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Most people put out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Well I made Kale Crisps instead. Then again we don't really do the whole Santa thing so I don't think the jolly ol' guy missed a couple of calories.
But the reindeer would have totally approved!
Mountain of lemony Kale Crisps = Deeeeelish!
-note- testing this post to see how the app works and if I can use my phone to send quick updates to the blog.
Sorry in advance if the formatting is off, it is a test after-all.
-update- discovered that it placed huge gigantic pictures and I can't edit from the phone. Hmm...
I have the privilege of borrowing an Excalibur and using it the past couple days has been pure joy.
Sunday, I had both carrot pulp and apple pulp... I thought combining the two and making cookies would be YUM!
So I went hunting webland for recipes... Most had flax seed, which for some reason gives me a stomach ache. Some had spices that I wouldn't want in a sweet tasting cookie. And in general, I couldn't find anything that sounded just right.
Which mean, I made my own concoction... It wasn't totally raw, because I added oats, thinking I needed something grainy. But next time, I could probably do without the oats.
They came out tasting more like granola then I had hoped...
I went with Carrot/Apple Pulp, Cinnamon, all spice, cocao powder, hemp seeds (which don't give me a tummy ache), and oats.. There was enough moisture from the pulp to hold everything together. But not too much that would require a different tray.
So I made cookie shapes and turned on the dehydrator. I thought they would take forever with my little dehydrator. I was thinking for certain 12-24 hrs.
But wowsers... they were done in just a few hours with one time of flipping in the middle.
Again, they sort of tasted like granola, so I will adjust for a more chewy cookie texture next time. I'll need to add some kind of sweetener too. As they are a little too plain for my sweet tooth... But otherwise quite good.
Considering they are made from pulp, and no oven used in their "baking"....
Can you tell, I'm having fun in the kitchen again?? *smile*
My friend and I were just discussing Eggplant, and what to do with them. Suddenly it hit me...
I remember seeing on a blog long ago (sorry can't provide credit as I don't remember where) a snippet about Eggplant Jerky.
Then I found a cute little Eggplant at the store Saturday... It had Jerky written all over it..... But of course I had no recipe, nor did I feel like researching.... So this is what I did..
They took MUCH less time to finish then I thought. As in a few hours... But they were so good! I started "testing" (I mean eating) them with in 2hrs. And had to finally cut myself off from snitching until they were truly done.
Hello, little Eggplant Jerky:
Seriously, these were really really really good! And Soooo Easy. Veg and I were fighting over pieces before they even made it in to the bowl.
But we managed to save this many for another day:
Who knew Eggplant could taste so good? As soon as we see these at the Farmer's Market, I will be stocking up for certain!
Not sure if it was the Farmers Market, or the Blueberry Picking today, but I got some motivation... And when I get motivation, everyone best just get out of my way.....
And so I bring you a Food Prep Saturday:
My Fridge looks like this currently:
Giant Salad, Sprouts, Cabbage Salad.. and the following:
Washed, cut, and ready to go, some local, some fresh, all organic and all delicious:
Celery Root, Carrots, Pineapple, Blueberries (Fresh Picked this morning) , Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes, Coconut Meat, Potatoes, Sprouts, Green Beans, And Cucumbers.
In to the freezer, went some Bananas, Pineapples, Peaches and Strawberries:
My Dehydrator is currently making the ultimate in Kale Crisp Goodness (I already snuck some.. shhhhh!)
Here are the blueberries up close from our hard work today...
And two varieties of Green Beans from the Farmer's Market:
The flat ones are from the farm that Hubby helped work on, and she assured me today, they would be the best green beans I've ever had. And she was RIGHT! They are sweet, and delicious totally raw!
Great for snacking and that yummy crunch. Hubby dipped his in hummus and kept sneaking them from my bowl.
This salad is so big, it will make my belly happy for a couple days:
Romaine, Kale, Cucumber, Carrots, Peppers, Sprouts and Sunflower Seeds
And there ya have it... This will be a good food week.... I can tell.......Are you motivated yet??
While I tend to have green foods these days with or without minor injury...I had lots and lots of it today, just because I was home and I could...
