Recipes for the dehydrator

TOO HOT TO COOK!

Here are some dehydrator recipes to try out.  If I can muster the energy, I'll make some of them and post pictures and my families review.  If you happen to make them please let me know, I'd LOVE to share your experience, comments, suggestions, pictures whatever you have.

Thanks, 

Kristi

Apple Pie with Cheese Roll-Ups
4 apples, peeled cored and chopped
3/4 cup pecans, ground
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
In a blender mix all ingredients until pureed. Pour onto solid fruit leather sheets; dry at 135º for 4 to 8 hours, or until leathery. Remove from sheets while still warm. Let cool slightly. Roll in plastic wrap and store in dark , dry cool place or in the freezer.
 

Orange Julius Roll-Ups
1 1/2 cups applesauce
1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 tsp. dried orange ground
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a blender mix all ingredients until pureed. Pour onto solid fruit leather sheets; dry at 135º for 4 to 8 hours, or until leathery. Remove from sheets while still warm. Let cool slightly. Roll in plastic wrap and store in dark, dry cool place or in the freezer.
 

Easy Fruit Rolls
1 jar any flavor applesauce (used as the base of the fruit roll)

You can flavor your fruit rolls with fresh pureed fruit, powdered flavored gelatin, or with coconut or nuts. (Get creative!) Just mix it in or sprinkle on top before drying.

Spray a fruit roll sheet (lightly) with any type of cooking spray. Place several tablespoons of applesauce on a fruit roll sheet, to make small roll-ups. Spread to 1/4 thickness, so they’re about 4" in diameter. You can fit 6-8 on a fruit roll sheet, depending on how large you make them. Place in tray of dehydrator. Dehydrate at 140° for approximately 5-7 hours or until top of fruit roll is tacky. Remove, roll-up and place in a zip-lock bag.

NOTE: Entire fruit roll sheet may be covered with applesauce mixture and then dehydrated. Cut into individual serving sizes.

Applesauce & Fruit Roll-Ups
3 cups strawberries
3 cups applesauce
or
2 cups bananas
2 cups applesauce
In a blender mix all ingredients until pureed. Pour onto solid fruit leather sheets; dry at 135º for 4 to 8 hours, or until leathery. Remove from sheets while still warm. Let cool slightly. Roll in plastic wrap and store in dark , dry cool place or in the freezer.
 

Tropical Roll-Ups
6 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into pieces
1 orange, peeled and quartered
In a blender mix all ingredients until pureed. Pour onto solid fruit leather sheets; dry at 135º for 4 to 8 hours, or until leathery. Remove from sheets while still warm. Let cool slightly. Roll in plastic wrap and store in dark , dry cool place or in the freezer.

Harvest Granola
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans or almonds, chopped
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup dried apple, chopped
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
1/2 cup sesame seeds
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Spread onto solid dehydrator sheets and dry at 145&3186; for 3 to 5 hours or until crunchy. Store in an air-tight container.

Granny Smith Granola
3 Granny Smith Apples
2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup silvered almonds
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey in 1/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Quarter, peel and core apples; Coarsely grate. Place in a bowl with the other ingredients and toss lightly until thoroughly mixed. Place mixture on solid dehydrator sheet and dry for 2 to 3 hours, or until crunchy. For a more tender granola, add 1/4 cup vegetable oil before drying. Store in an air-tight container.

Apricot-Raisin Granola
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar or honey
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
In a large bowl, pour oats; add oil and brown sugar and toss lightly until blended. Add sunflower seeds and almonds. Mix well. Spread on solid dehydrator sheets 1/2" thick. Dry at 145º for 4 to 7 hours, or until crunchy.

"Butterfinger" Bites
2 cups coconut
2 cups dried apples, peeled, cored and chopped
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1/2-1" balls. Dry in your dehydrator at 135º for 4 to 5 hours, or until firm and crisp on the outside.
Makes about 3 dozen.

Texas Chili Peanuts
1(16 oz.) jar dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce(like Tabasco)
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1/8 tsp. ground oregano
Place nuts in a 9-inch square pan. In a glass measuring cup combine remaining ingredients. Pour over nuts. Let nuts sit at room temperature overnight. Drain liquid from nuts; place nuts on regular drying tray. Dry in your dehydrator at 145º for 3-5 hours or until nuts are crunchy. Store in an air-tight container.

Yogurt Drops
Thicker brands of commercial yogurt dry best. Drop flavored yogurt by 1/4 teaspoon onto lightly oiled Fruit Roll Sheet. Optional: for fun sprinkle drops with chopped peanuts or coconut before drying. Dry in your dehydrator 8-16 hours at 135° until chewy. Remove from sheet while warm. Chill and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Taco Chips
1 cup whole kernel or creamed corn
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated (the ready grated cheese is not as satisfactory)
1/2 cup red or green peppers, diced
1 TB onion, chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt to taste

In a blender or food processor, blend together all ingredients at high speed. Spread mixture thinly onto Fruit Roll Sheets. Dry in your dehydrator at 130° for approximately 10 hours or until dry on one side. Lift entire corn ring off of Fruit Roll Sheet, turn over and dry in your dehydrator for two hours longer or until crisp. Break into pieces.

