on the market have lower vitamin, mineral, enzyme and fiber content, due to being dried in high temperatures.

      1. No preservatives/chemicals are necessary.

2.  Flavor and color are maintained.

3.  Dried food keeps well.

4. Dried food uses less storage space.

5.  It is a perfect survival food.

6   Dried food is convenient and tasty.

7   Dehydrating food is an economically sound practice.

8. Takes advantage of bulk prices.

9.  Preserves oversupply of leftovers, produce, etc. (Use leftover energy soup as a

    base for crackers.)

10. Dry seasonal foods for off-season use.

 Dehydration Recipes

Food dehydration is a process of slowly heating foods at a low temperature so as not to destroy the enzymes and the nutrients. Food dehydrators come in a variety of sizes.

A very helpful way to eat while traveling is to keep dried foods on hand.  Bananas are good dried — just cut them into thin pieces and put in the dehydrator. They can be dried at the same time as the grain crisp.

Another good snack is dried zucchini squash. The zucchini only needs to be sliced ¼ inch to ½ inch thick. You may also make many different types of “candies and cookies”.  They can be kept in a plastic bag and served as fortification against the temptation to eat unhealthy foods while traveling.

Seasonings can also be dried: onions, parsley, scallions and any herb which has been grown in your garden. Any fresh vegetables lying unused in your refrigerator can be sliced and put into the dehydrator at the same time as your grain crisps. For reasons of economy, utilize all the space the dehydrator offers.

The most important thing to remember is not to set your dehydrator above 110 degrees, 105 is optimal.  Temperatures above 110 degrees begin to damage the enzymes and at 120 degrees the enzymes are destroyed. 

To conserve food you can dehydrate leftovers.

 Banana Pecan Cookies

8 bananas

1 1/2 cups pecans, ground or chopped fine

3 Tbs. raw carob powder

Honey to taste (optional)

Mash the bananas into a cream. Use a potato masher so some small chunks are left. This will make the cookie thicker. Add other ingredients and mix well. Spoon small amounts onto the dehydrator sheets and mash down. These will need to dehydrate for about 24 hours.

Sun Garden Burgers

3 T ground flax – see Note below

6 T water

1 cup carrot pulp – See Note below

1 cup sunflower seeds, ground

½ cup finely minced celery

6 T finely minced onion

2 T finely minced red pepper

1 t parsley

2 t coconut liquid aminos ( You can use Braggs or raw soy in place of the coconut aminos)

In a blender, combine the ground flax seeds and water, blending thoroughly.  Immediately pour the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Rinse the blender container before the mixture left in it hardens and becomes difficult to wash out.

In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix the carrot pulp, sunflower seeds, celery, onion, parsley, red pepper and liquid aminos.  Add the flax seed mixture and mix thoroughly.  If necessary, add more water so the mixture can be formed into patties.  Form into six ½ inch thick patties.  Dehydrate for 4 – 8 hours, leave them in the sun until warm or place them in a warm oven for 10 – 15 minutes. 

NOTE:  To grind flax seeds, place them in an electric coffee grinder and grind until powdered.  To make carrot pulp, put carrots through a heavy-duty juicer, using a juicing screen.  Use the pulp in the recipe.  Drink the juice, or reserve it for another use.

Protein Cookies

The following recipes can be made with whatever sprouted nuts or seed-cheese you have on hand.

 – Nut Crunches

Soak nuts (pecans, almonds or walnuts, etc. – whatever is on hand), saving a few to chop dry. Blend the nuts with rejuvelac and add a similar amount of bananas to make a smooth batter. Blend in the reserved dry, chopped nuts. Drop by spoon onto a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate until ready. Tasty combinations suggested are Walnut/Banana and Almond/Banana. Experiment and enjoy!

(You may use sunflower seed-cheese as a substitute for the soaked nuts, however in addition to the banana you can add soaked prunes for improved flavor).

– Chewy Protein Treats

Soak nuts (pecans, almonds or walnuts, etc – whatever is on hand) and blend with rejuvelac. Add prunes and banana to the blender after nuts and rejuvelac are well blended. A good proportion is 1/2 quantity of nuts and 1/4 each of prune and banana. Drop by spoon onto dehydrator sheet and dehydrate until ready.

VARIATION – Same as above only use 1/2 quantity of nuts with the appropriate amount of rejuvelac and instead use 1/4 quantity of apple and 1/4 quantity of soaked dates. As above, drop by spoon and dehydrate until ready.

 Grain Crisps (bread replacements)

Use grains such as wheat, rye, kamut or spelt. For variety, add vegetables and/or herbs and spices. To sweeten, blend sprouted grain with banana and rejuvelac. Experiment!

1.         SOAK seeds for 12 hours. 

2.         SPROUT seeds for 2 days.

3.         BLEND with water or rejuvelac.

4.         POUR onto teflex dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 110 degrees for 24 hours or

            longer, depending on the thickness..

6.         STORE in plastic containers (airtight not necessary). These will keep for several weeks.

Banana Sunflower Treats

8-10 Bananas

2-3 cups soaked sprouted sunflower seeds

A touch of cinnamon (optional)

Mash the bananas into a cream, leaving some small chunks for a heavy texture. Chop the sunflower seeds using a blender or a food processor. If you use the blender you will need to use enough rejuvelac or water to mix.  The blender will give you a finer texture. Spoon small amounts of the mixture onto dehydrator sheets and dehydrate until ready.

Mexican Flax Crackers

6 cups flaxseeds, soaked 4 – 6 hours in 5 ½ cups water

4 medium tomatoes, blended

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

½ cup coconut amino acids

2 T lemon juice

2 t chili powder

2 t dried cilantro

1 t garlic powder

½ onion, chopped

½ t cayenne

Mix all ingredients well and adjust seasonings.  Keep the mixture moist and loose for spreading.  Spread mixture as thin as possible (approximately ¼ inch thick) on dehydrator trays with teflex sheets.  Keeping hands wet will help in the spreading.  Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 5 – 6 hours, flip crackers over and remove the teflex sheets.  Continue dehydrating for 4 – 5 hours or until the crackers are completely dry.

Corn Chips

 6 ears non sweet corn, remove from cob

½ yellow onion

2 cups sprouted sunflower seeds, soaked 6 hours and rinsed

¼ cup water

1 ½ T coconut  liquid aminos

1 t kelp powder

Process corn and onion in a food processor, using the “s” blade.  Stop and scrape the sides;  blend until smooth. Add sprouted sunflower seeds and process until the mixture is well blended and the consistency of a batter.  Add some water if the batter is too thick.  Add Braggs and kelp; mix well. Using a teaspoon, scoop batter onto the teflex sheet of a dehydrator tray.  Flatten with a knife into a flat round surface about 1/8” thick and 1 1/2” wide.  Dehydrate at 105 for 12 hours, then remove teflex sheet and turn chips over.  Continue dehydrating for 10 – 12 hours, or until desired crispness is obtained.

Most of these recipes in this article are based on Dr. Ann Wigmore’s recipes. They are wonderful living food recipes, that taste great and will nourish your body and keep you in the peak of health. 

Robert Morgan – Bobby is the health education director at Creative Health Institute in Union City, Michigan, He is a certified naturopath, iridologist, energy practitioner, colonic therapist, master raw chef, author, International lecturer, teacher and cancer surthrivor.

Bobby, is dedicated to continuing to carry out the work and vision of Dr. Ann Wigmore and all of the souls who have dedicated their lives to love, peace and natural health.

Wishing you the best day ever,

Bobby, interns, volunteers and staff of CHI