Of course this! Actually - 2 of these: (the white froth is coconut.. yum)
Reason # 539 that I love having a Dehydrator (and am home all day to use it):
Kale Crisps... Ooh La La:
The start of a salad with raw asparagus by the way... my new favorite thing:
And the lettuce thrown on top...Look at all that green:
These... NOW THESE are not Green... they are supposed to be raw but I didn't have any raw nut-butter, so they are actually not raw, but Soooooooooooooo Good!!! Oh my...I didn't even know food could taste so good. Really!!
Before going to a mostly Plant based diet, my taste buds were so different. Things that taste good, really really taste good. Sensations in my taste buds that I didn't know existed.
The strangest combination of ingredients and NO Machines needed. Just a bowl, a spoon and some very sticky hands, then a freezer..
Another recipe from Kristen's Raw - Dessert Book.
And this little guy... The green thing... It is our little compost bin that we keep in the kitchen. It has a filter on top to keep the smell down. Veg is the Compost police.."It MUST go out once a week Mom, and we have to clean it every time"....
As much stuff as we put in this thing, we will actually empty more often, especially in the hot summer months coming soon.
We've already noticed a significant difference in that Big Garbage can having less contents. In Fact, I think we only used two bags in that thing all week and one of them just changed out today. And the one from today, was because we emptied all the other trash cans in to it for our Sunday clean up.
If you need a little compost bin, we found ours at For Small Hands. The site also has extra filters and books all about composting. We've had it filled with stuff for two weeks (knowing our tumbler was almost in place) and no stench in our kitchen at all. I was really impressed. Not even the banana peel smell came through.
So there you go... Some Green and some not so green, but a very Yummy day to say the least!
A couple weeks ago I got the special inserts for my Dehydrator so I can make ooey gooey goodness..
First Try: Banana Roll Ups...
I threw some Bananas in to Mr. Vita-Mix with a dibble of Lemon juice... Mix Mix Mash and pour:
Then Dehydrated for about 10 hrs or so:
Pealed in to triangle sections and rolled them right up!
I put them in a Glass sealed container and they kept all week for our munching pleasure... All three of us liked them and they passed the people at work test also.
Easy, Fast (the prep at least was fast)... And Nutritiously Delicious without anything added.. I made two trays, and that was enough for about 5 days worth of ooey gooey goodness.
PS... Bananas smell so yummy in the dehydrator..
My Mom knows what I eat from this blog, but having her here introduces her to the tastes... And I think she's liked just about everything.
Green Smoothie Goodness, Hemp nacho sauce, Beany grilled (no cheese) sandwiches, Dark Chocolate goodies, Raw nuts, Dried fruits.... And now....Today..... She was introduced to the Kale Crisp!
She helped me "massage" the kale... She helped me load it in to the Dehydrator, she waited patiently for the wet kale to become dried kale...
And then she helped me eat two entire trays..... And she said "Wow that is good, don't tell anyone".... But I am... I'm telling the 3 people that read my blog... NeeNee liked the Kale Crisps!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY YUM!!! They were extra super good because I had a helper.. We did the work in 1/2 the time, and the flavors were massaged extra good in to the kale leaves.
We actually did save a couple tray's worth for tomorrow, but I can't much guarantee they will last a day after.
Had today off work.. but after a weekend of family fun time (bowling, roller skating and board games) exercise, good food, good sleep and crafts, (check out the cards I made here) I wasn't sure how I would make today any better....
Until Veg and I realized it was Sunny and 50 degrees outside... We had to implement a P.O.D (Plan of the day)...
On my List - Some house chores, Errands, Grocery Shopping, Game Playing, Smoothie Making, Food Prep
On Veg's List - Park, Tennis, Basketball, Smoothies, Lunch and Game Playing...
Guess who won? We both did.... On our P.O.D we put all items in to action. Worked together, played hard, and had a blast filling every second of the day!!!
Tomorrow, I shall go back to work, yes this is true! But the Memories of an awesome weekend will keep me smiling....
And so will these.... Yum to Kale Chips!! Thank you Mr. Dehydrator!
