Bread: the final frontier... Because we have a LONG way to go to conquer our complete dependence on and addiction to this American staple. I mean, bread IS the perfect vehicle for a hamburger, BLT, steak bomb, even cucumber and hummus sandwich. Where would we be without bread? Stuck in salad land forever. Or would we?
Expand your use of vegetables with dehydration.
Dehydration is the process used to preserve a variety of different types of food for indefinite periods by extracting the moisture, thereby inhibiting the growth of microorganisms. Simply put, dehydrating vegetables makes it possible to achieve a variety of textures and flavors that are otherwise unattainable! Yes, even "bread."
To be fair, we're talking the flat, un-raised kind... Not the fluffy Wonder kind.
Rosemary Onion Flat Bread
3 Lg Yellow Onions
¾ C Flax Seed, ground in high speed blender
¾ C Sunflower Seed, ground in food processor
¼ C Soy Sauce or Nama Shoyu
½ C Olive Oil & 1 T chopped fresh Rosemary
Peel and halve onions. In food processor, cut the onions up with slicing disk OR s-blade and transfer to large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Spread 2 C of mixture evenly on dehydrator tray lined with Teflex sheet, or spread into small rounds for "pizza" crusts. Repeat until all of the mixture is used. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 24 hours. Flip and peel Teflex sheet off bread and return to dehydrator for 12 more hours. Cut into 9 equal pieces, or as desired.
Traditional Hummus
1 C Chickpeas (Soaked for 24+ Hours)
1 clove Garlic
Juice from 1 Lemon
¼ C Olive Oil
1t Salt
½ Red Pepper
½ t Paprika, ½ t Cumin
Blend until smooth. Serve warm or chilled.
No-Bean Hummus
2 Zucchini, peeled and chopped
¾ cup Tahini
½ cup fresh Lemon juice
¼ cup Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic, peeled
2 ½ teaspoons Salt
½ tablespoon ground Cumin
dash of Paprika (for garnish)
Blend all ingredients until creamy. Organic hummus from the store is perfectly fine, but this is a delicious raw version to get some living food into your diet, and a great garden recipe for zuccini. The No-Bean Hummus and Rosemary Onion Flat Bread recipes were both adapted from RAWvolution.
Benefits of Dehydrated Food
1. It's delicious! As moisture escapes, flavors become more concentrated. This means dehydrated apple slices will actually be sweeter than a fresh apple, tomatoes will become more vibrant.
2. It's healthy! Dehydrated snacks are 100% free of preservatives or added calories from sweeteners, without having to sacrifice taste.
3. It's cost effective! When fruit or veggies are past their prime, you can either cook them or dehydrate them instead of throwing them away.
We love to make tomato chips and onion strings!
Tomato & onion slices ready for the dehydrator
Just slice tomatoes and onions super thin, add salt, spread them on dehydrating sheets, and dehydrate for 24-48 hours at 105 degrees. Easy and delicious. Before you know it, you'll be dehydrating everything you can get your hands on!
Learn More
To learn more about growing your own produce, cooking up fresh and healthy recipes, and a variety of our gardening tips and tricks, get your copy of our book The Urban Bounty.