Au gratin Potato Chips
3 cups potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. salt
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix. Spread onto solid sheets and dry in your dehydrator for 4 hours. With a clean butter knife, lift entire ring off sheet, turn over and dry for 1 hour longer, or until dry enough to break into pieces

Date-Fig Balls
1 cup dried dates
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup prunes
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup coconut
In a food processor or food grinder, finely grind dates, figs, prunes and raisins. In a medium bowl, mix ground fruit with nuts and seeds. Stir in lemon juice. Shape into 1/2-1" balls. Roll in coconut. Dry in your dehydrator at 135º for 4 to 6 hours, or until crisp on the outside.
Makes about 30 balls. 

Don't have a dehydrator,   This could be made in the oven as well.  Here's a link to some made in a 200 degree oven.  I imagine you could do these recipes the same way.

Strawberry Fruit roll ups from Just a Taste

My Experience with Dehydrated/Freeze Dried Entrees

Purchasing Powdered Eggs in the infamous #10 cans led me to look at other powdered and freeze-dried options and the companies that offer them. I have had experience with 3 local brands.

My first purchases were at the grocery store which feature the Augason Farms brand. Their selection is more limited than the others, but you are free to purchase as many or as few cans as you desire. Everything I have purchased from them has been dehydrated and I honestly don’t know if they provide freeze dried products (dehydrated items have a much shorter shelf life whereas freeze dried products usually last up to, and sometimes exceed, 25 years. They also taste better). Generally speaking Augason Farms is also cheaper than the other brands I have tried. I found Macey’s grocery store to have a wider selection and their prices were less. 

Next I attended a “party” that allowed me the opportunity to try some freeze-dried items. Shelf Reliance which features “Thrive” products has introduced a plan that allows you to buy a certain dollar amount of products each month in the form of belonging to a food storage club. They allow you to select exactly what you want over a period of time so the cost is a little more manageable. Their slogan is “Pay as You Go”. You have your own personal consultant who is very knowledgeable and helpful. You also have access to recipes using their products.

 

Lastly, I had a representative from Daily Bread visit our home. Their main focus is providing freeze-dried entrees in a pre-packaged format. I had the opportunity to try two different entrees from this company and found them to be very good. They are extremely easy to prepare--just add boiling water, wait a few minutes and your main course is ready to eat. Because they are freeze dried, they will last at least 25 years if unopened. Their slogan is “25-year worry-free food storage”. Once opened, the shelf life is considerably less depending on the entrée. They are very easy to store, very easy to prepare and very good. They truly are worry-free storage. When we were young-marrieds with a bunch of children, we would have had a difficult time purchasing from this company. Their cheapest package is around $1500.00 for a 3 month supply of 2 entrees/day and goes up to almost $9000.00 for a 12 month supply of 3 entrees/day. They do have bonus’s that you can take advantage of such as a 10% discount for paying up front. They also have a payment plan where you can pay for your package over a 9 month period. Since you receive multiply #10 cans of any given entrée, you could purchase a package with others and split the product and the cost.

I have always thought of these kinds of products as long term storage and had not thought of them as part of my “3 month supply of things we typically eat”. I have changed my thinking. 1. I want to be familiar with what I might have to eat during a crisis. When everything else in my world may be upside down is not the time for me to try and figure out what to eat and how to prepare it. 2. Some of the freeze-dried products I have tried, i.e. celery, have become items I use all the time. Celery is hard to always have on hand. You can’t refrigerate it very long, you can’t freeze it or can it and this is one way for me to always have it if I want it in a certain dish. 3. If there were a situation where I couldn’t get to a store for several days or the delivery trucks couldn’t restock a store I would still be able to prepare the recipes I typically eat because of the dehydrated or freeze-dried products I have on the shelf. 4. Trying products from these different companies has helped me know which ones I like and would use and which ones I don’t want to purchase further.
I have purchased products from all three companies and all three are part of my food storage.

One last comment. I now know that I will not purchase any entrée’s that are dehydrated. May I share why. I purchased 3 entrees from Augason Farms. The one I prepared was spaghetti marinara. When I opened the can there was a handful of spaghetti and a package of dehydrated marinara sauce with some dehydrated meat. It took as much time to prepare as the spaghetti I already have on my shelf and the sauce was similar to the can of Hunt’s spaghetti sauce I also have on my shelf and the cost was considerably more. I returned the other two cans and was glad I hadn’t waited until an emergency to try them.