All I can say is OH MY YUM!!!!!!!!!!!! I've seen them floating around the web in blog world for a while, and I thought... Ewwwww, dehydrated greens... But then, I needed a new Raw food try for the week... and saw some Organic pretty Kale bunches at the store... Hmmmm... Why Not?
I got three bunches... One turned in to smoothies. The other two.... well they turned in to Dehydrated Kale Crisps. Using a version of this recipe. OH MY YUM!!
Started with washing and drying, then cutting the bigger stalks.. this took much longer to clean, then I thought it would. (paranoid of bugs) But I cleaned, and I chopped....
Then put them in a big bowl with Olive Oil, Sea salt, Lemon Juice, and Agave Nectar.... And "massaged" as the recipe said for many minutes... Had to do this in two batches as my bowl wasn't big enough. So I "massaged" the kale, until my fingers were annoying me, and I thought... THESE BETTER BE GOOD!!
Finally, they were ready for the Dehydrator:
4 glorious trays of green goodness (PS. I've been told you can do this in the oven too):
Now, I must add, that no one in blog land has ever warned me of the STINK that comes from this dehydrator while Kale is inside.... It is like Stink times 100... our entire house STUNK not a pretty fruity smell, or even a veggie smell.... OH NO, It was like cooking broccoli smell.... and I thought.... These things better be good!!!
8 hours later, the smell went away, and this goodness was waiting for me..... Notice the missing bits... those were already in my tummy... What? I had to test them before giving to my family. It is only the right thing to do? Right?
MAN were these things GOOD!!! I mean really really good!
I packed some in a bowl for immediate consumption. And the rest with the Food Saver to keep them fresh and crispy for days to come:
But this was a silly thing... Because one by one these bags were devoured...
Hello down there little Crispy Kale... I'm going to eat you now! Run Run...
The first day they were a little extra sweet and I thought, I won't add as much Agave next time....By the second day, they were perfect... not too sweet, not too salty, and I won't change a thing about the recipe.
Veg and I went to town... (mostly me) But between the two of us, and two days, this is all that is left:
Really!! In two days we went through 2 full bunches of Kale... Still considered Raw because of the dehydrator (I think) and so we got all that extra green goodness straight in our bodies. But man did they taste good. I would seriously NEVER reach for a bag of potato chips or pretzels if I had these handy.
And I will be making them again... as in MANY TIMES again!! As in... GET ME some more KALE!
OH MY YUM!!!!!!
Hubby was very busy yesterday... Look See... Yes, we ate it too fast for pictures... but you get the idea:
He taught himself how to use Mr. Dehdrydrator and Mr. Freezy Contraption....And did a pretty good job.. I have lots of saved goodness waiting for me to use.
Thank You Hubby!
Today was intended to be a "Visit three different Grandma's" Day. This means driving all over creation during normal circumstances. But add in some Yummy Raw Food Goodness and a Cider Mill... and our driving continued to be all over creation....
YES, RAW FOOD!!! We found a restaurant on happycow that I think Melissa suggested we go to a long time ago... (whom just had a baby... Congrats Melissa)..
Called the Red Pepper Deli in Northville Michigan.. (sorry can't find website)... It was a TOTAL Deli, as in small tables for eating in, but mostly a carry out place. And the food choices, juice, smoothies, desserts, almost all RAW, and Vegan.... OH MY YUM!!!
We Dragged NeeNee with us to this delicious little eatery.... I walked in with my Giddy Self, and told the lady at the counter "They don't make these places where I come from!" And she said "Then how do you know to eat this way?" :-) Blog land! hee hee
My Raw walnut Taco, was soooo good and filling, even had to bring some home, so I could save room for dessert:
NeeNee got a Raw Pesto Pasta... I had to explain to her that there would be no "PASTA" in the Pesto PASTA... that it was going to be Zucchini noodles.. MAN was it good!!!
NeeNee Liked it too... But don't tell her because she won't admit it. I have proof though... she ate every last bit...
