I have experimented with the dehydrator I’ve got for quite some time. It is the so called ‘oven’ for raw foodists and is used quite often to change a cooked meal into its raw version. The principal of using a dehydrator is that is can actually heat food on a very low temperature to keep the valuable nutrients of the food. I have a pretty simple dehydrator for now (the best quality one is a little expensive for my budget which unfortunately affects the variety of dishes I am able to make).
There are some amazing recipes I love making with the dehydrator such as simple dried fruit (banana and mango as my favourites!), mature macadamia cheese, tarts and pizza crusts. It really is fun to experiment with different recipes.
Though I do have some issues with digesting the more complex recipes and haven’t really found a raw cracker that isn’t a bit smelly. They simply aren’t tasty in my opinion. An inside voice keeps telling me that food should be kept simple and that any recipe that tries so hard to imitate a cooked meal is simply not raw. When I think of living food I think of fruit, salads, nuts, juices and smoothies. Even the cakes I make still retain their simplicity. I am still learning through this raw food experience and I know it’s only been 5 months since starting this diet and there are many gourmet experienced raw chefs out there that make very creative dishes. I just feel that through my quest of becoming a living food chef I would like to maintain that the food looks alive, colourful and real. I hope in time, and during the course I intend to take this June at the Living Light Culinary Institute, that I gain skills and knowledge to create living food dishes that are tasty and aesthetically appealing without having to market them and name them as cooked foods in order to catch the eye (like raw pasta, lasagne etc…). Ideally, I would like to create names and be innovative in stirring away from the fake cooked food into a new language for food. Food that is alive, delicious and appealing just as itself. Do you know what I mean?
Here is one of my favourite snacks to prepare with the dehydrator, especially if you have the sweet tooth but still want to be healthy
Choc-Chia Kale Chips Ingredients:
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 cup of cacao
• 2 tsp. chia seeds
• 3 tsp. desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup of Agave nectar
Instructions: Remove the hard stems from the kale and tear into pieces. Wash the kale thoroughly. Then mix all ingredients in a bowl with the kale and massage through the kale so it is distributed evenly. Finally lay the chips in the dehydrator. After 4-6 hours the chips will be ready.
I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
Love and light
Leeluush
leeluush 