I really hate throwing out food; don’t you?

Dumping bucket after bucket of lovely juicing leftovers (minus what went into plant compost) was just getting silly – till I finally decided it was make it or break it time for the dehydrator. Yes my friends, I finally took the plunge a few weeks ago – investing a grand total of $300 in the Excalibur dehydrator I’ve lusted after since first getting into raw foods in 2005. Luckily for most of my readers, you live in the states, where EVERYTHING is cheaper! The 4 tray Excalibur model I have costs only $120 over there.

So last week I finally buckled down and resolved to get over my dehydrator fears:

Leave food drying overnight? Surely the bacterial/amine content will kill me? (It didn’t.)

Will I really have the patience to wait 8-12 hours for food? (Yes. And even if you don’t, half “baked” raw cookies taste amazing.)

Will my boyfriend think I’m a freak? (He did/does but still eats everything that comes out of the dehydrator.)

I’m going to fail at this, it’s just too complicated/foreign. (This from the woman who has cut 80+ foods from her diet! It wasn’t and I didn’t fail.)

No one who reads my blog is going to want these recipes! (All evidence to the contrary, a post on my Facebook page elicited quite a few positive responses.)

Not everyone has a dehydrator or wants to eat raw foods…(True, but these foods don’t have to be raw – they can be baked on low heat in an oven till cooked through.)

So I’m not going to spoil the fun by posting all the photos I have of this week’s adventures (apart from the taco shot!), this is just a little taste of what’s to come: carrot cake muffins with frosting, stuffed tacos, fruit leathers and triple decker hummus hummus sandwiches that’ll blow your socks off!

In the meantime check out this recipe for veggie jerky, made from my antihistamine & anti-inflammatory golden beetroot juice. I threw these into my handbag as we ran out of the door to enjoy and entire day of the elusive UK sun…

As always, please understand that antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods can still hurt us, so please be sure to check with your doc before introducing new foods. 

Prep Time: 10 | Cook Time: 12 (dehydrator) or 1-2 hours in oven| Servings: 2-6

Ingredients:

Juice

1 beetroot  (antihistamine & anti-inflammatory)

4 carrots (anti-inflammatory)

1 mango

 Jerky

1/2 cup ground flax/chia seeds (anti-inflammatory)

1/2 onion  (antihistamine & anti-inflammatory)

1 clove garlic (anti-inflammatory)

2 tbsp olive oil (anti-inflammatory)

handful coriander (anti-inflammatory)

handful basil (antihistamine & anti-inflammatory)

nigella seeds (antihistamine H1 & H2 receptor, anti-inflammatory)

sea salt

fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Juice

Juice the beet and carrots first. Remove the roughage.

Juice mango.

Enjoy.

Jerky

Combine ingredients in food processor. Add a little water at a time till you get a nice ball of dough that’s sticky.

Spread thinly onto 1-2 paraflexx dehydrator sheets. Use a knife to lightly score the sheets lengthways, into 3. And then once horizontally – to create 6 pieces.

Dehydrate at 150 for 1-2 hours. Flip over and then lower the temp to 105 for another 6-8. At some point, while still pliable, roll the sheets up (as if rolling up a yoga mat) and flip over again.

In the oven: depending on how much of a rush you’re in, set the oven’s temperature low. Lightly oil a baking tray and score as above. While still moist, roll up the pieces.

For more (cooked) recipes check out the grain, dairy, soy, corn free Anti-Cookbook: Antihistamine & Anti-inflammatory High Nutrient Recipes for Health. 

Enjoy!