Veg's lunch was quite Yummy too, while not raw, it was brown rice and raisins, and butternut squash soup along with some dehydrated pumpkin seed crackers (at least I think they were pumpkin seed):
We got some Cashew (dehydrated) Crackers to go for our trip back, along with some Banana Leather... OH MY YUM YUM YUM!!! I'll have to make these with Mr. Dehydrator at home.
And then I saw Mr. Vita-mix times 3 behind the counter and HAD to order a smoothie. I was FORCED to do so. It was calling me, I couldn't control myself.... I went with the Coconut/Pineapple concoction..
Well, Veg wanted a nut free dessert.... And they happened to have something that fit the bill.
Raw Coconut Cream Pie:
He had bites before I could even snap a photo... OH, WAS THIS GOOD!! I will be trying this at home for sure!
So while it was true that we drove all over creation......It was sooo good... Veg and I both got lots of hugs from different loved ones today... not the kind of hugs that bother my germophobe self.. These were nice friendly family hugs that are worth a million bucks. We also got some good pictures, to keep these memories strong for my Vegman.
I'm so glad that he is at the age where he will remember this trip forever and always... And because of that, I'm throwing in some extra special goodness... He has requested 4 Cider Mills... and 4 we shall do... After today we are at #3... And so there was raw food goodness... Three Grandma Visits.... AND A cider mill with Play area... A perfect day!
And Yet again for the 4th day this week, my little Luv Bug took a car siesta between stops... I really really really wish he did this at home... Something about the cold air... Yeah, thats it! :-)
And did I mention it was Ccccccooooooooollllllddddddddd...... I'm talkin' December weather cold in October kind of Cold!
But were loving it! Every Single Bit!!!
I didn't get Saturday Farmer's Market Pics of food, but our new try for the week was Butternut Squash.. We have decided that we like it in Smoothies, we like it Raw and cold, cut in to chunks.. (sorta crunchy, sorta Pumpkin flavor... kinda tasty) But only Hubby likes it in Dehydrated Chip form.
I also didn't do Sunday Fridge Picture, because there wasn't anything to show yesterday... BUT TODAY, I have a LOT TO SHOW... We were busy home bodies... I was busy.... and there was some Kitchen fun going on...
Mr. Vita-mix put on a great show and Mr. Dehydrator is still going strong... Veg said "I like Mr. Dehydrator, he gives us lots of good food"
I would have to agree....
And so here are a whole lot of photos.... Enjoy!
I call this one, The Berry Fruity Veggie Coconut Stay Healthy Smoothie...
It has Coconut Water and Coconut Shreds, Spinach, Banana, Elderberry, Echinacea, (flu is going around these parts, and we will avoid it.... yes we will, by golly by gosh)... Blueberries, strawberries, apples, grapes, peaches, Ice and Butternut Squash...
It was a Hit... Veg and I drank ours ALLL LLLLL up!
Mr. Vita-mix made me some Delicious Nut Butter... Almonds, Walnuts, and a dribble of Maple Syrup:
Thank you Mr. Vitamix... It will last me a little while too.... WooHoo!!
Mr. Vita-Mix also made some Banana Pudding (Veg's favorite)....
Bananas with a dribble of Vanilla and a tiny bit of lemon juice to keep the color.... In the fridge this went...
You may be able to tell a Banana theme today.... Here I am Pouring some Banana Popsicles... Thank you again Mr. Vita-mix... Very helpful!
And these babies went in the Freezer ....
I made Granola (again..) Note to self, don't add more peanut butter....Trying this made the results not so crunchy and way way way too crumbly.... Dear Self...Stick to the original Recipe!! OK Will Do!
But these are Still MIGHTY GOOD... just a little messy!
Next came some Breakfast Oat Cookies for Tomorrow, using my fresh nut butter, bananas, oats, cocoa, hemp seeds, and almonds....(I really want to eat mine now... but I shall wait)
Mr. Vita-Mix also made us some Coconut Bites... With Coconut Shreds, Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts and Dates.... OH MY YUM!!!
Mash it good Mr. Vita-Mix, I see my goop down there!
Thank You, Mr. Vita-Mix, that was perfect! And these were DELICIOUS!!!
Veg and Hubby liked them a little too much... next time I shall hide some for myself. *smile*
I put a couple on the dehydrator also to see if I could make cookies...
There was some cutting and freezing going on... Thank you Mr. Food Saver
Peaches, Bananas and Strawberries.... These will make their appearance in the form of Raw Vegan Ice Cream some day soon... Oooh Patience!
And some Cutting, cleaning, and Fridgerating.....
Did I mention that it was a busy Kitchen Day today??? We will eat GOoooood this week!
And now.... For Mr. Dehydrator...
Tray 1 - Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash chips:
And here they are all dried... They are good, but could use salt or something. Hubby liked them more then Veg and I did.
Trays 2, 3 and 4:
Peaches, Apples, Strawberries, Raspberries, some Coconut Cookies...
And Veg wanted to Experiment with a piece of watermelon and Grapes to see what they would do...
He ran down EVERY HOUR as the watermelon slowly frizzled up to a tiny piece of sponge.... It was quite fun... The Grapes surprised me though... Its been almost 12 hours and they've done Nothing!
The Strawberries and raspberries and everything else.... OH MY YUM!!!
Here are the Peaches and Apples:
Veg and I made some Trail Mix to grab during the week:
Cereal, pretzels, Macadamia, Walnuts, dried fruit, Dark Choco Chips and Granola...
Problem was... he grabbed a bunch today! So I had to refill it for the week....
And last picture of the day.... Garden Update:
Look how big the little baby Chard is getting...They are one week old now.... Soon they will be Walking and off to school... Or not... But they are almost big enough for me to thin already... And how will I ever choose who to keep and who to destroy.. Poor little Chard...
This Gardening is hard work...:-)
And so there ya have it.... A Monday Food Prep Day!! And a week full of eating to follow!!
Ooooh ... Happy Labor Day! :-) Hope it was a good Food day and everything day where ever you are!
Funny, my Mom commented that we will need another space for my kitchen gadgets... When it comes to the Dehydrator, she was Right!!!
The contraption is a little noisy... and blows hot air and lets the most glorious of fruity odors in to the air.... While I was OK with all this, thanks to Mamasweeds for posting her experience.. I was prepared.
But the Hubs couldn't stand the noise for 8-12hrs straight... And so he set me up a dehydrating station in the basement:
Peaches, Apples, bananas, pineapple chunks, and Cherries.... We tried a few of each to see if we liked it before wasting much food....
Verdict... none of us could wait the full 12hrs... did anyone really think that we could??? Patience is not a thing you will find in my house.
In fact every couple hours Veg and I were checking and Testing our yummy creations. They did finish earlier then expected though. I got one bowl of banana chips (not pictured) and this bowl with everything else:
There is a whole section of the instruction book that tells how to store your dried fruit long term....
Yeah, We won't be needing that section... I'm pretty sure our creations won't last two days. The peaches are my favorite, in case you were wondering! Oh my Yum!!
Yes, a real peach takes much less prep time to eat and is equally as delicious..... But it will be so nice to have these treats for lunches, snacks and on the go days when a real peach isn't feasible. Today's lunch has a little of both.
The weekend family decision is that we will be doing this several times a month... I'm OK with that decision! *smile*
Thanks to Hubby for buying and returning the other Dehydrator that wasn't quite to my liking, we purchased this new one today... I believe it is still on the Cheap Side, but higher quality then the other cheap one...
It has a better heating/fanning thing-a-majig and will dehydrate (supposedly) in 6-12 hours vs. the 24-48hrs of the other. It also looks safer to me and is made out of unbreakable (supposedly) parts.
Best part is, it is Smaller, and will take up less space, then the first that was brought home. It will actually fit in my cupboard when not in use. It also had a better book with much better instructions and now the trick will be if it truly works.... Haven't tried that yet!
While I don't like the idea of using plastic, the Metal fancy version is near $200.... and right now, I'm trying to find ways to save money, not spend..
(hard to tell I'm trying to save with all my purchases of late, but they are all with the good environmental, healthy, and money saving intentions)
And so in the spirit of something low cost that will hopefully bring many tasty treats... I introduce you to.....
Mr. Dehydrator... I think he and Mr. Vita-Mix will get along just fine!